Why Guillaume Hoarau could be a handy option for Nottingham Forest
According to Swiss outlet Nau (h/t Nottinghamshire Live), Nottingham Forest have been linked with a move for Guillaume Hoarau, who currently plies his trade with BSC Young Boys in the Swiss top-flight.
The report adds that nothing has been finalised yet but Hoarau’s advisor, Michel Urscheler, has confirmed that Forest have expressed an interest in signing the veteran striker ahead of the January transfer window.
Born in Saint-Louis, France, Hoarau completed his footballing education at Saint-Pierroise before turning professional with Le Havre in the French second-tier in the 2003-04 season.
Impressive returns of 35 goals in 88 appearances for Le Havre paved the way for a move to the top-flight with heavyweights Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2008 and Hoarau went on to establish himself as a force to reckon with in his homeland.
The 35-year-old, who recorded 57 goals and 24 assists in 161 appearances for PSG across all competitions, guided the club to a triumphant Ligue 1 campaign in the 2012-13 season before departing for the Chinese Super League with Dalian Yifang in January 2013.
It was during his illustrious stint at PSG that Guillaume Hoarau carved out a big reputation for himself as a bonafide goalscorer in France and even earned himself a call-up to the national team to replace the injured Nicolas Anelka. The veteran went on to accumulate 5 caps for the Les Blues.
A brief spell in the Far East was succeeded by a return to Ligue 1 with Bordeaux before Hoarau moved to his homeland to join Swiss giants BSC Young Boys in the summer of 2014.
Indeed, the veteran’s move to Switzerland has paid off handsomely for him, with Hoarau racking up an eye-watering tally of 116 goals and 35 assists in 176 appearances for Young Boys in all competitions.
Hoarau has struck double figures in terms of goals in each of his previous five campaigns in the Swiss top-flight, helping Young Boys to back-to-back title triumphs in the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons.
The Frenchman, though, has found himself in and out of the team in the ongoing campaign due to injuries. The 35-year-old has been restricted to only 12 appearances in all competitions so far this term but he has still managed to find the net twice.
To put things into perspective, Nottingham Forest could take a step closer to Premier League promotion if they manage to get their hands on Guillaume Hoarau.
He is very much in the autumn of his career but he could well prove to be an excellent short-term fix for the Reds, who are very much in the promotion mix in the Championship this term.
A veteran of almost 500 career appearances, several of which have come on the European stage, Hoarau certainly has a wealth of experience under his belt that could make all the difference for Forest in the second half of the campaign when the race for promotion goes down to the wire.
Verdict
With Wolves loanee Rafa Mir failing to make an impact and Welsh starlet Brennan Johnson way too young on rely upon for goals week in, week out, Forest currently have Lewis Grabban as the only accomplished out-and-out striker in their ranks.
The 31-year-old has netted 8 times in 18 league outings so far, however, Sabri Lamouchi should be wise enough to know that an injury to Grabban in the second half of the campaign might be detrimental to the club’s surge for promotion.
To that end, bringing in an experienced campaigner like Hoarau in January could prove to be a shrewd piece of business, and notwithstanding the fact that the Frenchman hasn’t played in England previously in his career, the 35-year-old still seems to have enough gas left in his tank to make the step up to the Championship and fire the Reds to a much-awaited promotion.
Forest need someone who could possibly acclimatise quickly to the surroundings and make an instant impact during the second half of the season and an old-school centre-forward like Hoarau seems like a handy option.
Someone like Dwight Gayle, who has been linked with a move to the City Ground in recent weeks, seems to fit the bill better, but with Newcastle United demanding a ransom of £15million (h/t Telegraph) for the 29-year-old, Forest would need to fork out a big fee to get their hands on him during the mid-season trading period.
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With that in mind, 35-year-old Guillaume Hoarau seems like a good short-term, as well as a cost-effective option for the Reds, and someone who could definitely work wonders for their promotion hopes moving forward.