View: Reported West Brom target looks to be highly promising attacking prospect
The hunt for a new striker is likely to dominate a lot of the transfer rumours surrounding West Brom this summer.
The Baggies have had to rely upon Hal Robson-Kanu, Charlie Austin, and Kenneth Zohore during their promotion push this term, but you wouldn’t be surprised to see them make a move for a higher calibre of player if they seal a return to the Premier League in the coming weeks.
And that’s probably why we are already seeing reports in the vein of a recent one from TYC Sports linking them to 21-year-old San Lorenzo striker Adolfo Gaich.
The Argentinian is nicknamed “The Tank” and has registered five goals in 12 league outings this term, supposedly piquing the interest of Inter Milan and Atalanta along the way too.
So the question is, would it be worth doing battle with those kind of clubs for Gaich, and what sort of player is he?
Well, as the nickname suggests, he’s a physical one.
So far this term the striker has contested an average of 8.95 more duels than Austin per match, as per Wyscout, and has won an 12.8% more of his aerial battles than the Albion forward.
He’s far from just a battering ram, however.
Gaich also has a shot accuracy rate that is 15.1% higher than Austin’s, and has an average of 0.13 goals per game more than the Englishman.
And taking a closer look at one of his recent goals in particular really illustrates the kind of player that he is.
Scoring in a pre-Olympic tournament for Argentina’s U23s back in January, Gaich showed the mixture of power and precision that has made him such hot property.
As pictured above, it all starts with a long punt upfield that the striker wins convincingly in the air.
This isn’t just a header, it’s a towering example of his physical dominance, with the defender barely even getting off the ground.
Gaich’s flick on finds a man, but rather than resting on his laurels, he immediately looks to drive on and get himself into a dangerous area.
While the midfield switches off, he looks to take advantage by heading straight for the box.
It’s an instinctive reaction, but it’s an important one – the best strikers know that nine times out of 10, you have to be near the goal to put the ball in it.
By the time the ball comes back to him, Gaich is flying, and there isn’t a defender anywhere near him as he gets his shot off.
And the key to his finish is two-fold.
Firstly, he hits it early.
Rather than overcooking his time on the ball or allowing the keeper time to set himself properly, he strikes it.
Secondly, his body shape is excellent – the foot is nice and open, he’s not leaning back too much.
Essentially, he makes the shot into a pass, and is able to stroke it into the bottom corner.
In fact – and this might sound like a big comparison to make – but that technique and the shaping of the body are almost reminiscent of England captain Harry Kane.
Of course, Gaich is nowhere near that level just yet, and one goal doesn’t definitively prove a player is cut out for English football.
But there is plenty to be excited about here, and the fundamental traits that make up the South American’s game look to be highly transferable skills.
On the basis of what we’ve seen, we’d be very happy if West Brom could snap him up this summer.
In other West Brom news, Reliable journo: Agent names preferred transfer destination for 21y/o reported West Brom target.