No Rolan No Problem – Two Alternatives That Fulham Can Consider Instead
As well as being tracked by Newcastle United, Diego Rolan is still wanted at Fulham as they see him as the man to lead their line in a possible Championship title tilt.
He is messing clubs around by saying he will wait until the end of the window and choose the best deal for him. So with that in mind, Fulham would do well to scrap this deal and ensure they get somebody else to avoid any disappointments.
The last thing the boss would want is to go into the start of August not knowing who he will have at his disposal for the rest of the season and with that in mind, here are two others the West Londoners could go for instead of Rolan:
Benik Afobe (Bournemouth)
Spending money on someone with proven goal scoring ability at this level can end up looking like a bargain and just about every team promoted automatically in the past have shown that a player of this type is necessary. Boro in fact have splashed out cash for Britt Assombalonga, a player not wanted as yet by Premier League clubs. So you can make a fair comparison there.
Afobe first of all, can definitely get them 15 goals plus and is in a price range which makes this transfer wholly realistic. Other similar goal scorers, such as Leeds’ Chris Wood, would demand twice the price in the market which makes them too big a risk. Going foreign and cheap for a striker is a risk of a different type and not one that a club chasing promotion to the Premier League should take.
Jordan Hugill (Preston North End)
Reaching a good level now with Preston North End and sure to get better, Hugill has just had his most productive season ever, managing 44 appearances in the league. His 35 starts in that time have yielded 12 goals and you can add a few more to that next season as he continues to improve.
Given better service, which he would definitely get from the likes of Aluko and Cairney, he can be expected to start passing the 20-goal mark, which these days is extremely valuable in the Championship. Although Lejeune did alright, Grant Hanley struggled again to cope with Hugill in a pre-season friendly against Newcastle at the weekend and I expect a big season from the front man.