Do we really need another forward?

[Barnet Wolves]

Hear me out. Jota did not start firing on all cylinders until the Chelsea game. Several weeks after that game, he mentioned in an interview (can't find the source) that he'd been carrying a little niggly injury up until then. After the Chelsea game IMO he started to gain momentum. We can argue the change in formation helped but what a happy coincidence that we change formation as Jota was getting back to full match fitness. Now picture starting the new season with a fully fit Jota from the get-go.

Next up we have our man Jimenez mixing it up at the Copa de oro (and looking really good btw). He's established himself as the unquestionable main forward for his national team (he wasn't when he joined us....someone pls fact check my claim). We got him on loan in June but he didn't kick a ball for us until late July v Bochum (someone pls fact check me) and he started well but just simply got better as the team started to click. His best season of his professional career followed. Today, Raul is way more confident in his abilities then he was when he joined us (his career up until then was mainly from the bench). He is also the main man for his country, was our highest scorer last season. Raul will start the season a more complete striker than the man that joined us a year ago.

Now on to the point of this thread, my man Adama Traore. When he joined us he had no pre-season with the team, had gone thru a bunch of managers (Pulis too, right?) and no Nuno and the backroom crew in his life. This juggernaut has now had a full season with us, granted it was underwhelming given the expectations and his incredible pace. The difference this time is he's also experiencing a full pre-season with the Wolves set up. He will have the benefit of our coaching, our nutritionists, our physio regimes and, more importantly, a full pre-season to work with Nuno. I'm going out on a limb and predicting that Adama in the 2019/20 season will literally blow away the stats of Adama 2018/19. Adama this year will be that cliche of "being like a new signing". Becasue of this I don't think we need a new forward to add to the squad.

I've lost a little bit of interest in typing more but I had a thing I wanted to say about the Academy boys complimenting the attack in the early stages of the Europa League but I can't be bovvered....hopefully someone smarter than me (all of you here) can finish it off....

 

[George AlooGobi]

Didn't read that but yes we do

 

[Bugsy911]

Yes , if we had another striker at Wembley I firmly believe we would have won the game as we had no out ball once Jota went off.

 

[Mr Wolf]

Shoe horning players in doesn’t work, Adama is a winger who slows play down for some reason, he can’t play with his back to goal & can’t run behind to get onto things. That’s a lot to turn around in a summer.

He’ll always go back to his natural game which is slow people down & look to run past them. If he’s up front we’ve no chance of staying 7th let alone pushing on.

 

[Bill O'Wolfe]

Yes we do. Whenever Raul hasn’t played we’ve been lacking. Even against Shrews we struggled without him.

He’s going to be knackered when he comes back not had a proper break for nearly 3 years with the extra games europa will bring we badly need an addition.

Can’t see Adama playing as back up there. More likely to be Bright if he has a good pre season.

 

[Deleted member 4456]

We're very short in attack, with Costa going, Cavaleiro on the transfer list and Bonatini clearly having no future at the club.

 

[cannockwolves]

If Costa goes we need two forwards let a lone one.

If we want to improve our league position we need to find at least 20 goals a season more. Without Jota or Jimenez for 10 games we will be in a relegation fight.

 

[Shergar]

Fact checked. Yes we do.

 

[Autistic Kangaroo]

Good post.

Yeah we do - Adama will improve this season but I’m not sure his future is best placed as an out-and-out striker.

 

[GoldenHorseshoe]

I get your drift, I think that several of our players are likely to improve, young guys gaining experience, knowledge of the PL etc.
But on balance, with the additional games this season, yes we do. Plus a central defender and midfielder.
(I'm no expert mind )

 

[JOSWolf]

I'm sorry but we need at least one if not two.

 

[VancouverWolf]

I'm sorry but we need at least one if not two.

Don’t be sorry, just don’t do it again.

 

[Dan G WWFC]

I think we need 5/6 attackers.

Jota and a replacement

Jimenez and a replacement

Winger and possibly another winger.

I think Bright can do the Jota role, lets see what he can do now he's started having an end product.

Need a Jimenez replacement that lad from Napoli seemed a good shout.

With Adama and potentially Cav we have the wingers with Bright and Jota being able to do the role too.

 

[Tojo the grass]

I’m sorry but on the evidence of last season Adama is a poor finisher and wishful thinking isn’t going to change that.

 

[Barnet Wolves]

I’m sorry but on the evidence of last season Adama is a poor finisher and wishful thinking isn’t going to change that.

This is true but I'm giving credit (without having a clue) to the coaching staff and Nuno who will be looking at how best to use him, I'm hoping he's going to bloom this season. I'm thinking they'd use him in a forward role in the early cup games and then make adjustments/course corrections for the premier league. Adama is the fattest player in the league, I would not be surprised if he gets more game time and has a big impact. I think Nuno gives us that opportunity, he and his coaches like to develop players and I can see us working out how best to obliterate defences with Adama.

 

[Barnet Wolves]

Good post.

Yeah we do - Adama will improve this season but I’m not sure his future is best placed as an out-and-out striker.

An out and out striker, we didn't have them really last season of the Championship other than Bonatini for half a season before he stalled, even then I wouldn't call him an out and out striker. We got Jimenez and he definitely fits that description. Jota is so much more than that and IMO Adama can play that role too. I'm hoping, naively, that Adama is getting coaching right now on playing as a more central-ish attacking forward

 

[Tojo the grass]

This is true but I'm giving credit (without having a clue) to the coaching staff and Nuno who will be looking at how best to use him, I'm hoping he's going to bloom this season. I'm thinking they'd use him in a forward role in the early cup games and then make adjustments/course corrections for the premier league. Adama is the fattest player in the league, I would not be surprised if he gets more game time and has a big impact. I think Nuno gives us that opportunity, he and his coaches like to develop players and I can see us working out how best to obliterate defences with Adama.

Mate, he has scored one goal in 66 premier league games, if we bought a new ‘striker’ in with those stats there would be uproar.

 

[Barnet Wolves]

Mate, he has for one goal in 66 premier league games, if we bought a new ‘striker’ in with those stats there would be uproar.

that pace tho. Now with a proper pre-season, oof imagine the possibilities

 

[Erick1011]

Yes we do. The moment Raul or Diogo get injured, we are ****ed.

 

[Rufio]

Yes we need another striker

 

[cookey]

Have the best club in the League only got 2 strikers ?? - I DON'T think so

 

[Deleted member 4124]

Did any of the top 6 last season have more than two strikers?

City: Aguero, Jesus
Liverpool: Firmino, Origi
Spurs: Kane, Son
Chelsea: Higuain, Giroud
United: Lukaku, Rashford
Arsenal: Aubameyang, Lacazette

 

[Wulve5]

Did any of the top 6 last season have more than two strikers?

City: Aguero, Jesus
Liverpool: Firmino, Origi
Spurs: Kane, Son
Chelsea: Higuain, Giroud
United: Lukaku, Rashford
Arsenal: Aubameyang, Lacazette

Sturridge ?

 

[Deleted member 4124]

Sturridge ?

Didn’t count Welbeck and Sturridge as they’re crocks. Sturridge did play more games than I thought though.

 

[WonderWolf]

We do need a striker......something different to what we have up top.

A box operator or a big un maybe.

 

[freezin]

We buggered about last season then panicked and brought in Bonatini .

I'd say the fact that Bonatini is still on the books proves we do need a forward.

We need to shift a couple on though.

 

[Big Saft Kid]

Don't stand still or you'll go backwards -- the lesson in life that made SAF the great manager he was. We need to keep improving. We won't escape serious injury for ever. We need quality back up across the team, especially in the forward department.

 

[1312]

Did any of the top 6 last season have more than two strikers?

City: Aguero, Jesus
Liverpool: Firmino, Origi
Spurs: Kane, Son
Chelsea: Higuain, Giroud
United: Lukaku, Rashford
Arsenal: Aubameyang, Lacazette

How many of those regularly utilise two strikers at the same time, though?

 

[quirky_birky]

Adama is the fattest player in the league

Harsh.

Got to love autocorrect.

 

[goldeneyed]

Of course we need a bloody forward. Just wait till our luck with injuries runs out. Raul has run himself into the ground for us and Mexico. Unless he is protected something in his body/mind is going to give. There is a good argument for two new forwards never mind one. Ennis and Bright etc are still far too raw for the Premier League and at best are occasional candidates for the subs bench. Pointless thread imv.

 

[Golden Arrow]

Yes we do without doubt !

 

[Cookyssweetleftfoot]

Did any of the top 6 last season have more than two strikers?

City: Aguero, Jesus
Liverpool: Firmino, Origi
Spurs: Kane, Son
Chelsea: Higuain, Giroud
United: Lukaku, Rashford
Arsenal: Aubameyang, Lacazette

With the exception of Arsenal on occasions and United a few times, those teams don’t play a front two.
Liverpool effectively play a front three, City have wingers who score plenty of goals, Chelsea had Hazard creating all the damage behind a front man (unless Sarri played him up top on his own on occasion) while Spurs’ team is set up for Kane as a lone striker. United have Martial who was bought as a striker and Sanchez who was bought to play just behind.
Nuno would probably be able to revert to his three up top if we had a Van Dijk allowing us to play a back 4 so we could retain a midfield 3.
As it is we have little or no threat from the bench as soon as Diogo or Raul leave the field. We need other options whether that is a striker or an attacking midfielder to give us additional goal threats. I would argue we could do with one of each.

 

[Deleted member 3751]

Yes. It's asking a lot to expect people like Bright or Ennis to go from League One and U23s respectively to being the immediate back up to Jota and Jimenez. They may be able to do the job from time to time and who knows, one may surprise us and grab a chance with both hands, but we need another player who can play as more of an outright #9 (like Raul) who has some experience at a high level so we're not over reliant on the youngsters. We could easily have over 50 games this season and the forward positions are the one area I'd say you can't get away with weakening on a regular basis

 

[Mr Wolf]

Did any of the top 6 last season have more than two strikers?

City: Aguero, Jesus
Liverpool: Firmino, Origi
Spurs: Kane, Son
Chelsea: Higuain, Giroud
United: Lukaku, Rashford
Arsenal: Aubameyang, Lacazette

Lorrente, Mane, Salah you would argue, Welbeck not sure how much he played, Hazard was up from for Chelsea along with Sanchez for Man Utd at times.

All depends on formations, we play with 2 up front most of them play with one.

 

[Deleted member 4124]

Lorrente, Mane, Salah you would argue, Welbeck not sure how much he played, Hazard was up from for Chelsea along with Sanchez for Man Utd at times.

All depends on formations, we play with 2 up front most of them play with one.

Forgot about Llorente. But I’d argue Hazard, Sanchez et al are wingers playing up front, like Cav and Adama. I’d say Son belongs to that category too.

 

[Minimalist]

In a 352 I think we need 4 strikers.
Traore is best suited to the rwb position.
Cav can be th 4th choice striker and play either side if we occasionally go with a front 3.
Traore, bright and some of the u23s could be used in an emergency.
But still we DO ideally want/need another player as good as Jiminez and jota.
However we are not in some desperate situation where we need to gamble or pay over the odds for some player who isn't a perfect fit.

 

[Mr Wolf]

Forgot about Llorente. But I’d argue Hazard, Sanchez et al are wingers playing up front, like Cav and Adama. I’d say Son belongs to that category too.

The difference is they are world class players & can hold their own in most positions. We could get away with it also if we were generally much stronger than the opposition but we’re not.

Most of the top 6 play with a 3 across the front line that’s why they have 2 main CF & plenty of supporting wingers/forwards, technical midfielders whatever people want to call them.

We currently play with 2 direct strikers so technically we need 4 forwards to cover them. Caveliero & Adama can’t do that.

 

[WolfInSheep'sClothing]

If I'm honest it isn't anywhere near top priority for me. I don't mind us getting one, but i'd rather we looked for an old ******* on a free rather than spend a lot of money there.
I'd rather we spent the money on a centre back and an attacking midfielder.

 

[JonahWolf]

Have the best club in the League only got 2 strikers ?? - I DON'T think so

Assuming that’s Citeh, yeah they only have 2. And play with 1.
They have a world class, and a not far off, for 1 position.

We have 2 and a couple of halves for 2.

 

[Mr Wolf]

If I'm honest it isn't anywhere near top priority for me. I don't mind us getting one, but i'd rather we looked for an old ******* on a free rather than spend a lot of money there.
I'd rather we spent the money on a centre back and an attacking midfielder.

We had a better defence than the teams around us but were well short on goals, that’s the area we need to improve upon. Scoring is the hardest thing to do & that should be the priority.