Fulham’s goal scoring has been consistent this season, but a persistent transfer rumour has them connected with a new striker.
Despite a couple of recent setbacks to teams that finished in the top four last season, Fulham has had a strong start to the 2017 Premier League season. They are ranked in the middle of the leaderboard, only outperformed by teams that make and spend far more. However, as the January transfer window approaches, Marco Silva appears to be looking for methods to improve things even further.
The job of central striker could be a source of concern in the future. Raúl Jiménez has scored four goals in eight games, marking his best form since sustaining a head injury while playing for Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2020. For the time being, that means there is no problem, but the question remains: what happens if Jiménez, who is 33 and has not reached double figures in the league since the 2019/20 season, runs out of steam?
Rodrigo Muniz had a prolific scoring streak in the second half of last season, but he has only one goal since the start of the new season and appears to be a long way from his best. Carlos Vinícius, the club’s only centre-forward, is currently injured and has struggled to score consistently since joining the Premier League with Tottenham Hotspur a few seasons ago.
In other words, Fulham are now relying on attackers whose form has, at best, waxed and waned in recent years to keep the goals coming – and adding another alternative up front could be a wise decision. All of this could explain a report that has been circulating in the continental media in recent weeks, linking the Cottagers with a move for KRC Genk forward Tolu Arokodare.
The 23-year-old Nigerian striker has hit his stride during the last year or so, and has scored seven goals in his first 11 games of the season in the Belgian Pro League, keeping a record of scoring more than once every 180 minutes since joining to Genk at the beginning of 2023 following stints in Latvia, Germany and the French second tier.
Sport Witness has picked up on the most recent reports from the Belgian media, which show the striker playing down reports linking him to Fulham in typical, media-trained fashion – but the stories have surfaced several times in recent weeks, and if there isn’t a fire, there has certainly been a lot of smoke. So, if Fulham make a move this winter, might Arokodare be the answer?
He’s clearly constructed in the same mould as strikers like Jiménez and Muniz. At 6’6″, he’s a towering figure with all of the characteristics you’d expect from a number nine of his stature: strength, aerial power, and the ability to hold the ball aloft and keep opposition defenders at bay.
He is a powerful player in the air, but he has also improved his finishing with his feet, with only one of his goals this season coming from a header. His first touch is becoming better, and he looks like a nightmare to mark. There is still work to be done, and despite consistently high scoring rates since joining Genk, he is undershooting his xG. A preference for power over placement may explain some of this, but he does miss good opportunities, despite the fact that his movement and physicality allow him to drive himself into risky situations to compensate.
So the question is, in part, if he has the ability to create space for himself and generate the same number of chances against defenders at the highest level. Few Premier League centre-backs can outmuscle him, but his skill will be tested.
The other big question is whether his hold-up play as a number nine counts for anything – and that’s another area where he’s clearly improving. While playing at a lower level will naturally inflate some of his figures, he’s been creating shooting opportunities with his lay-offs and knock-downs faster than Jiménez or Muniz in recent years. He has created opportunities half as frequently as the seasoned Mexican.
In other words, he possesses the physicality and, increasingly, the intelligence and skill to link up play to succeed. The question is whether he has the technique to succeed at the highest level and the ability to ensure he gets enough opportunities. Perhaps the dispute is over whether Fulham need another forward, since if Raúl Jiménez maintains his current rate, the goals will continue to come without reinforcements.