It was a little over a fortnight ago that Jez George revealed the Imps were not in the market for a striker.
Well, Christmas brought us plenty, but it hasn’t brought us a goal, and here we are, looking likely to add to the front line over the coming weeks. That came from Michael Skubala in his post-match press conference following our draw with Stevenage.
A clean sheet was a big bonus on Saturday, but a glaring miss at the end of the game from Jovon Makama highlighted where we’ve been weak. Our strikers have chipped in with goals – between the four fit ones left on our books we have 14 goals, but an average of 3.5 each over one half of the season isn’t enough.
It’s not all about strikers, we need to create chances, but we did create the glorious chance on Saturday and when that happens, good teams need to put the ball in the net. Makama and Draper are big prospects for the future, but we need something a bit different, and Michael acknowledged that in his post-match interview.
“Yeah, I think we need to help the front line, you know, like I said, they’re young lads.
“So, you know, there’s no doubt in my mind we need to help at the top of the pitch. But again, it’s in January. It’s what’s available. It’s not like we can just go out and do anything we want to do. It doesn’t work like that in football. So, you know, if we can add to the squad and add to that area in that unit, yes, definitely want to do it.
“But they’ve got to be good and they’ve got to be in our range, and they’ve got to be everything we need at the moment.”
Don’t think we’re going to try for Joe Taylor, by the way, that ship has sailed, but it does sound like we’re eager to bring someone in, and, given Michael’s later quotes, we might be looking at a permanent deal. That might be wise – considering we’ve borrowed the likes of Luke Plange and Dan N’Lundulu in previous seasons, we may well be cautious. Getting a Joe Taylor, Davide Somma or even a John Marquis (who made a minor difference at first) isn’t easy.
“January is always a tricky window because, again, it’s the availability and what we need in different areas of the pitch without also doing any long-term damage and locking players down that we don’t want for the future. I think there are definitely loads of loans available, but they’re probably not what we need at the minute.
“But then again, it depends on the level.”
What we can do remains to be seen, but as a pundit and a supporter, I have a clear idea of the profile player I’d like to see us bring in. We do play a bit direct, and we have Cadamarteri who can run in behind, we have good midfield players like Moylan who can pick up the ball when it drops in front of the 18-yard area. What I think we need is a brute, a player who will bully centre-halves. Stevenage had that this weekend, a player who, rather than challenging for a header, bumps his opponent first. We need someone good in the air, and if they can run a bit that will help.
Will we get it? Only time will tell, but once again, it seems we’re going into a transfer window looking for a striker. Deja vu.
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