Dear, Dean Austin...A Striker
Parrott? Franculino? Espi? David?
Dear Mr Austin,
We need a striker Dean, everyone is telling us we need a striker. Well good luck. Ipswich have just bought a 22 year old Brazilian, with 9 goals to his name (I don’t mean last season, I mean career total) for a mere £25million (he does have some strong duel numbers at least).
We’re not going to have the control we had last season. It’s going to be 40% possession, where we need pace, power and an ability to win free-kicks to get us up the pitch. You know guys like Haji Wright. It’s tongue in cheek, but you see my point.
I love Ellis Simms. Proper cool guy. If you’re near the top end of the Championship, he’s your man. 13 goals from 76 shots in 1,600 minutes, some going. Penalty box striker. The downside is that he completed one successful dribble and more importantly won just 2 free-kicks, in that same period. I just don’t see us being able to play to his strengths. We need specialists not all-rounders. Guys like Simms or someone like Troy Parrott, have the wrong skillsets.
Haji Wright has a lot of the right tools. He’ll benefit from having space to run into instead of playing the whole game with his back to goal. It wouldn’t be a total surprise to see him back out on the left on occasion. He’s going to have to do more out of possession though.
The Openda links were interesting, it shows we’re thinking along similar lines. Explosive pace X winning free-kicks.
John Yeboah is interesting. Impressed in the World Cup, rapid, relentlessly hard working, 19 goal contributions in 31 appearances in getting Venezia back to Serie A. Can play anywhere across the front four. I like this one a lot.
Franculino is another in this mould, but I think he’s well found and overpriced. Injuries recently too.
Kento Shiogai has massive potential, and with Wolfsburg relegated, there could be a deal to be done, but he’s not ready for this yet.
World Cup goal scorer Hyeon-Gyu Oh, is being linked with Hull having only moved to Besiktas in January. 6 goals in that period with 28 fouls won (and 2 penalties). An eye for goal and knows how to get his body in the right place.
When you think of the profile of striker we’re looking for, your first point of call is Union St.Gilloise. They have two of interest. Explosive but also well over 6ft. Plenty is known about Promise David already, a World Cup Goalscorer although he’ll be disappointed to have not got more minutes for Canada, his dataset is remarkably similar to Haji Wright’s. Not going to be cheap.
Kevin Rodriguez also played a bit-part at the World Cup, he’s taken his time to thrive in Europe since his move from Independiente del Valle, having his best season to date in Belgium last time around. 10 goals and 2 assists in 1800 minutes. Higher work rate, wins more free-kicks, generally more involved than his team mate, more under the radar too.
There are a couple of more traditional type target men worth a look too. Carlos Espi has a deal done to the Premier League from Levante for €25million, club un-named if rumours are to be believed. Just 21 and on the back of a break out season. 0.74 goals per 90, wins a lot of duels and fouls, works hard too, plenty to like. Really good with his head.
Igor Matanovic is another who had a bit part World Cup. 23 and 193cm. The Freiburg striker is starting to add goals to his repertoire. 11 last season despite only making 14 starts. Strong duel numbers as you’d imagine with his frame, lots of headed shots, and got through more defensive work than other striker in the league per 90, in a team that finished 7th, thats some going.
Hope this is of some help,
Kind regards,
CCFC Analysis
This is a great deep dive of what Coventry City is making the move up to the Prem. I think it is such a salient point to make that, unlike in the Championship, they are not going to have the majority of possession, most likely. I think it is going to be imperative for this team to be clinical in transition because in those transition moments, that is when they will be able to catch the team off guard. I am biased, but I am a Haji Wright guy, and I know he has played on the wing a lot, but I feel he could be that striker to carry the forward when the team is in transition. With that being said, if a new striker is going to come in to the fold, then I do think pace should be a priority and how much they actually convert their xG into actual goals, because the number of chances is going to be limited.