Three Premier League clubs that need to sign new strikers this month
Goals win games and yet, this simple formula can sometimes be rather elusive for top football clubs. The ongoing Premier League season started off quite well but as of now, there are certain teams that are crying out for a new striker.
With that in mind, here are 3 teams that desperately need new strikers this month.
Aston Villa
Dean Smith is currently overseeing an Aston Villa side riding the crest of a slump which represents the toughest period of his tenure so far at the club.
A fiendish run of fixtures has certainly not helped in recent weeks. But that aside, performances have now fallen off a cliff also. Villa’s summer recruitment was positive and encouraging and each signing was heralded as an important part of the jigsaw.
Bjorn Engels has been impressive. Both Marvellous Nakamba and Douglas Luiz have shown real signs of quality too. As has the marauding Fred Guilbert. And Trezeguet and Anwar El Ghazi both offer a threat. But these are players who will grow over the next several years.
The club need a new striker not just to improve their goalscoring tally but also to secure their top-flight status.
The club missed out massively in the summer by not making a move for Wissam Ben Yedder. The diminutive Frenchman made a move from Sevilla to Monaco fand Villa were linked with a late swoop on deadline day. Pacey and with a superb strike rate, the move would’ve been ambitious but achievable.
Right now, the Villans are forced to buy a striker due to Wesley’s struggles and lack of competition.
Manchester United
Romelu Lukaku, United’s top scorer of the past two campaigns, was sold in the summer, while Alexis Sánchez was loaned to Internazionale. To make matters worse, neither player was replaced.
While Martial and Marcus Rashford have started to find some form in front of the goal, they cannot be relied upon in the longer run.
Their history on the wings often sees Martial and Rashford move out wide to receive possession but this has hurt United’s attack. The lack of a creative mind in the final third has held them back more than anything else this season.
Against high-calibre opponents, the kind of teams who dominate the ball and seek to impose themselves, United are well-equipped to thrive. They have shown this in matches against Chelsea, Liverpool, Tottenham and Manchester City this season, possessing the pace and directness to hit out with potency on the counter.
But against teams that employ a low defensive block, United have struggled badly. Although they have the money to solve their deficiencies, this has been the case for a number of years now and nothing has changed. They need a recruitment plan, one that will likely take a number of transfer windows to carry out but something to point them in the right direction.
Crystal Palace
Roy Hodgson has transformed Crystal Palace into a side that has become very difficult to beat. Palace now have to aim to move from being a difficult side to beat to a team capable of winning consistently. Hodgson deserves a ton of credit for solidifying the Eagles’ midfield and backline but there is still one position that needs strengthening.
Palace have lacked a prolific No. 9 for a long time now. Christian Benteke doesn’t look anything like the player he once was while Connor Wickham has spent more time in the treatment room than on the pitch. Jordan Ayew has done well so far this season but his numbers aren’t good enough.
If Crystal Palace are to push on to the next level and begin battling for a place in Europe soon, they need a clinical finisher who can guarantee 15 goals a season.
With the club moving away from the idea of hitting crosses to the target man as often as possible, Crystal Palace may well require a shorter, quicker striker who can fit in with a counter-attacking style.
With the loss of Andros Townsend to injury and with Palace having to include inexperienced attackers James Daly and Brandon Pierrick on the bench, relying on Benteke will not be justified.
There are only so many chances one can give to a striker who has been so wasteful in front of the goal. Thus, it’s arguably time for Palace to seek a striker who can lead the line.
