Leandro Damiao: Is he suited to Liverpool?

Style

Out and out striker in every sense of the word – Damiao

Damião is a complete center forward and can lead the line as well as dropping deep to link up play. He’s got the speed to play off the last defender, the strength to hold the ball up, and the skill to link up play or take on a man. He’s a right footed player with a powerful shot, and is generally composed when through on goal.

Unlike some of Liverpool’s recent attacking targets, he’s not a player who can play across all three of the forward positions, though you wouldn’t put it past Brendan Rodgers bringing him on in a wide position if he were to join Liverpool.

It was no surprise that he was Mano Menezes’s choice of striker for Brazil, and he utilised Damião in a similar role to the one carried out by Fernando Llorente in Marcelo Bielsa’s much admired 2011/12 Athletic Bilbao side. It’s rare to find a striker with the build of a target man, but the skill of a more creative player, and Damião’s experiences playing in midfield as a youth player must surely help him in this respect.

Goal scoring and stats

Damião has only played in six of his side’s matches so far this season, as he was injured at the start of the 2013 campaign, but since coming back into the side he’s scored two goals and provided two assists.

Last season, he scored seven in 19, as his season was interrupted by Brazil call-ups, and specifically the Olympic games, but as mentioned earlier, it was the 2011 season playing alongside Oscar where he really announced himself.

In the 2011 season, he played 28 games, scoring 14 goals and bagging 6 assists, and during this year he also made his debut for Brazil at Arsenal’s Emirates stadium against Scotland. He also scored his first international goal on English soil, as his powerful right foot effort gave Brazil a 1-0 win against Ghana at Fulham’s Craven Cottage.

In the 2012 Olympics, he finished the tournament as top scorer with an impressive return of six goals in five games.

A future at Liverpool?

Leandro is very much a center forward, down the middle, leading the line. As Liverpool already have Daniel Sturridge, Iago Aspas, Fabio Borini, and Luis Suarez who can all play that position, Damião would be an interesting signing in terms of the balance of the side.

He’d definitely be looking to move to Europe should the right opportunity come along, but he’d want some guarantees of first team football in the build up to the 2014 World Cup, and it’s questionable as to whether Liverpool could offer this. There isn’t even the chance for much squad rotation as Liverpool aren’t taking part in European competition this season.

He’d be a great signing for Liverpool, but it’s questionable as to whether he’d be the right signing at this point in time. Unless there were plans to move Sturridge into a wide position, which would be an unpopular decision with the Liverpool fans and Sturridge himself, then it seems a waste to spend a large amount of money on another center forward when there are other areas of the team crying out to be improved.

Leandro Damião would be an ideal signing if Liverpool were in the Champions League and required three or four top class strikers on rotation in the squad, so he’s maybe an option for next season, or the season after, or the season after, or the season after…