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The English Premier League has always been home to world class strikers time and again. From the likes of Eric Cantona to Alan Shearer, Michael Owen to Thierry Henry, Wayne Rooney to Didier Drogba and Robin van Persie to Fernando Torres, the list continues to grow every year.
The big guns have benefited immensely from the pool of talented strikers but a recent trend has seen the relatively smaller teams produce equally talented forwards over the past few years. The likes of Michu (Swansea), Christian Benteke (Aston Villa) and Steven Fletcher (Sunderland) have led the attack of their clubs admirably.
Smaller clubs have started to attract talented strikers across Europe as they offer a promise of regular football, something which is very important prior to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. The “wee” clubs are ready to pay their hefty price tag and compete with the financial muscle of rivals.
Let us take a look at five new strikers, who have been signed by the so called smaller clubs of England, and are expected to lighten up the Premier League:
“If you look at his legs they’re like tree trunks.”
Michael Laudrup fired a warning to all the defenders in England by praising his new £12 million signing on the eve of his debut against Manchester United. The 24-year-old Ivory Coast striker is known for his strength and has been compared to fellow countrymen Drogba.
Wilfried Bony might be new to English football but has already made headlines in the Dutch League after two productive years at Vitesse Arnhem from 2011 to 2013, in which he scored 46 times in 65 appearances. Swansea had to fight with Everton, Newcastle and even Liverpool for his services.
A single touch finish in the bottom corner of De Gea’s goal was an epitome of the finesse he possesses in the 12 yard box. Bony takes advantage of his physique that allows him to bully defenders in the penalty area and cause a situation of panic to his benefit. He might not be very quick, but makes up with good ball control and precise shooting. If deployed as the poacher he can be very effective with strike partner Michu, who would create a number of chances for the Ivorian.
He made an intelligent choice of club in Swansea and will surely be a major goal threat for the rivals. Containing him in the air and around the box is going to be challenging for the defenders but will bring about an exciting game to watch.
31 league goals in 30 appearances last season at Vitesse was a bounty for the striker but the English game is on another level and he needs to rise to the occasion. We can still expect him to reach the double figure mark in the first season at Swansea.
Norwich acted swiftly in the transfer market this summer to snatch a £8.5 million deal for this highly rated Dutch striker who was targeted by many clubs in Europe.
At Sporting Lisbon he developed as a striker but can also be deployed effectively in the attacking midfield position. He has scored some vital goals in both the previous leagues he had played in and has built a reputation for scoring hat-tricks over the years. In two seasons at Sporting he scored around 28 goals, a decent return for a striker.
Is he good enough for top leagues!
At 1.86 meters, he might not have a dominating physical presence in the box but he utilizes his awareness near the goal to full advantage. He is a modern day poacher who beats defenders with quick turn of pace and excellent first touch. His style can be compared to that of Chicharito, as he prefers to stand on the toes of the last defender- always looking to collect a through ball or a cross. Ricky has been accused of missing simple chances but has a decent shooting record overall. He can be very effective even as a substitute in the latter stages of the game when defenders are tired and are bound to make judgmental errors.
He acknowledges that a move to EPL was suggested by his national team mate and the best striker in the league, Robin Van Persie, and expects to emulate his dutch counterpart. We hope that the “Van” factor in his name favors his chances of matching the impact his dutch predecessors had had in the league.
At £8.5 million he might not be a bargain but it’s difficult to assess the price in today’s market and is better for Norwich to have completed the deal instead of missing out on him to any rival. A dream start against Everton has diminished some doubts over his quality but his first season will be under scrutiny as many pundits continue to doubt his ability for the English game.
Highly rated as a youngster in United States, Jozy Altidore took his time to make a mark in the European football circles. After moving to Villareal in 2008, he failed to establish himself in the first team and was loaned out on various occasions to minnow clubs. The loan spells were frustrating and critics started doubting his abilities as a striker, even when he regularly featured in the US national side. Moving to AZ Alkmaar in 2011 proved to be a right decision and the forward has since scored 39 times for the Dutch club. He moved this summer to Sunderland for an undisclosed fee and is expected to feature alongside Steven Fletcher for the Black Cats.
Resurgence of the Prodigy!
Jozy has played for USA in almost all the major FIFA tournaments and has 20 goals for the national side. He comes off from a very successful year both at the club and with the national side, and has established himself as a potential threat in front of the goal.
The 23 year old striker has a large physical presence and has the pace and the ability to take on the defenders and charge towards the goal with authority. He has improved as a footballer after getting over the hype surrounding him and focusing on his game at AZ. He will be a strong addition to the Sunderland squad which figures in the bottom three goal scorers from the last season. He is a cut made for English game, with his skills and ability almost ideal for the league.
A tremendous season at AZ has again built expectations around the young forward and it will be good to see how he deals with them the second time.
The arrival of Roberto Martinez at Everton is sure to bring along some exciting attacking football at the Goodison Park. Capturing a prodigy of the La’ Masia for a season long loan is a step forward in the direction of new things to come at Merseyside. Gerard Deolofeu is rated as one of the best products of his generation to emerge from the famous Barcelona academy. His heroics in the U-20 world cup with the Spanish side were signs of future star in making.
The future of Spain!
With world class forwards such as Messi, Neymar and Pedro fighting for a spot, chances for Gerard to get first team action at Barca were slim this year. An year long loan at Everton will be a good learning experience for the youngster. It’s still harsh to consider his spell mere vocational as the young forward has immense talent. Martinez has been known to work with young players and will surely find a starting birth for the lad. What Gerard needs to do is to make impact in his limited chances if he wants to be considered for regular first team football. Everton has lacked a quality striker in front of the goal and Martinez had to bring Kone from Wigan to supply the goals, and now with Gerard as an understudy we can expect Everton to resolve its striker crises this year.
Deolofeu can be deployed in an attacking midfield or the number 10 position effectively as he is quick with his feet and has a good command over the ball. Considerably stronger for his size, one cannot expect Gerard to be bullied easily by the defenders and he will be able to adapt to the physical nature of the English game with ease.
If few players decide to make a move away from Everton before the window closes, then Martinez will have to utilize every resource at his disposal and Deolofeu could prove to be an important asset in such a situation. We expect him to stay a little longer than just one season in England.
The Argentinean coach of Southampton broke the club transfer record this summer to sign Osvaldo from Roma for a staggering £15 million, taking the summer spending close to £35 million- third highest in the league behind Man City and Chelsea. Osvaldo was involved with Pochettino at Espanyol before he moved to Roma in 2011. The striker comes out of a controversial exit from Roma, which involved punching a fellow team mate, Eric Lamela, for not passing him the ball during a match.
Another pirate in town!
Osvaldo was on the wish list of Spurs as well as Fulham, but Pochettino made sure that he brought the Italian to Southampton and manage him again. The 27 year old Italian forward has a great goal scoring aptitude but needs a lesson or two in anger management. With looks like Johnny Depp, he is expected to spice up English football with his pirate acts on and off the field.
Pochettino knows Osvaldo’s strengths on the ball and would look to combine him with the existing attackers at his disposal. A partnership with Rickie Lambert will be exciting to watch in front of the goal. His power, pace and aerial ability are qualities one looks for in a forward and an eye for goal has helped him contribute important goals for his former clubs. Manager Pochettino is looking forward to the new season with world class players such as Wanyama, Ramirez, Rodriguez under his belt and addition of Osvaldo in the forward line will bring experience to the team as a whole.
Osvaldo is known for his unsettling nature and has changed 6 clubs in less than 7 years. We can’t expect the Argentina born striker to stay for long, but we do expect to see some quality football as long as he stays put at Southampton. A 12-15 goal tally in his first season will be considered a success at Southampton.
Some notable mentions who missed out on the top 5 list are Gary Hooper (Norwich City), who has moved from Celtic, and Andreas Cornelius (Cardiff City) who has transferred from FC Copenhagen.
