Previous posts covered candidates from the RPL; now we look at players from other leagues.
Baltika already have a man the whole attacking system revolves around — Brayan Gil. As for the other forwards, the management has to decide whether to buy out Lacerda for 1.5 million euros and what to do with Offor, who can't seem to make his football work.
Playing as a centre-forward is hard in general. Lads in that position need a certain status, match sharpness and the coach's trust. Putting three identical guys in the dressing room is unlikely to add tactical flexibility. More likely we'd get a jittery bench. So what we need is not a Gil clone but either a future heir, a physical plan B, a cold-blooded executioner in the box, or a workhorse for the press.
Here it's worth remembering our finances, which are far from limitless. We can't afford to throw three or four million euros around hoping to get a transfer right. Any miss will hit the budget. So I'm looking not just at pretty goal compilations or expected stats, but also weighing up the wage bill, the newcomer's potential role and the chances of selling him on at a profit later.
By that logic four options are especially interesting: Allan Wlk, Armandas Kučys, Jorge Rivaldo and Mamadou Camara.
Let me say straight away that all these numbers from the internet are pretty approximate. A lot depends on the appetites of clubs and agents and on contract length. But on the whole the sums are perfectly manageable for us. All that's left is to work out which of them would bring what.
Allan Wlk — the best growth project
Club: RecoletaAge: 23Nationality: ParaguayPosition: forward
Wlk is the most intriguing option if Baltika want to play not only for the coming window but for a year ahead. He isn't one of those strikers who feed exclusively on random rebounds in weak leagues. He has decent involvement in the team's play and a good, firm strike. You can see the lad has a certain style.
For Baltika, Wlk is a pure investment. He doesn't need to be thrown under the tanks in place of Gil from day one. He can be introduced in doses: sent on against tired defenders in second halves, tried in a front two. And when Gil one day moves up in the world, you'll have a ready-made, trained weapon to hand. No need to run around the market in a panic with wild eyes.
Financially it's a soft option. With a nominal value of €1m, the real price will rise because of his scoring streak, but a €1.2-2m corridor doesn't look insane. Yes, the Paraguayan league is peculiar, and the RPL will demand a different kind of toughness. But the potential here is huge.
Armandas Kučys — heavy artillery for a different scenario
Club: Celje, SloveniaAge: 23Nationality: LithuaniaPosition: forward
Kučys is a completely different story. He isn't going to take the bread from Gil's mouth; he offers Baltika a different way of playing. With him the team gets a classic plan B: long vertical outlets, physical pressure in the air, aggression at set pieces and the last-ditch bombardment in the final ten minutes. In Russian conditions that kind of frame is highly valued, especially when it's backed by a quick stride. Kučys doesn't look like a lumbering wardrobe — at nearly two metres tall he can run at the speed of a decent player.
Transfermarkt's valuation is about €700k. The real deal corridor could be €1-1.8m. He can drive home to Lithuania, it's not far from here 😁
The only fat question mark is health. Rumours of a knee injury are cause for caution. Without the most meticulous, merciless medical you can't go into this deal. All footballing romance has to end at the door of the nasty man in the white coat. 🚑🩺
Jorge Rivaldo — a finisher in the box
Club: Rionegro ÁguilasAge: 22Nationality: ColombiaPosition: forward
His heat map and shot map would gladden the eye of any coaching methodologist: he practically never shoots from distance for the sake of his stats, all his attempts come from the zone of maximum danger. He just gets on with it and finishes.
But there's a trap here. Rivaldo is hostage to other people's service. The ball has to be delivered to him on a plate. If Baltika decide to dig in at their own goal and hoof the ball forward hoping the striker will beat two centre-backs on his own, the Colombian will simply dissolve on the pitch.
Money-wise this is the most complicated story. A long contract and a high strike rate could push the bar up to €2m. Paying that kind of money for a player the team won't always be able to feed with passes is a huge risk. But nothing ventured, nothing gained, right? 🍾🍾🍾
Mamadou Camara — a hybrid for attack and pressing
Club: LavalAge: 25Nationality: MaliPosition: forward / wide attacker
He came over here for the match against Russia. Talalaev says he asked Gassama to have a word with some players about moving to Baltika; I had a look, and among the attackers only this one fits — an interesting fellow from the French second division.
He touches the ball a lot, moves, presses, drops deeper, carries the ball on the dribble and can cover not only the centre of the attack but the flank too. This isn't "stick him in the box and forget about him", this is a player for a system.
For Baltika he's valuable because he doesn't break the hierarchy. If Gil stays as the number one, the Malian can add flexibility: play alongside him, come on out wide, beef up the press, help with rotation.
But taking him as the chief saviour of the attack is a dangerous illusion. This isn't a forward who guarantees 15 goals. Camara is more of a Malian knife 🔪 : useful, handy, multifunctional, but no substitute for a proper sword 🗡️
Transfermarkt's valuation is about €800k. The real corridor is €900k-€1.4m. For a sum around a million it's an interesting idea.
The tactical plan: what to choose?
If we don't plan to part with Gil, buying an expensive rival for him is pointless. We need to start from how we want to play.
The most strategically interesting move is Wlk. Classic football economics: take a player before his price jumps, adapt him, and a season later have either a first-choice forward or an asset to sell on.
The most tactically logical is Kučys, if his health is fine. He adds what the team lacks: a big number nine for a different scenario.
The most environment-dependent is Rivaldo. A good finisher, but he needs to be served.
The gentlest on the hierarchy is Camara. Not the main goalscorer, but flexibility, pressing and several roles.
The simplest option is to buy out Lacerda, who can score 4-5-6 goals a season, and keep Offor to wind up the fans 😁
