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Last week saw Iceland finish second in their respective World Cup qualifying group behind the unbeaten Switzerland. This puts them within two games of reaching the finals of an international competition for the first time in their history.
An up and coming player in this successful Iceland team is Heerenveen striker, Alfreð Finnbogason. Linked with Newcastle United in the summer, Finnbogason has been in imperious form over the past 18 months as the Dutch club look to get themselves back into Europe.
West Ham and Newcastle will be hoping that he won’t be there to help their cause, however, as both clubs are looking to bolster their attacking units and help their own quest for European football.
The Hammers bought Andy Carroll for £15 million in the summer and were struck with a cruel blow as the England international was ruled out for the foreseeable without playing a single minute in the new campaign. Despite their need for a striker, West Ham might be best avoiding the Iceland striker who looks to fit the Magpies style of play.
A chance conversion rate of just 12% is an area that Alan Pardew will be looking to improve over the course of the season. Although Loic Remy and Hatem Ben Arfa have been in admirable form, Papiss Cisse’s poor performances continue to let the side down; the Senegal striker has yet to score in the league this season with his only goal coming against Morecambe in the Capital One Cup.
Cisse’s season in summary
Cisse has failed to convert 100% of his chances this season
Finbagasson is a predator in the box and all-but-one of the 10 goals he has scored this season has come inside the penalty area. For a team that creates so many chances (Newcastle average 8.2 chances per game) they really lack a natural finisher as Cisse looks more like a flash in the pan with every touch. The 24-year old would be a welcome addition to a side that has so much potential and if he comes through the doors in January then the ‘cockney mafia’ might find the pressure on them subsides come May.
Finnbogason has scored 11 goals for Heerenveen this term
Heerenveen have a great history for providing strikers with a stepping stone to Europe’s elite with alumni such as Ruud van Nistelrooy, Klaas Jan Huntelaar and Jon Dahl Tomasson all going on to achieve great things after impressing at the club. Finnbogason is just the latest hitman to use the club’s accommodating style to his advantage and if he can get a move to the Premier League in January he is sure to improve the club he joins.
