Roberto Soldado

[StrategiC 73]

can't see him as an upgrade for neither Ba nor lukaku.

[Sheva. 5,373]

Fuck, i thought we were actually linked lol. I would be happy with him or Gomez atm.

[Leif 6,006]

I'm not sure if these are all his goals from this past season or just his best ones but his finishing is incredible. Better than most the strikers we get linked with. He's also a surprisingly hard worker for a player most would put in the 'poacher' category:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qb3YfYVJoJY

[lucio 5,418]

yes please. soldado is a class act.

[Jase 43,479]

He is good but not THAT good to be the No.1 striker for us. Lacks this thing in him that makes him a stand out striker among the many top quality strikers out there.

[Leif 6,006]

Mata - Soldado was more deadly than Silva - Villa and even Mata - Villa.

Obviously Mata was older while working with Soldado and thus more matured in terms of playing style but I think that says a lot. Put Soldado in Barcelona or Real Madrid (I genuinely think he is THE striker they need) and you have 'one of the best strikers in the world'.

[Special Juan 27,424]

yes please. soldado is a class act.

Good player but I am not sure I would use the wording you did.

[lucio 5,418]

Good player but I am not sure I would use the wording you did.

scored 82 goals for valencia in 3 seasons. thats pretty good going

[Leif 6,006]

At Valencia Villa had Mata and Silva supplying him. Soldado has Feghouli and Guardado.

(League only): Villa averaged 0.65 goals per game. Soldado averages 0.60 goals per game.

[Sheva. 5,373]

He is good but not THAT good to be the No.1 striker for us. Lacks this thing in him that makes him a stand out striker among the many top quality strikers out there.

What thing exactly? what matters the most is goals, and he gets plenty of them. It's ridiculous to say he can't be our no 1 striker, when apart from Cavani there's not many strikers available that are better than him.

[Bosnian Blue 2,471]

Nope, thanks

[Waterfall 893]

He is good but not THAT good to be the No.1 striker for us. Lacks this thing in him that makes him a stand out striker among the many top quality strikers out there.

Yes. And that's called opportunity. Same with Mandzukic before he joined Bayern. I'd rather have this guy at half the cost than Cavani

[Leif 6,006]

Why don't people like him? He contributed directly to 28 goals scored by Valencia in the league this season in 33 starts.

To compare, Falcao contributed directly to 29 goals scored by Atletico Madrid in the league this season in 34 starts.

Falcao was dispossessed 2.8 times on average per game. Soldado was dispossessed 0.7 times on average per game.

They were both caught offside 0.9 times per game.

They were both fouled just under 2 times per game.

Both made 0.9 key passes per game.

Soldado averaged 2.9 shots per game while Falcao averaged 3.6 (Soldado has a superior conversion rate. Crazy considering how great Falcao is at finishing.)

I compare Falcao and Soldado because they're both pure goalscorers and scoring is what you buy them for. It also highlights that Falcao's price was an astronomical over-evaluation when you take into consideration players like Soldado will leave their clubs (likely) for under £20m (helped by Valencia's poor financial state.)

When it comes to goalscoring Falcao is slightly ahead with 4 more goals but Soldado had 3 more assists.

We were strongly linked with Falcao but from watching them both this season and then digging up these stats I feel we should have been and should currently be linked with Soldado as he's only a few months older than Falcao and offers everything he does - plus he has the valuable chemistry with Mata, low wages (£45k per week) and presumably would be a cheap signing for a player of his quality.

He was a real hard worker too this season. With Valencia being all over the place in terms of results and (lack of) consistency, he was constantly running back to help his midfielders and even full-backs at times. Underrated player.

[Jase 43,479]

What thing exactly? what matters the most is goals, and he gets plenty of them. It's ridiculous to say he can't be our no 1 striker, when apart from Cavani there's not many strikers available that are better than him.

Don't get me wrong. Not doubting him as a player because he has his own qualities but what I'm not sure if he has this X-Factor in him to really be the undisputed No.1 ST for us. He is a decent option to get if all else fails but I have my doubts.

[Rmpr 8,977]

Lukaku - Ba - Torres is not miles away from Soldado - Lukaku - Ba!

With that in mind, I would prefer us to spend the money elsewhere...

[BOSS 372]

[OneMoSalah 8,776]

If we want a striker push the boat out and get Cavani/Lewandowski. Soldado should be behind them in our list.

[wj818 25]

Haha tht made my day, cheers mate

But he does have a wonderful half-volley technique.