While the return to the Premier League has not been as joyous as expected for Southampton, there have been a few bright sparks in recent weeks for the Saints.
Russell Martin’s side claimed their first win of the campaign last week - as Adam Armstrong scored a late winner against Everton to land the spoils for the south coast side.
While it was Armstrong that etched his name onto the scoresheet, it was Cameron Archer’s quick thinking that created the opportunity, as the young striker charged toward goal with speed, taking several defenders with him to open up space just inside the penalty area - allowing Yukinari Sugawara to put a low direct ball across the box towards Armstrong.
Despite only scoring two goals in 11 games, Archer has gained some interest in his recent performances. The 22-year-old has looked threatening at times for the Saints, and his scouting stats outside the scoresheet back it up.
The former Villa man currently holds a 60.1 Goal Threat Score, which is ranked fifth-highest in the Premier League in 2024/25. Only two ‘big six’ strikers hold a higher rating than Archer, with Erling Haaland not surprisingly being one of them with a perfect 100 rating, while Nicolas Jackson sits high on the chart with a 78.8 rating.
Top 5 Premier League - Goal Threat
Archer’s ability to create free-flowing play seems to have gone under the radar as well - as he seems a near-perfect fit for Southampton’s possession style. Archer has acquired a chance creation percentage of 67.7%, which is fairly high for his position. In fact, the Saints striker has a higher percentage in this category compared to world class talents in their respective leagues - topping the likes of Erling Haaland (64.5%), Kylian Mbappe (50.9%) and Robert Lewandowski (52.5%).
Archer is starting to show his abilities as a ball winner and solid passer - which is not so common in strikers. His percentages in ball recovery (74.2%) and ball retention (74.2%) is quite high for his position, overtaking the likes of Leandro Trossard, Dominic-Calvert Lewin and Joshua Zirkzee.
In terms of striker comparison, Cameron Archer’s scoutingstats.ai percentile rankings are much more well-rounded compared to his former teammate and England international, Ollie Watkins. Archer is ranked higher in five of the six relevant attacking categories, holding a better percentage in Ball Recovery, Ball Retention, Goal Threat, Progressive Carrying and Chance Creation. The only category that Watkins has a clear advantage over Archer is in Goal Efficiency - which is not really a shock due to Watkins’ experience and composure in front of goal.
Cameron Archer v Ollie Watkins
Could Archer’s all-round style help Southampton return to winning ways in the coming weeks? It’s not looking likely - as the Saints sit at the bottom of the average win percentage table for their next eight games with 18.6%. There’s only one match up until the new year where Russell Martin’s side hold a 20% chance or higher to win an individual game - which is against West Ham on Boxing Day (29.7%). While we can lean on stats to make a healthy prediction, we will have to wait and see what the Saints can produce after the international break.
Try the scoutingstats Player Comparison Tool.
This article was written by Reece Charlton - you can follow Reece on X here.