As the search for a marquee striker goes on and we continue to be turned down by the strikers at the forefront of the European leagues, most notably the French league (Batshuayi and Lacazette), it would the seem the search has taken new twists and turns as we are now looking at a different breed of player.
One name that is becoming increasingly linked with Slaven Bilic’s side is Juventus striker Mario Mandzukic. Both Croatians have a good relationship and Mandzukic would bring a lot of experience having been a European journeyman throughout his career.
But in my opinion this wouldn’t be our smartest move. Yes the Croatian forward boasts an impressive resume which includes titles in Italy and Germany as well as a Champions league winners medal. But is he really the striker we need? My answer to this would be no. I do not see him as someone who if fully fit could out score a fully fit Andy Carroll in the Premier League. Both are some of Europe’s finest headers of the ball but the Englishman for me edges it, both are competent with the ball at their feet but for me it’s Carroll who showed on occasions last year the damage he can do with a ball at his feet that once again shades the debate.
I do not doubt that signing the Croat would reap rewards but I do not see him as the player we are waiting for. Also he carries a tag of being rather injury prone, but sadly it’s probably Carroll who would shade it when looking at how many games the forward has missed through injury. Nonetheless, if we could get Mandzukic at a reasonable price ( 10-15million ) I would feel money had been well spent but anything above this figure would be stretching it.
A further name that is becoming more and more common in the rumour mill is Toulouse striker Wissam Ben Yedder. Although I must admit I have not seen a lot of the 5ft 7 forward a comparison to someone in our on squad would be to the 5ft 9 Ecuadorian striker Enner Valencia. This is a move where I think that the possible signing would fare better than the current squad member. For me the former goat farmer Valencia has been far too goals shy and his link up play hasn’t been good enough to excuse this. He has magic moments like the screamer against Hull or the free kick against Bournemouth as well as a double against Manchester City but these moments are becoming increasingly rare and his second season failed offer the same rewards as his first.
But in Ben Yedder we would again have a quick and pacy forward but also a prolific one. To score 17 goals in a team threatened by relegation for the whole season is no easy feat and he ( Ben Yedder ) did it in style.
It is also likely that whatever money generated through a possible sale of one time Chelsea target Enner Valencia, whose asking price is thought to be between 10-12million, would cover the cost of bringing in the Toulouse man.
To conclude I do not think that either of the rumours relating to Ben Yedder or Mario Mandzukic would be poor moves if they materialised, in fact I believe they could be better players than those tipped to leave. But I also think neither would warrant starting places come the start of the season. Moreover, both would satisfy what has been said with regards to signing three strikers with these two being smart signings and leaving the potential for the club to still complete the signing of a marquee striker.
