wee_od_88 - 2/6/2012 17:09
Been looking at big strikers again. I have ignored (to an extent) how good a scoring record they have and just looked more at what they bring to the team. We can improve players and give them perhaps a better platform from which to score so I think there is potential for those I've found.
First one is Dario Abraham Carreno, a 6ft 2, 24 year old Mexican CF. He isn't a really big brute of a CF like a John Hartson but I would describe him as a big of a Roque Santa Cruz type striker. He has the height and a good jump so is good with scoring with his head but he is technically very good as well. He has good pace, movement and passing and seems quite a natural finisher. The major problem for Carreno could be his fitness and the number of goals he scores. He has only scored 9 goals in 32 appearances this season, however he has only started 9 games and only played the full 90 minutes on 4 occasions. His record in the American Champions League this season is pretty good though. 5 goals in 8 appearances, 4 starts and played the full 90 minutes twice. Due to the amount of time he actually gets on the pitch, his record is actually really impressive when you look at goals per minute. He is averaging (over the last 3 seasons) a goal every 184 minutes, or a goal every 2nd game. If you include his assists (of which it is probably not even all of) then it works out a goal or assist ever 118 minutes. That is actually really quite impressive stats. The reason btw, for his lack of time on the pitch is that he is in the same team as a bit of a legend for Mexico, Aldo de Nigris. Both very similar styles and heights etc but de Nigris is almost 29 so chances are, Carreno may be his natural successor.
The biggest problem with Carreno however, is that being from Mexico, he would require a VISA and he hasn't yet been called up to the Mexican international squad so he would struggle to get one. Price if we could get him, probably £1.5m-£2m. If we wanted de Nigris (just because I know someone will ask) probably about 3 or 4 million at least.
[youtube=-orFD42Qyos]
Another option could be Cameroon international Leonard Kweuke. A 24 (almost 25) year old, 6ft 2 striker currently playing for AC Sparta Praha. Scored 15 goals in 30 appearances this season, including 4 goals in Europa League Qualification. He has been around a bit but his career really started when he went to Slovakia where he scored 11 goals in 16 games. That led to Eintracht Frankfurt taking him on loan to play in the Bundesliga, however that did not work out well as he failed to make an impact, he was then taken on loan again by German side Energie Cottbus where again he struggled to really make an impact with only 5 goals. His overall play seems to have been quite good though. On returning to Slovakia, he was sold to Sparta where he has been for the last 2 years and has really found his form again! His first season for Sparta he scored 15 goals in 37 games, this season he has scored 15 in 30. His form was so good in his first season, he featured on imscouting.com's "player on fire" feature.
The imscouting.com website said of him 2 years ago:
he is a strong and powerful striker, very technical player who can drop deep to receive the ball or start an attack, a relative of Samuel Eto'o, has great heading abilities, can play the target striker with great ease if required, good asset for any team with playmaking abilities that are rare in a player of his size.
Price tag for Kweuke would be in the region of £2m-£2.5m as he still has two years left on his contract.
This video of him is mainly from his time in Iran and Slovakia when he was around 21 years old so consider him better now but you can really see the size of this boy! This could be a very good option for us if we can pry him away from Sparta.
[youtube=91XvBQ9McOg]