I have to admit I didn't know that much about Yann Kermorgant, although he is not a young striker (32) and has been playing in England for some years, having first played over hear for Leicester City. When a forward scores a special goal against your team in the opening game of the season you don't always want to know much more. But Eddie Howe certainly knew that Kermorgant was a striker worth watching and to sign him from Charlton Athletic would be making a statement that an experienced forward is not adverse to leaving a London club for the south coast.
Yann has scored eight goals this season, five of which were in the league. In his career at Charlton it's 29 in 88 games. I don't see him as having as much pace as some of our other forwards but in the box he has the technique and sharpness to put away chances, which is something our strikers have not found easy at this level. Charlton fans also talk about his strong heading ability, his flicks and ability to find players in good shooting positions. Yann could find the service that our overlapping full backs can provide is also like eating off a plate a dinner time! We can only hope that if he does sign that he fits in quickly and starts to add to this seasons tally of goals.
I could also see him being used to play alongside Tokelo Rantie, as Yann can hold the ball up well with his strength and Rantie could make runs in behind more effectively off him than some of AFCB's other strikers. The plan I am sure involves getting more out of Rantie, but I wonder how many years Yann has left in him?
At least Yann has a good knowledge of the Championship and has experience of playing against these teams. Such a player could help the Cherries establish themselves in this division. The signing certainly would take something away from Charlton, their leading goalscorer for starters.
Even if it doesn't happen, AFCB are showing that they have the ability to look at other Championship players and can keep hold of players of the quality of Lewis Grabban. All the time AFCB are looking to close the gap on the so-called bigger Championship sides.
This is a fan’s personal view of AFC Bournemouth from the outside looking in. It reports on the daily official activities reported by the club and comments made by individual fans on social media and fanbase websites. Life as an AFCB fan is never dull. As a life-long supporter of the Cherries, it is the friendliness of the staff, fans and my enthusiasm for the club that inspired me to write this blog.
As a Charlton fan I say don't sign him. He's rubbish. I think Bournemouth should leave him alone and left to stay at Charlton to ensure they stay rooted near the bottom of the table. Try signing Sordell instead. He has been magnificent since joining on loan from Bolton & will surely grab the goals you need.
ReplyDelete