Andrej Kramaric

[Stats 7,147]

I'd much rather Bamford or Solanke get that 3rd choice striker spot tbh. I'm sure this kid is good, but we need to think about the HG quota, as well as giving some of our youth products a chance.

No chance. Solanke is a great talent but he is far from making the first team squad on a full time basis. He will play with the U21 next season and from there we will se how he progresses. Bamford is more likely but then again unlikely. He has improved at Middlesbrough but has he shown enough to show he is ready to be counted on if we need him? I am not too sure. Last thing I want is for Bamford to be 3rd choice striker and finding it really hard to play games when he could be out on loan.

[iseah100 5,612]

No chance. Solanke is a great talent but he is far from making the first team squad on a full time basis. He will play with the U21 next season and from there we will se how he progresses. Bamford is more likely but then again unlikely. He has improved at Middlesbrough but has he shown enough to show he is ready to be counted on if we need him? I am not too sure. Last thing I want is for Bamford to be 3rd choice striker and finding it really hard to play games when he could be out on loan.

At some point, you need to stop loaning players out. Bamford will play if he's 3rd choice. Look how much DD has played. I would love Bamford to be our 3rd choice next season.

[Stats 7,147]

At some point, you need to stop loaning players out. Bamford will play if he's 3rd choice. Look how much DD has played. I would love Bamford to be our 3rd choice next season.

The thing is I doubt he will. '3rd choice' is just a word not an action. For instance, if Costa and Remy were both injured next season would Jose rely on an unproven PL player in Bamford or play a more experienced player in Schurrle up front? I am sure he would go for Schurrle. DD is experienced and a reliable player for Jose. Bamford is not and that is why I think it is unrealistic that even if Bamford was here he would play much and that would hinder his development.

[Chelsea Legend 11 4,062]

The thing is I doubt he will. '3rd choice' is just a word not an action. For instance, if Costa and Remy were both injured next season would Jose rely on an unproven PL player in Bamford or play a more experienced player in Schurrle up front? I am sure he would go for Schurrle. DD is experienced and a reliable player for Jose. Bamford is not and that is why I think it is unrealistic that even if Bamford was here he would play much and that would hinder his development.

Agreed. Bamford's next loan has to be to a premiership club before he gets consideration for Chelsea.

[Viper22 2,418]

No chance. Solanke is a great talent but he is far from making the first team squad on a full time basis. He will play with the U21 next season and from there we will se how he progresses. Bamford is more likely but then again unlikely. He has improved at Middlesbrough but has he shown enough to show he is ready to be counted on if we need him? I am not too sure. Last thing I want is for Bamford to be 3rd choice striker and finding it really hard to play games when he could be out on loan.

Well I don't know what Mou will want or will do. Just saying that's what i'd do. Bamford is ready to be 3rd choice for us IMO.

[Viper22 2,418]

Solanke is still too young imo. Maybe 2-3 more years. Cannot wait that long, since Drogba probably retired next season.

As much as I want Bamford too as our 3rd option, he is even struggling at Championship at the moment, no? Not good enough to be our 3rd striker imo. Also with his age already 21, I'm not surprised if we sell him in the end.

4 goals in 9 games since he's been starting for them is hardly struggling. Especially when Boro have only scored 11 goals in those 9 games anyway.

[Bosnian Blue 2,471]

Fantastic prospect, this bloke. I'll just say he's already 12 goals infront of the second player on the goal scoring list in the Croatian league, he's just recently scored 5 in a single game, he scored a hattrick in the Europa League..

All that aside, it still is a huge step from Croatian league to the best league in the world ( Bosko Balaban from Dinamo Z to Aston Villa - Daily Mail described him as the worst ever striker in the Premiership).

Moving to Chelsea would be great for him in terms of finances and playing on the highest level, except for one small issue: would he even play?

[RoyalBlues 4,050]

4 goals in 9 games since he's been starting for them is hardly struggling. Especially when Boro have only scored 11 goals in those 9 games anyway.

Let's see whether we will sign Kramaric or not. If not happened, I'm in for Bamford to be our 3rd striker next season

[OneMoSalah 8,887]

At first I thought the quotes are fake, but he indeed said those things at Sportitalia channel, last night.

Kramaric - 72 goals in 97 official matches between 2011 and 2014.

Mandzukic - 50 goals in 109 official matches (2007 - 2010) before joining Wolfsburg.

If we can get someone who roughly scores a goal every game (more or less) to come be our third choice striker for something like 6-8 million euros then I think its fair to say hats off to Jose and the board again. He is a goal scorer, he might have been playing in Croatia but he is clearly a goal scorer and sometimes having someone who doesn't do much else other than score goals is not the worst thing to have in your squad.

I mean if it was between a guy from Croatia with 72 goals in 97 games and Patrick Bamford, well no offence to Bamford but I know who I would rather have as third choice.

[lionsden 4,689]

I understand why some are always quick to dismiss every player from a lower or subpar league. however there are always exceptions to every rule. If a player shows excellent technical ability and tactical awareness combined with great numbers/output then what's there to lose in taking a chance? How many great players came out of nowhere after starting off at a 2nd rate league? plenty is the answer. For every Mo salah there are Van Nisteelroy, Robben, Lewadowski, Cristiano,Modric,Zlatan,Ribery et al. What if Kramaric turns out like the latter . . . .i.e joins a big club in a big league and continues to perform superbly ultimately turning into a proven top class player (and given his talent and goal scoring record it isn't inconceivable)

[TheIceMan 596]

Every single great footballer from the beginning of the game till' now ha s played in a lesser club in a lesser league at some point of his career!

[ChelseaFC12 134]

Don't judge a player based on his goal scoring record, I mean it's damn good I know but it's in Croatian league......

Remember when we signed Matija Kezman? I mean he had a phenominal goal scoring record... then the rest is history.

[We Hate Scouse 10,327]

Don't judge a player based on his goal scoring record, I mean it's damn good I know but it's in Croatian league......

Remember when we signed Matija Kezman? I mean he had a phenominal goal scoring record... then the rest is history.

At the reported £8 million it's a small risk to take.

[DH1988 1,350]

Vitesse here he comes!

[Hkibou 622]

yeah but both mandzukic and drogba were first strikers in their teams while kramaric would be our second or third choice. so no much place for progress.

Drogba did not come to Marseille as a first choice, he had competition like in any bigger club. He simply put goals and became first choice. So many goals that he only stayed one year was bought by Chelsea.

If Chelsea got Kramaric this winter for cheap, loan him to Marseille 1 year (or equivalent club), and Kramaric blossoms during his loan so that he comes back as a confirmed striker on the verge of becoming world-class, it would virtually be the exact same situation as what happened with Drogba.

Only difference is, Roman would spend only a few millions on Kramaric, instead of the 30 he put for Drogba.

[illmatic 901]

The mandatory muppet video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bBch7prTZ8

Considering he's already 23, if we were to sign him, he'll be first team ready. And if he's loaned out, it will probably be to the Bundesliga and not Eredivisie.

In this video doesn't look only like a hunter-goal, he looks like a clinical finisher, with many alternatives to define.

I don't meet him, but looks very good.

[Hkibou 622]

Vitesse here he comes!

Imo it would be completely useless to loan him to Vitesse, which is equivalent to Rijeka's level in terms of club and league they play in. In fact the Dutch league may be the less relevant league to send young but already confirmed strikers such as Kramaric. It's a league where it's sensible to send young strikers who haven't known anything else than youth teams yet, so that they can work on their technique and boost their confidence (and market value).

But Kramaric would put 30 goals in that league, so what ? What would he have learnt with such weak defenses and tactical mayhem that is the dutch league ? If Mou wants him to work on his strentgh, stamina, and tactical abilities he has to go BPL mid-table or Ligue 1 or Serie A.

Only in the last three seasons you had John Guidetti (23), Alfred Finnbogason (29), Luuk De Jong (25), Jozy Altidore (23), Wilfried Bony (31), Grazziano Pelle (27), Bas Dost (32), Sanharib Malki (25) which makes a total of eight different players having reached 23 goals in the league.

Guidetti is nowhere to be found, Finnbogason (53 goals his last two seasons) still hasn't put one in the net with the Real Sociedad and is now on the bench. De Jong failed so much in Gladbach that he came back to netherlands. Sunderland's competition is too much for Altidore, and Bas Dost have miserably failed in Wolfsburg and is now a bench warmer - behind Bendtner in the hierarchy, it says everything !! And Malki is a complete nobody whom I just learnt the existence by checking if I hadn't forgotten anybody, looking at his carreer it seems he has discovered how to score goals at the age of 29. Now struggling in some turkish club (6 goals in 34 matches).

So out of the 8 only Bony and Pelle made the cut in a stronger league after reveling in netherlands. But only Bony really, because Pelle is older and had tactical awareness thanks to his time in serie A... Not to mention it's way easier to confirm at Swansea and Southampton than Chelsea.

So unless Kramaric scores 50 goals next year with Vitesse, his statistics will really give no clue if he can make it or not at Chelsea. It will mean much more if he scores "only" 20 in a Ligue 1 club, for instance. And many Ligue 1 clubs better than Vitesse would be happy to have Kramaric for a year, trust me.

[DH1988 1,350]

What are the chances he goes to Ligue 1 over Vitesse?

[the wes 7,212]

Andrej Kramaric reveals Juventus dream

http://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/chelsea-transfer-news-setback-for-blues-as-andrej-kramaric-reveals-juventus-dream-9886868.html

[dUMB 189]

Just scored against St. Liege in Europa League.