Today’s Daily Mirror claims that Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp is in a transfer battle to sign Ivory Coast’s 5 ft 10 inch striker Seydou Doumbia - with German side Hoffenheim making a £8 million bid for him to sign immediately.
The 21-year-old scored an impressive 20 goals in 32 league appearances for Young Boys last season, statistics made that much more impressive as Doumbia made 24 of those appearances coming from the bench. His playing time in all totalled 1362 minutes, meaning that on average he scored a goal every 69 minutes. He also contributed 10 assists and ended the season as Switzerland’s top goalscorer, despite his meagre playing time.
The Ivorian began his career at AS Denguele where he netted 15 goals in 20 games in his first season as a pro. His form caught the attention of a number of J-League clubs and it was Kashiwa Reysol who took a risk by bringing him to Japan.
His solitary season with the Sun Kings was hugely disappointing. The striker netted only three times in 24 games. He was then sent out on loan to Tokushima Vortis where his form improved and he bagged seven goals in 16 games.
The youngster was considered to be talented but somewhat immature, and with that being the case Young Boys took a limited gamble by bringing him to Switzerland’s Super League for a paltry 150,000 Euros.
From the moment he donned the yellow and black hooped shirt he looked a totally different player and the 2008-09 season was his breakout year. He became known for his lightening speed which is dangerous when combined with brute strength and excellent dribbling skills making him almost impossible to handle.
Doumbia also has an excellent first touch and like any true goalscorer enjoys taking the goalkeeper on from either inside or outside the box. If there is one area of weakness in his game, though, it is his aerial ability.
This season he has become a regular in the starting line up. His goalscoring feats have continued abound with Doumbia netting a staggering 19 goals in 18 games with five assists, leading the club to the top spot in the Super League.
Unsurprisingly, there seems to be almost daily rumours about who is in pole position to garner the youngsters signature with suitors from all around Europe. The Ivorian has already rejected a move to Rubin Kazan after an agreement was reached between the two clubs. The footballer has gone on the record and stated that “One day I will play in England or Spain, as they are the best leagues in the world.”
Tottenham could definitely benefit form having another goalscorer on their books. Jermain Defoe is banging in the goals things and things look rosy for Spurs. There is a worry that if he gets injured they do not have anyone who can regularly score goals in his stead.
The fourth estate is also linking Harry with a swoop for West Hams’ Carlton Cole as a replacement for want-away striker Roman Pavlyuchenko. Will Harry want five strikers who all expect to play in his squad?
Whilst Doumbia may be willing to sit on the bench to fulfil his dream of playing in England for a short while, like most strikers who have tasted success he will want to play every game eventually. Can Harry deal with this?
What is in no doubt is the boys ability to get to the top and become a regular goalscorer in one of Europe’s top leagues.
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