Championship promotion rivals confirm transfer of Leeds United-linked striker 12 hours after deadline

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Leeds United ruled out a move for the striker who has now joined a Championship promotion rival.

Deadline-day Leeds United link Adam Armstrong will spend the rest of this season in the Championship with confirmation West Brom have received EFL approval of his loan move from Southampton.

The Daily Mail claimed on Monday that Leeds and Middlesbrough had shown an ‘interest’ in Armstrong, who was thought to have been made available by Southampton after falling out of favour under Ivan Juric. Both prospective suitors were just as quickly out of the running, however, with Elland Road sources informing the YEP they had no plans to sign the 27-year-old.

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And so at the clock ticked towards Monday’s 11pm deadline, Armstrong looked set to remain at St Mary’s but the Telegraph’s John Percy reported late on Monday night that West Brom were hopeful of completing a last-gasp move. The Southampton Daily Echo reported minutes after the 11pm deadline that Hawthorns chiefs remained hopeful of signing the striker, having agreed the terms of a loan switch before time was up.

The Baggies are said to have ‘pushed through’ the last-minute paperwork, with confirmation coming more than 12 hours after the deadline had passed. A fresh update from the Daily Echo around Tuesday lunchtime confirmed Armstrong would join West Brom for the remainder of the campaign, with confirmation arriving from the EFL. West Brom are said to have paid a loan fee for the striker, as well as committing to pay the majority of his Premier League wages.

West Brom sporting director Andrew Nestor said: “We are pleased to welcome Adam to The Hawthorns for the rest of the season. He has extensive experience in the Championship and a proven goalscoring record. Adam is an ideal fit for our squad and very much suits our style.”

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Much of Leeds’ deadline-day focus was instead of Armstrong’s Southampton teammate, Cameron Archer, with interest still there after last week’s loan approach was knocked back. Elland Road chiefs had hoped a domino effect would open the door for a late move but that never materialised, with no attacking additions on the south coast.

Instead of settling for an alternative option, Leeds decided to stick with what they have and end the January transfer window virtually as they started it. Joe Gelhardt and Charlie Crew left on loan for Hull City and Doncaster Rovers respectively, while Sonny Perkin’s temporary deal at Leyton Orient was made permanent. The Whites did reject a bid worth more than £10million for Mateo Joseph.

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