Why signing a goalscorer is the hardest but most important deal to strike
‘IT IS the hardest position on the pitch. That’s why they cost so much, that’s why they get paid so much and that’s why finding one at this time of year is so hard.’
Former Liverpool and Newcastle United manager and Sportsmail columnist Graeme Souness is succinct in his assessment of why strikers are so important. And with six days of the January transfer window left, the clamour to buy one has never been greater.
Frank Lampard lost his job at Everton craving a goalscorer, with West Ham grabbing the one he wanted, Danny Ings. Bournemouth gazumped Southampton for Nicolas Jackson and Manchester United are still on the look-out, despite the surprise signing of Wout Weghorst.
‘Keep it simple, stupid,’ said one Premier League manager to his chief scout when challenged this week. ‘Scoring goals either keeps us up or wins a trophy.’
Souness underlines that. ‘If you find an out-and-out goalscorer, you don’t even have to play well as they will nick you games,’ he says. ‘The Liverpool team I played in of 1984 was not necessarily the best but we had Ian Rush. We won the League, European Cup and League Cup.
‘They are the really tough guys, not the defenders who take the cheap shot when you are on the half-turn. They take the physical assaults and carry the fight. There’s not too many top ones around and that’s why they cost a premium.’
Many managers blame the fashion of playing 4-3-3 for the dearth of old- fashioned centre forwards, hence why Tottenham and Napoli will demand more than £100million for Harry Kane and Victor Osimhen respectively this summer.
The vogue is to find an inside forward or inverted winger instead. But whatever the style, you must find a forward who scores.
‘It’s very simple,’ said one director of football. ‘Everyone wants a striker because there are two positions that get you out of the s***: goalkeeper and striker. It doesn’t matter if you are at the bottom or the top. And the January window is not a window you necessarily prepare for, it’s one that gets you out of trouble, hence everyone scrambles for strikers.
‘ Look at Manchester United. Would they have signed Odion Ighalo (in 2020) or Wout Weghorst if they had planned properly in the summer? Would Everton be asking about Marko Arnautovic, 34 in April, if they had sorted the Richarlison problem in the summer?
‘Clubs are willing to pay premium fees and salaries for strikers over 30 because they may be less of a gamble than £25m plus and a big contract for a 20-year- old with no track record. The stakes are high.’
The pressure to get that choice right is felt at all levels. For Aston Villa, there was calculated risk in selling Ings to West Ham as they bought the potential of Colombian Jhon Duran from Chicago Fire. QPR could hand Millwall an advantage in the Championship promotion race if they sell them Lyndon Dykes, and Burton Albion may drop down to League Two if they lose Victor Adeboyejo to Bolton or Wigan.
One Premier League scout was asked this week to give a report on a Championship striker who has hit double figures this season. ‘I told them he wasn’t good enough for us,’ the scout tells Sportsmail. ‘My name is on the report and I can’t risk my name being on something that could cost us fortunes.
‘He wasn’t great in one-on-ones. I look out for speed, mobility. What dialogue he has with his midfield, his hold-up play. How he fares in aerial duels, movement, technical ability, first touch and finishing. If they have all that, then it’s Ronaldo at his best!’
Agents are often blamed for inflating prices and tension. Sascha Empacher, director of Spocs agency in Germany, took Sasa Kalajdzic to Wolves on deadline day last summer. The striker cost £15m but tore a cruciate ligament on his debut.
‘Everybody is looking for strikers as they help you reach your targets,’ he says. ‘The Premier League is the best and most competitive league in the world. The budget Premier League teams have, they can go shopping in Europe almost without resistance. German, Spanish, French or Belgian teams will all sell if the price is right.’
After suffering deadline- day disappointment in September, Leeds went big and invested £35.5m in Hoffenheim’s Georginio Rutter. Chief executive Angus Kinnear said they had put trust in their scouting network, so fans voiced frustration when Rutter was not used in Sunday’s 0-0 draw with Brentford.
Manager Jesse Marsch was reluctant to pander to such demands. ‘I just want to integrate him the right way,’ he said. ‘In the end I decided to wait maybe one more week before we unleash him. When you have new players you want to set them up to succeed.’
That’s the weight of expectation on a striker and why the shirt is so hard to fill.