Why Sheffield United should go back in the market for Roger Martinez

According to a previous report from El Deportivo during the summer transfer window, Sheffield United were linked with a move to Colombian international striker Roger Martinez. However, the Blades opted against firming up their interest in the 25-year-old and nothing came to fruition.  

Chris Wilder would then go on to splash the cash to bring in the likes of Lys Mousset, Callum Robinson and Oliver McBurnie from Bournemouth, Preston North End and Swansea City respectively in a bid to bolster his attacking ranks prior to the start of the Premier League season. 

Sheffield United never really looked overly keen to spread their nets across the globe to build a formidable squad capable of thriving in the top-flight and, as a result, Wilder went into the campaign with a team fully packed with homegrown English, Scottish and Irish stars. 

Well, fast-forwarding the sequence of events to October and it would be hard to say that Wilder got his stance wrong in the transfer window, given that the Blades have earned plenty of plaudits for their gritty and resilient displays in the Premier League thus far. 

Sheffield United currently sit 13th in the standings with two wins from their first eight games and stability at the back has been one of the major positives from their start to the season. However, the team’s failure to convert possession into enough goals is something that is likely to bother Chris Wilder. 

Robinson, Mousset and McBurnie have all found the net in the Premier League but it is worth noting that they have only shared a total of three goals between them, which is clearly not enough. 

Lack of goals has often proven to be the undoing of promoted teams and the Blades might be forced to dip into the market once again come January if things do not change soon enough. 

With that in mind, it won’t be a bad idea for them to revisit their interest in Roger Martinez, who is still plying his trade with Mexican giants Club America.

The 25-year-old’s stocks were soaring high earlier in the summer after his heroics in the Copa America and going back in the market for his services might go a long way towards solving United’s goalscoring woes. 

Born in Colombia, Martinez started his playing career in Argentina in the youth ranks of Boca Juniors and Racing Club, turning professional with the latter before securing a move to the Chinese Super League with Jiangsu Suning. 

The Colombian’s success in the Far East prompted Villarreal to sign him up on a loan spell for the second half of the 2017-18 season but the La Liga outfit sold him immediately to Mexican club America after exercising the purchase clause in his loan deal. 

The 11-cap Colombian international has scored 16 goals in 54 appearances for the Mexican heavyweights and, while those numbers are not overly impressive, Martinez could possibly add another dimension to Sheffield United’s attack with his pace, agility, acceleration and, most importantly, his instinctive nature in front of goal. 

A physically strong and athletic hitman, Martinez is adept at putting away chances with both feet and head and his arrival would certainly add a lot more variety to the Blades’ attacking ranks. 

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Agreed, he is not a proven striker in Europe and any deal to bring him to Bramall Lane would involve a considerable risk factor of the move backfiring. However, he is an international footballer, nevertheless, and certainly worth a punt for the Blades in January. 

Having said that, the Blades should reignite their interest in Roger Martinez when the transfer window reopens in January.