So again I turn to the stats and first up are our two “main” targets;
Soldado:
|
Season |
Appearances |
Competition |
Goals |
|
2012-13 |
46 |
Club |
30 |
|
2012-13 |
5 |
International |
4 |
|
2012-13 |
51 |
Total |
34 |
|
2011-12 |
51 |
Club |
27 |
|
2011-12 |
0 |
International |
0 |
|
2011-12 |
51 |
Total |
27 |
|
2010-11 |
44 |
Club |
25 |
|
2010-11 |
0 |
International |
0 |
|
2010-11 |
44 |
Total |
25 |
86 goals in 148 gives a goal ratio of .589
Benteke:
|
Season |
Appearances |
Competition |
Goals |
|
2012-13 |
48 |
Club |
27 |
|
2012-13 |
8 |
International |
4 |
|
2012-13 |
56 |
Total |
31 |
|
2011-12 |
32 |
Club |
16 |
|
2011-12 |
0 |
International |
0 |
|
2011-12 |
32 |
Total |
16 |
|
2010-11 |
9 |
Club |
1 |
|
2010-11 |
0 |
International |
0 |
|
2010-11 |
9 |
Total |
1 |
48 goals in 97 gives a goal ratio of .494
However we still may turn to two other targets that we have been linked to for some time;
Negredo:
|
Season |
Appearances |
Competition |
Goals |
|
2012-13 |
42 |
Club |
31 |
|
2012-13 |
2 |
International |
1 |
|
2012-13 |
44 |
Total |
32 |
|
2011-12 |
36 |
Club |
14 |
|
2011-12 |
0 |
International |
0 |
|
2011-12 |
36 |
Total |
14 |
|
2010-11 |
55 |
Club |
26 |
|
2010-11 |
0 |
International |
0 |
|
2010-11 |
55 |
Total |
26 |
72 goals in 132 gives a goal ratio of .533
Damiao:
|
Season |
Appearances |
Competition |
Goals |
|
2012-13 |
18 |
Club |
8 |
|
2012-13 |
1 |
International |
1 |
|
2012-13 |
19 |
Total |
9 |
|
2011-12 |
43 |
Club |
24 |
|
2011-12 |
10 |
International |
1 |
|
2011-12 |
53 |
Total |
25 |
|
2010-11 |
51 |
Club |
38 |
|
2010-11 |
4 |
International |
1 |
|
2010-11 |
55 |
Total |
39 |
73 goals in 127 gives a goal ratio of .574.
Now each target his pro's and con’s and we must start with where each player is coming from.
Benteke is "local" and you would not expect him to take time to "gel", however given his age and the fact that he is rough around the edges I would not expect a seamless transition.
Soldado and Negredo have played at the top and for many years. Soldado wins hands down for me, however I think he is closely followed by Negredo.
Damiao would take the longest to fit in my opinion. Having played only in the Brazilian league he is not used to the European style, although having played 16 times for the national squad should help.
So at this stage I see our targets should be handled in this order Soldado, Negredo, Benteke and Damiao (this is taking all of the above into account).
Although the next point is the biggest and likely to affect the decision as to whether we bid or not.
Soldado is the most expensive option at almost £26million. Negredo is available at around £18million (supposedly), Benteke at over £22million and Damiao a simliar price. Really this is what highlights who we should look at and who poses the smaller risk. Negredo is without a doubt the achievable target based on all these points.
I have begun to think heavily as to why we have not (seemingly) approached Sevilla? We know that Negredo is available that much is clear, but City have put him to one side for the time being so now is surely the time to jump in? With many clubs focusing on the likes of Higuain, Cavani and Damiao, it leaves the likes of Negredo sat at Sevilla untouched.
As it stands Napoli will be without Cavani and need a replacement. Higuain's deal to Arsenal has been stalling which has given Napoli an opportunity to jump ahead of Arsenal (and Napoli can offer guaranteed Champions League), but also Napoli want Damiao. Cavani is also coveted by Man City and Chelsea, so pretty much the big competition is all looking everywhere but Negredo.
Given that Negredo's past 2 seasons have seen a return of over 30 goals each and that he is the cheapest option out of our supposed targets, I suggest that we do not waste our time on Benteke. The reason for uncertainty over Benteke is the obvious sign that the player has no loyalty and has shown that to his past 3 clubs by forcing through a move after 1 good season (can we afford that sort of disruption?).
As I like to do I have thrown in a wild card below. Again it is a player we have been linked to but going back a few years;
Fred:
|
Season |
Appearances |
Competition |
Goals |
|
2012-13 |
45 |
Club |
30 |
|
2012-13 |
10 |
International |
9 |
|
2012-13 |
55 |
Total |
39 |
|
2011-12 |
43 |
Club |
34 |
|
2011-12 |
1 |
International |
1 |
|
2011-12 |
44 |
Total |
35 |
|
2010-11 |
28 |
Club |
18 |
|
2010-11 |
9 |
International |
2 |
|
2010-11 |
37 |
Total |
20 |
94 goals in 136 gives a goal ratio of .691.
Having played in Ligue 1 this is a player that is world class and would not need a great deal of time to fit in (like Soldado and Negredo), but we have the benefit of Paulinho, Sandro and Gomes to help ease his transition. In terms of his cost it could be anywhere between £10 & £20million, but for me he has always been a goal scorer. Two of his four seasons at Lyon were not his best, however he had said that he wanted to leave and his performances showed this.
Should we go back to Brazil for this guy? Would it be a risk worth taking?
What are your thoughts?
Is it that you are fooled by the papers and think Benteke is our best option? Are you fooled that we are in "advanced talks" with Villa (even though Paul Lambert made it clear there are currently no talks). Do you think that Baldini would get the £26million needed to land Soldado? Or is it that you agree and Negredo is the best option here?
We do need two strikers so a combination of two of the above is unlikely (due to cost), unless Fred is available on the cheap.
At this stage I begin to feel for Baldini, it must not be an easy job. You have a board that is notorious for bargaining to the extreme. Fans (like me) that are ridiculously impatient. Players that you have to keep happy (in terms of proving your ambition). It is not a job that I favour that is for sure, but it is a job that must be done and as quickly as possible.
Let's see what the papers come out with next, my bet it's more about Benteke (wonder what the odd's are on that?).
COYS!!!
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