Top 5 Young Strikers Waiting To Take Europe By A Storm Including Arsenal And Liverpool Target

With football fast becoming a game more about goals scored rather than goals conceded, goal keepers such as Manuel Neuer are sure to find themselves in a spot of bother when coming up against Leo Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo for the Balon D’or accolade. And the thought of a goalkeeper winning the award seems far fetched, but it even seems impossible, to some extent especially in modern day football.

And undoubtedly so, there’s no shortage of young forwards coming through the ranks at their respective clubs. And in this commercial game, these young men aren’t saved of attention from bigger clubs. So, here are some young hitmen who’ve been capturing a lot of eyeballs these days.

NOTE: This excludes Neymar and Stephan El-Shaarawy etc.

Alexandre Lacazette: Olympique Lyon

 

The highest scoring Frenchman, who has scored 23 times in Ligue 1 has undoubtedly been on fire. Way ahead on the goal scoring charts, Lacazette is on the radar of  English giants, who’re waiting to make a statement signing which would signal their intent.

Lacazette is someone who’s a complete forward. he scores, creates and assists. He’s a keen dribbler too and makes 2.6 dribbles per game, apart from the fact that he can skip past the opposition defenders in some style and guile. His versatility ensures that his tool kit allows him to play out wide too. A hardworker and someone who is at the centre of everything that happens for Lyon, Lacazette scores all types of goals ranging from long rangers, volleys and tap ins.

His weakness of not being very good in the air comes in as a disadvantage for United but not for a side like Liverpool, who adhere to a more vertical style of play. But his overall strength and ability to link up well with players around him makes him a ferocious contender.

Domenico Berardi: Sassuolo( on loan from Juventus)

 

For someone as young as him, his stats are simply phenomenal. And although, being 183 cm tall can be a pain in the arse for a striker, but Berardi is a creative and mobile character. Considered to be  one of the most talented and promising young footballers of his generation,  Berardi is capable of being used at a variety of positions, including just behind the striker and even as a winger. Predominantly, Berardi is deployed as an inside right forward, who drifts in regularly to bring the ball on his preferred left foot.

This season, the 20 year old has scored 7 goals and has racked up 6 assists too. Berardi has got a keen eye for a goal and more so, creates them for others around him too. Apart from his tendency to drift inside and have a crack, Berardi has the ability to slip a pass to players who make runs around him or drill in a cross from outwide. So far he’s shown glimpses of great potential, but Juventus need to handle him very carefully to make sure he continues on his current trajectory.

Again, Berardi also needs to work upon his aerial ability which isn’t satisfactory. He wins only 35 percent of his headed duels. With that being said, Berardi also needs to make better use of his physique to mould into a slightly more rounded forward.

Anderson Talisca: Benfica

Here’s another young man who’s been creating some amount of waves recently. Still 21, Talisca has been predominantly used as a second striker by Jorge Jesus in a flat 4-4-2 formation. Originally a player who plays just behind the striker, Talisca has a wide range of skills up his sleeve. He’s got a pile driver of a left foot and his long range shooting ability is something which stands out.

 

Talisca has netted 13 times this season and is a free kick specialist too.

Although, he may have inherited a wiry frame but his weight lets him down. Lack of physicality and deficiency of tactical awareness makes him someone who needs to improve a lot, being a youngster. He himself has expressed the need to improve some aspects of his name and is also working upon it. More so, he becomes invisible in big games, and needs to learn to be a bit more consistent in his approach.

Harry Kane: Tottenham Hotspur

 

This young man’s rise to world wide fame has been abrupt or even unexpected. After spending loan spells at Norwich, Leyton Orient and Millwall, it seemed as if his career would never take off. But as time fleeted past, Harry Kane become the first Premier League player to score more than 20 goals in all competitions and has emerged as a player who has stolen the spotlight from the likes of Diego Costa, Sergio Aguero and team mate Christian Eriksen himself.

Kane fits into the high pressing system perfectly and his hardworking playing style allows him to operate just behind the striker too. Harry Kane’s rise to prominence has arguably been the first for an Englishman since Wayne Rooney’s at Everton and the 21 year old has scored a total of 24 goals in all competitions this season. Kane has got an impeccable hold up and a more than decent burst of pace following it. Apart from being one of the most devastating finishers in England, Kane has a keen eye for picking out a threaded pass too. His headed ability is something which stands out and is at par with the both Sergio Aguero and Diego Costa.

A near complete forward who has single handedly manhandled both Arsenal and Chelsea, Kane would need a season more to prove himself as a true young sensation rather than a sensation owing to fortune.

Arkaduisz Milik- Ajax( On loan from Bayer Leverkusen)

This man is another one of those Bayer Leverkusen young starlets who, by the looks of it, have that special something. Often dubbed as “The Next Robert Lewandowski”, this 21 year old youngster, who’s currently out on loan at Ajax, is sure to grab a lot of attention in the coming years, just as he is doing now. The name ‘Arkaduisz’ may sound labyrinth or serpentine like but  he makes goal scoring looks so easy.

Milik is now emerging as a regular feature of the Polish senior side and has scored 6 times in 14 appearances for the  Białe Orły. For Frank de Boer’s Ajax, the 21 year old has scored 15 times in a total of 27 appearances for the Amsterdam Arena based side. He may not be the among the most threatening willing runners in the side but has a keen eye for goal and has developed a knack for scoring with his preferred left, weaker right and his head. He’s got impeccable and unerring control, with the help of which he can delay the timing of a shot or a cheeky pass.

Not everybody in this world is supposed to be a complete forward. Milik knows what he does best and does it with some aplomb. Goal scoring is what he’s proficient in but sometimes, what lets him down is his inability to shoot. In 19 appearances, Milik has taken only 28 shots on goal, which is well below his standard if he is to achieve something big. It’d be interesting to see how the Polish International fares with each passing game. Because, here’s someone who really is worthy of being called ‘The Next Robert Lewandowski”.