[Albion] Odsonne Édouard

[Rinkmaster]

I think we can certainly hope for at least around 5-10 more goals to come from the following this coming season - Trossard, Mac Allister, Gross, Lallana, Moder, Bissouma, etc.

They managed 11 between them last season.

Would hope to see a couple from young Tariq provided he can keep himself fit this season

 

[Mellotron]

Would hope to see a couple from young Tariq provided he can keep himself fit this season

Yup not forgetting Lamptey and March.

There should be plenty of goals in this side.

No one (other than a dullard) will give a shit how many the strikers are getting if we are winning games consistently.

 

[um bongo molongo]

We do this every close season though. Convince ourselves we have enough going forward. We don’t, and everyone knows it, inside and outside the club. I’m hoping against hope we can go some way to fixing it in this window.

 

[peterward]

We do this every close season though. Convince ourselves we have enough going forward. We don’t, and everyone knows it, inside and outside the club. I’m hoping against hope we can go some way to fixing it in this window.

Yep Ye Olde "Happy with what we've got" broken record.......... after another failed transfer window of snubs?

We'll all be happy for 2 weeks and then start deperately counting down to January in the vein hope of a panic buy or loan.

Just imagine if our best Striker Danny Welbeck was to ever get injured, not like he's got any form for it is there!

All in on Maupay who hasnt been at the races for a year or Swiss Andy?

Our only saving grace could be a transformed and determined Florin Andone. I really hope he is a changed man as hes clearly got ability.

 

[Uh_huh_him]

I guess we are in a better position now than we were at the start of last season though aren't we?

Wasn't it just Maupay and Connolly, with Welbeck joining shortly after?

Andone,Tau and Zeqiri may not amount to much, but at least there are other options.

 

[Eric the meek]

Looks like we're in danger of writing off our season even before it has started. I do agree about our strikeforce (last season, Maupay, Welbeck and Connelly managed just 16 goals between them), but Trossard and Dunk both chipped in with 5 apiece. So it isn't all bad. It's just that 20 goal a season strikers are hard to come by. Especially French Eddie, who we may or may not have placed a bid for....

 

[brighton_tom]

If we dont sign a striker and our main options next season turn out to be Maupay, a consistently fit Welbeck, a consistently fit Andone, and backed up by Tau/Zeqiri/Connolly then I wont see it as a disaster but it feels too much of a gamble to rely on Welbeck and Andone being fit the majority of the season. Therefor if we truly have these top 10 ambitions we must be signing a striker, and ditching a few of the ones we have who arent upto it.

Any striker signing we do make thats within our probable £20-30m budget is a gamble but Edouard makes a lot of sense to me. He's tall, physical, and quick (exactly the attributes we'd want), his goalscoring record for Celtic is better than 1 in 2 since 2017, he has a fantastic goalscoring record for France youth, and he's only 23 so would have resale value later down the line. Unless we blow all the Ben White money on more of a sure thing then we're going to be making a signing that feels like a gamble and for me based on ability Edouard feels like one of the safer gambles. The tipping point might his mentality. If we sound him out and it feels like he'd much rather be going to a Leicester/West Ham/Arsenal then maybe we stay clear but if he's up for it with us then i feel we should go for it.

 

[The Optimist]

Looks like we're in danger of writing off our season even before it has started. I do agree about our strikeforce (last season, Maupay, Welbeck and Connelly managed just 16 goals between them), but Trossard and Dunk both chipped in with 5 apiece. So it isn't all bad. It's just that 20 goal a season strikers are hard to come by. Especially French Eddie, who we may or may not have placed a bid for....

Hard, almost impossible! Last season only Kane and Salah scored 20 goals or more.

 

[um bongo molongo]

If we dont sign a striker and our main options next season turn out to be Maupay, a consistently fit Welbeck, a consistently fit Andone, and backed up by Tau/Zeqiri/Connolly then I wont see it as a disaster but it feels too much of a gamble to rely on Welbeck and Andone being fit the majority of the season. Therefor if we truly have these top 10 ambitions we must be signing a striker, and ditching a few of the ones we have who arent upto it.

Any striker signing we do make thats within our probable £20-30m budget is a gamble but Edouard makes a lot of sense to me. He's tall, physical, and quick (exactly the attributes we'd want), his goalscoring record for Celtic is better than 1 in 2 since 2017, he has a fantastic goalscoring record for France youth, and he's only 23 so would have resale value later down the line. Unless we blow all the Ben White money on more of a sure thing then we're going to be making a signing that feels like a gamble and for me based on ability Edouard feels like one of the safer gambles. The tipping point might his mentality. If we sound him out and it feels like he'd much rather be going to a Leicester/West Ham/Arsenal then maybe we stay clear but if he's up for it with us then i feel we should go for it.

Agree with most of this, except I think Connolly really needs to go on loan. I’m also not convinced Potter is convinced about Andone - he did, after all, ship him out on loan. I’m not sure why a serious injury would make him any more likely to want him in the squad. I also think a player preferring West Ham/Arsenal/Leicester is not an attitude problem. In truth, any player with no loyalty to us will feel the same - they’ll all likely finish higher up the table, pay more, and offer European football. It’s one of the reasons landing top players is so difficult - it’s one thing having a bid accepted but another for the player to want to come, which will often come down to a lack of better options. We’re due a bit of luck on that front after Nunez and Gonzalez. We need the path to be clear on this one with no counter bids from the likes of Leicester, West Ham, Arsenal (or dare I say it Palace, who will offer a higher wage), or from any more glamorous European sides.

 

[brighton_tom]

Agree with most of this, except I think Connolly really needs to go on loan. I’m also not convinced Potter is convinced about Andone - he did, after all, ship him out on loan. I’m not sure why a serious injury would make him any more likely to want him in the squad. I also think a player preferring West Ham/Arsenal/Leicester is not an attitude problem. In truth, any player with no loyalty to us will feel the same - they’ll all likely finish higher up the table, pay more, and offer European football. It’s one of the reasons landing top players is so difficult - it’s one thing having a bid accepted but another for the player to want to come, which will often come down to a lack of better options. We’re due a bit of luck on that front after Nunez and Gonzalez. We need the path to be clear on this one with no counter bids from the likes of Leicester, West Ham, Arsenal (or dare I say it Palace, who will offer a higher wage), or from any more glamorous European sides.

Connolly should definitely be loaned out, he's last on the list of our current striker options.

& absolutely agree any player with no loyalty to us will obviously choose a West Ham/Arsenal/Leicester over any deal we offer, and its not an attitude problem for them to want that move, but its about how their mentality is after that player knows they wont be going to one of those bigger clubs and has to re-align their expectations. If they have a bit of a chip on their shoulder then we should stay clear but if Edouard seems enthused about a move to Brighton then I feel we should go for it. Hopefully Barber/Bloom/Potter can sell him the BHAFC package, and the chance at being our star man be enough of a lure.

 

[Justice]

All this talk of Andone the saviour, he scored two goals against a desperate Huddersfield side the Palace goal and that folks was about it. Better player than Connolly although that’s not really saying much.

It’s like this Leicester for an example do everything thing we do the big difference the quality upfront, we desperately need an upgrade.

 

[um bongo molongo]

Connolly should definitely be loaned out, he's last on the list of our current striker options.

& absolutely agree any player with no loyalty to us will obviously choose a West Ham/Arsenal/Leicester over any deal we offer, and its not an attitude problem for them to want that move, but its about how their mentality is after that player knows they wont be going to one of those bigger clubs and has to re-align their expectations. If they have a bit of a chip on their shoulder then we should stay clear but if Edouard seems enthused about a move to Brighton then I feel we should go for it. Hopefully Barber/Bloom/Potter can sell him the BHAFC package, and the chance at being our star man be enough of a lure.

Yep, agree. It’s the other reason the White sale is so important as we can say ‘look, come here for a couple of years, make your name in the Premier League, and get a big money move that we won’t stand in the way of’

 

[severnside gull]

Hard, almost impossible! Last season only Kane and Salah scored 20 goals or more.

The mythical “20 goal a season” striker........... the fans’ favourite but really not realistic at the top level where so few do it consistently. Kane was home grown (in much the same way as White). Salah failed at Chelsea but has come good at Liverpool. There’s no formula. No guarantees. Some work for a season then fail. Most don’t ever achieve it.
Looking for goal combinations across the season is more realistic although still hard to achieve as we have proved.

 

[chaileyjem]

We do this every close season though. Convince ourselves we have enough going forward. We don’t, and everyone knows it, inside and outside the club. I’m hoping against hope we can go some way to fixing it in this window.

We actually don’t though do we. We’ve bought in a new striker in the close season summer window last year (welbeck) , the year before (Maupay), the year before (andone), admittedly not the year before that, but the year before that (Murray), the year before that (hemed), the year before that (baldock) etc etc

 

[um bongo molongo]

We actually don’t though do we. We’ve bought in a new striker in the close season summer window last year (welbeck) , the year before (Maupay), the year before (andone), admittedly not the year before that, but the year before that (Murray), the year before that (hemed), the year before that (baldock) etc etc

And yet, every one in football knows where our problem remains. We’ve signed two half decent strikers in 3 years and never really replaced Murray.

 

[durrington gull]

All this talk of Andone the saviour, he scored two goals against a desperate Huddersfield side the Palace goal and that folks was about it. Better player than Connolly although that’s not really saying much.

It’s like this Leicester for an example do everything thing we do the big difference the quality upfront, we desperately need an upgrade.

Agree - Andone definitely not the saviour and no better than our current misfiring strikers- got to upgrade our strikers if we’re not going to be looking over our shoulders again at relegation

 

[vagabond]

Yup not forgetting Lamptey and March.

There should be plenty of goals in this side.

No one (other than a dullard) will give a shit how many the strikers are getting if we are winning games consistently.

As we continue to be linked to wingers and full backs it’s starting to look like this GP’s feeling on the matter.

Unless a really special forward player becomes available who ticks all the boxes, the thought may in the camp “we have a ton of goals potentially through the team”. Which is true in fairness and you highlight it well in your other post.

Leaving the strikers out:

Tross
Alexis
Aaron
Tau
Biss
Lamptey
Dunk
Webster
Gross

Aside from Dunk should all really be doing better in terms of goals.

 

[um bongo molongo]

As we continue to be linked to wingers and full backs it’s starting to look like this GP’s feeling on the matter.

Unless a really special forward player becomes available who ticks all the boxes, the thought may in the camp “we have a ton of goals potentially through the team”. Which is true in fairness and you highlight it well in your other post.

Leaving the strikers out:

Tross
Alexis
Aaron
Tau
Biss
Lamptey
Dunk
Webster
Gross

Aside from Dunk should all really be doing better in terms of goals.

As others have said, a top quality striker with pace who worries defenders and stretches them is the key to goals from everyone else as well though.

 

[vagabond]

As others have said, a top quality striker with pace who worries defenders and stretches them is the key to goals from everyone else as well though.

Perhaps it’s possible GP disagrees and he feels Maupay, Welbeck and Connolly perform that role.

 

[um bongo molongo]

Perhaps it’s possible GP disagrees and he feels Maupay, Welbeck and Connolly perform that role.

I’d be amazed if anyone thinks we have enough quality in our front line if we are serious about trying to reach top 10. And if we’re relying on Connolly to do anything more than shag love island contestants and show off his latest haircut then we’re going to be fighting relegation again.