West Brom finally seal loan of Championship marksman Adam Armstrong after nervy wait
Albion have pulled off a remarkable last-gasp loan deal for prolific Championship striker Adam Armstrong from Southampton - after waiting overnight and long into Tuesday for confirmation.
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The centre-forward, 27, reunites with head coach Tony Mowbray for a third time in his career after goal-laden spells with the Baggies boss while together at both Coventry and Blackburn.
The deal was in the hands of the EFL overnight and on Tuesday as the club and supporters faced an agonizing wait for the switch to be confirmed, which finally arrived early in the afternoon after clearance from the governing body.
Armstrong was Southampton's two-goal hero during the Championship play-off second leg against Carlos Corberan's Albion last season. He went on to bag the winner in the 1-0 victory over Leeds in the final at Wembley.
He netted 24 goals, as well as 13 assists, in 52 appearances for the Saints last season but has struggled for has struggled to make as much of an impact for the relegation-threatened Premier League side this term.
He has, though, made 20 appearances in the top flight, 15 of them starts, and scored twice. In all competitions he has appeared 23 times this term and scored three goals.
Only five outfield members of the Saints squad have started more Premier League fixtures than Armstrong, who has appeared from the off in two of their last three games.
Former Newcastle academy youngster Armstrong was seen as too costly for a loan deal earlier in the day, amid reports play-off chasing rivals Middlesbrough were priced out of a loan move.
It is understood striker Armstrong only became available for a loan deal to The Hawthorns at 10pm as the club worked frantically on getting the deal over the line before the 11pm deadline. Paperwork was submitted on time by the Baggies.
But weary Albion supporters had to wait until the next morning for confirmation of a fourth and final addition of the window in the form of the prolific Championship marksman.
He is the scorer of 125 career club goals and has been a regular scorer in the second tier as well as with Mowbray in League One at Coventry a decade ago. Armstrong has made 200 appearances under Mowbray and netted 84 goals.
Albion had prioritised a centre-forward search this month following the injury to top scorer Josh Maja and they brought Tottenham's England youth international Will Lankshear in on loan at the end of last week.
It looked like deadline day evening's permanent £3.3million move for Danish attacking midfielder Tammer Dany would be the final move of the window, but there was time right at the death - and into the following day - for the remarkable Armstrong loan to be completed.
