Guest Post by Rome Hammer
So, we’ve all read the stories linking us a fairly large number of well established European strikers from Lacazette and Batshuayi to Benteke and Ibrahimovic. But we all know that Sully likes a gamble too. In fact, the man has said it himself in a recent interview: “We also need the occasional long shot which is the cheaper player that may come good. We want to sign more players.”
In light of that (and the fact that I’m bored out of my mind atm), let’s take a look at some names less popular perhaps but with potential for added value for money… I mean, who doesn’t love value for money right? ;)
I’ll go right ahead and say this is not meant to be a very serious piece, but rather an occasion to put our epic armchair manager/scout skills to use. We’ve all had our claim to fame trying to find “the next big thing” right? So here’s a chance to speculate freely… who knows, Sully might be watching :))
For me, having a brief gaze onto the continent, there are a couple of players that would be worth a shot.
Let’s start off with Borja Baston of Atletico Madrid… most recently scored 18 in 36 for Eibar on loan in La Liga. A young 23 year old, offers a strong presence in the box and has the physical attributes to lead the line on his own. Has scored a goal every 2,5 games on average at various levels over his fledgling career. Valued on transfermarkt at a measly 4mil. Euros.
Next up, Vincent Janssen (21yo) of AZ Alkmaar… a bit of an all rounder, scored 27 in 34 this season in the Eredivisie. Overall around a goal every 183 min. in Dutch football. Certainly worth a punt at 6mil (on transfermarkt) in my view.
Last up, my personal favourite, Daniel Ginczek (25yo) of Stuttgart. Started the season off well with 3 goals and 2 assists in his first 7 games… then decided to have surgery for a herniated disk… pushing for a comeback with his team in dire straits (they eventually relegated) he tore an ACL. He played a big part in saving them last season but no such luck this time around. Tipped as a possible future star for Die Mannschaft a couple of seasons back he certainly has all the physical qualities of a top striker… I liken him very much style wise with Lukaku. Overall around a goal every 2,5 games at various levels of German football, and certainly worth the 4mil. euro fee he’s been given on transfermarkt.
As you can see my focus has been on strikers as this seems to be the topic of the summer, and I’ve limited myself to 3 players… you guys can feel free to go crazy, but it would be interesting to know what you think your picks could offer the team besides just listing their names.
And remember… it’s all in good fun.