August
10

With a reputation of buying players past their prime, it was no surprise to me when I heard that Blackburn Rovers boss Sam Allardyce was making enquires for Real Madrid forward Ruud Van Nistelrooy. In the end, the Dutchman’s wage demands were too high for Rovers, but instead of pursuing other players the wrong side of 30, Big Sam adopted somewhat of a youth policy.

The departure of strikers Roque Santa Cruz and Matt Derbyshire forced the issue in that particular area, and what followed was the signing of 20-year-old Chelsea striker Franco Di Santo on a five-month loan deal and now, the signing of 21-year-old Nikola Kalinic for a fee of £6 million, after finally being granted a work permit earlier today.

Boasting an impressive goal-scoring record (just check his wiki page out), the 6’2” Croatian international has been dubbed by some as ‘The next Davor Suker’ (no pressure there then). National manager Slaven Bilic has also sung his praises, describing the young striker as the ‘future of Croatian football’. So should we fantasy football managers be considering this highly touted youngster?…

Well, priced at 6.5 in the Fantasy Premier League game, that already represents quite a risk. Especially when you consider that you can get the likes of Beattie, Fuller or team-mate Roberts and have change left over. With no Premier League experience as well as no preseason minutes for Rovers, Kalinic is probably not going to be on the pitch come 3 o’clock Saturday.

His talent does excite me however, and the more reports I read about him, the more I think there is a star in the making (as well as another prima donna). His nose for goal, speed, power and heading ability appear to be his stand out attributes (what more do you want?).

Furthermore, looking at Blackburn’s squad, he’s bound to get chances sooner rather than later (no offence). Should he take those chances, then he could well be worth a look given Blackburn’s run of favourable home fixtures. So once again I’m afraid, I’ve got to put another ‘wait and see’stamp across this transfer article.

About The Author

“Richard or Akers, as he is known, has been regularly haunting this site since July 2008. He is young and foolish, take what he says with a pinch of salt.”

Akers @FFScout_Akers

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Scout Picks

For Gameweek Twenty Four

  • Krul
  • Vermaelen
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  • Huth
  • Silva
  • Morrison
  • Bale
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  • Agüero
  • Taiwo
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Goalkeepers

Player Club Factors
No Change Krul NEW A, Vs
No Change Hart MCI B, Vs
No Change Kenny QPR C, Vs, Rest, £
Up Al-Habsi WIG B, Vs, £
Up Schwarzer FUL C, Vs, Inj
No Change Mignolet SUN B, £
Up Vorm SWA B, £
No Change Foster WBA B
Up Robinson BLA C, Vs
Down Hennessey WOL B, Vs
No Change Sørensen STO B, Vs, Rest, £
No Change Bogdan BOL C, Rest, £

Defenders

Player Club Factors
No Change Richards MCI B, Vs, Inj
No Change Simpson NEW B, Vs, £
Up Senderos FUL B, Vs, Rest, £
Down Huth STO B, Vs, Sus
Up Evans MUN B, VsX, £
Up Taiwo QPR C, Vs, £
Up Cole CHE C, Vs
Up Rangel SWA B, VsX, £
No Change Bardsley SUN B, £
Up Vermaelen ARS C
Down Assou-Ekotto TOT A, VsX
No Change Clark AVL B, Vs, OoP, £
Down Riise FUL C, Vs, Rest
No Change McAuley WBA C, £
Down Johnson WOL C, £

Midfielders

Player Club Factors
No Change Bale TOT A, VsX
No Change Dempsey FUL A, Vs, OoP
No Change Silva MCI B, Vs
No Change Sessegnon SUN A, £
Up McClean SUN A, £
No Change Valencia MUN A, VsX
Up Sigurdsson SWA B, VsX, £
Down Mata CHE B
Up Taarabt QPR C, Vs
Up Ben Arfa NEW C, Vs, Rest, OoP
Up Sinclair SWA B, VsX, £
Up Moses WIG C, Vs, OoP, £
Down Walters STO C, Vs, OoP, £
Up Barton QPR C, Vs
No Change Ireland AVL C, Vs, Rest, £

Forwards

Player Club Factors
No Change van Persie ARS A
No Change Agüero MCI B, Vs
Up Ba NEW B, Vs
No Change Zamora QPR B, Vs
Up Dzeko MCI B, Vs, Rest
Up Bent AVL A, Vs
Up Yakubu BLA C, Vs
Up Cisse NEW B, Vs
No Change Rooney MUN B, VsX, Inj
No Change Sturridge CHE C
Down Fletcher WOL B, £
Up Graham SWA B, VsX, £

Selection Factors

A, B, C Current Form
Vs Favourable Fixtures
VsX Unfavourable Fixtures
Rest Rotation Risk
Inj Injured/Returning from Injury
OoP Out of Position
£ Potential Bargain
Sus Suspended/Near Suspension

Suspension Tightrope

Player Team YC
Lowe BLA 9
Terry CHE 8
Barton QPR 8
Cattermole SUN 8
Song ARS 7
N'Zonzi BLA 7
Meireles CHE 7
Fellaini EVE 7
Huth STO 7
Shawcross STO 7
Caldwell WIG 7
Henry WOL 7

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