Manchester United are said to be on the hunt for a prolific goalscorer to see them hit the pinnacle of the Premier League. Is Harry Kane their best option, or are there more intelligent buys out there?
The English Premier League is set for an exciting finish in terms of the top four race. Though the battle for Premier League survival at the bottom end is over, fourth place is still up for grabs.
While few clubs are fighting over spots, clubs like Manchester City and Manchester United are figuring out the transfer priorities for next season.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s long-standing dream of landing a striker is expected to be fulfilled in the summer transfer window. The Norweigan wanted to sign Erling Braut Haaland in January 2020 but the player moved to Germany.
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The club had to settle with Odion Ighalo, who was a great servant for the team during his loan spell. In the summer transfer window of 2020, the club signed Edinson Cavani on a free transfer after Manchester United found themselves caught up with the Jadon Sancho saga.
Despite being 34 years old, Edi Cavani didn’t disappoint and has lived up to the hype. However, the manager still needs a striker, and rumors point towards the club’s interest in Harry Kane.
It would take everything to sign Harry Kane. Moreover, it is difficult to negotiate with Daniel Levy who never likes to settle in any deal. The club had experienced the same when they were pursuing Toby Alderweireld.
In that regard, here are the alternatives that are available for Red Devils to sign instead of Harry Kane.
#1) Harry Kane’s stats are not as great as what they appear in the English Premier League
Amongst the top strikers of Europe, Andre Silva, the marksman from Eintracht Frankfurt has 0.69 non-penalty goals per 90 and he is followed by Wout Weghorst of VFL Wolfsburg who also has outscored Harry Kane in this regard.
Compared to Harry Kane’s 0.56 non-penalty goals per 90 minutes, Weghorst boasts a better 0.61. The striker has carried his team to third in the ongoing Bundesliga season.
On the other hand, despite having a great individual season, Harry Kane and Tottenham find themselves in sixth place.
The “goals minus expected goals” stats show the difference between the number of goals scored by the player amongst the chances created.
Here also, the 28-year-old Englishman is outscored by Andre Silva while Wout Weghorst misses Kane by a narrow margin.
In the number of shots taken by the striker in 90 minutes, Harry Kane completely outdoes his competitors as the English international accounts for 3.97 shots per 90. However, the player’s ability to shoot the ball on target is very little compared to others.
He is outscored by the likes of Dominic Calvert Lewin (1.41 SoT), Andre Silva (1.73 SoT), Wout Weghorst (1.42 SoT) compared to Harry Kane’s (1.39 SoT).
The more the number of shots on target, the higher the chance of goals being scored. Manchester United doesn’t have a dearth of chance creators but they lack strikers who can bury the ball into the back of the net.
The club will be paying a huge price for Harry Kane and his weakness to convert chances can decide the outcome of games.
#2) Despite playing a counter-attacking and defensive style of football, other strikers lead the way – Manchester United may benefit
Strikers are not only valued for their contributions upfront but also the defensive duties. Amongst the strikers considered in this comparison, Patrick Bamford and Gerard Moreno outdo Harry Kane.
Bamford and Moreno also have an equal number of goals per shot taken compared to the English skipper. Also, Kane is not dominant in the air when compared to his competitors.
Dominic Calvert Lewin of Everton has a success rate of 48.1%, whereas Weghorst has 61.4%. On the other hand, Kane has just 41.8% in the English top-flight.
The transfer value of the player along with his age will determine the proceedings as well. Because of the pandemic, clubs have small budgets and will not be able to get multiple marquee signings.
If Manchester United looks to spend big on a CDM and an RW, they will be left with a small fund for a striker. Kane will be 28 in July but the proven PL striker will cost €120 million for the Manchester club, which will affect their transfer strategy.
On the other hand, statistically, well-proven players like Andre Silva and Weghorst will cost just 1/3rd of the premium that the club will be paying for Kane. Also, the wages of these players will be much lower compared to the English striker.