I've done some research and have looked into several areas of the squad where we could use some reinforcements. This first post is going to be at the striking position where we had struggled all season with Dom Dwyer only netting 7 times and assisting a further 4 times throughout the whole season. My picks are based on these player's statistics and any youtube clips I could find of them.
The order is going to look like this:
Name - team, age, contract ending date, other positions, minutes per goal/assist.
Let's get straight into it.
Shortlist
Aboubakar Kamara - Fulham, 24 years old, 6/30/2021, RW LW, 186 min per G/A.
Fran Sol - Dynamo Kyiv, 27 years old, 12/31/2023, Second Striker (SS), 169 min per G/A
Fernando Karanga - HN Jianye, 28 years old, 6/30/2020, none, 137 min per G/A
Joel Pohjanpalo - Bayer 04, 25 years old, 6/30/2022, SS RW, 157 min per G/A
Renaud Emond - Standard Liege, 27 years old, 6/30/2021, none, 166 min per G/A
Rodrigao - Santos, 25 years old, 5/28/2021, none, 168 min per G/A
Jonathan Rodriguez - Cruz Azul, 26 years old, 12/31/2022, RW LW, 144 min per G/A
Joel Tagueu - Cruzeiro, 25 years old, 6/13/2020, none, 208 min per G/A
Simy - FC Crotone, 27 years old, 6/30/2022, none, 167 min per G/A
Nicolas Castillo - CF America, 26 years old, 6/30/2023, none, 117 min per G/A
Luiz Phellype - Sporting CP, 26 years old, 6/30/2024, none, 150 min per G/A
Player of the Shortlist
Now, let's look into the highlighted player of this group, Fernando Karanga. At 6'2 he would be a good size for a striker in this league and seems to have a good turn of pace about him. Physical characteristics aside, he has shown to be a very prolific striker in the last couple of seasons. In the last 3 seasons, he has put up 34 goals and 14 assists in his 47 appearances over that timespan. That's a staggering 80 minutes per G/A. Another positive on him is the contract situation. He is currently playing in the Chinese Super League with Henan Jianye. His contract is set to run out next summer, so we can get him on the cheap as the club will not want to let him go for free. He also recently went on a very short loan spell back to Brazil with Nacional Atletico Clube but it looks like he only went there to recover from an injury.
The major con for Karanga seems to be his lack of ability to remain fit throughout a full season. He has had somewhat lengthy spells on the sideline in 4 of the last 5 season but one thing is certain for Karanga: if he can remain healthy, he can be a clinical striker for us. His only season with over 800 minutes of playing time in the last 4 seasons (2017/18) saw an output of 25 goals in 2404 minutes (29 appearances). Here's a link to a youtube clip of some of his finishes:
Youtube clip: https://youtu.be/yjYwY2xu3G0
If you notice, every goal scored was from inside the box. He certainly seems to be a fox in the box type player where he takes advantage of every chance he gets. Karanga is definitely one of the dream signings for me and someone I could see us splashing the cash on if we do end up either trading Dwyer or buying down his contract.
Other Players to Watch
Joel Pohjanpalo - doesn't play that much for Bayer 04 but seems to be clinical
Rodrigao - has steadily improved over the past 3 seasons.
Let me know your thoughts guys! Tomorrow I'll be looking at starting level CBs who I would want to see come in.
'Til next time, this has been Gavin Rushnell and #VamosOrlando