James Beattie is back in the top division after sealing a reported £3.75 million move to Stoke from Sheffield United.
In many ways an ideal weapon to add to the Stoke City armoury – Beattie is a rangy battering ram of a striker who will add further aerial power and angular limbs to their attack. If defences dreaded going to the Britannia before, Beattie’s arrival has only made the medicine that little less palatable.
This transfer takes his career total fees over the £10 million mark but will Beattie command a fantasy fee as a result of this move?…
Let’s take a soak in the stats first. The imposing striker arrives from Sheffield United where he notched 34 goals in 62 appearances – including 12 goals from 23 games this season. Before dropping down to the Championship, Beattie earned himself a Premier League pedigree at both Southampton and Everton – including a return of 23 goals in 38 games for Southampton in the 2002-03 season. That led to a £6 million move but he never lived up to that fee at Everton. In the 2006-07 season he managed just a pair of goals in 33 appearances – albeit as a substitute in many of those games.
His face never fitted at Goodison. Billed as the perfect foil for Andy Johnson, Beattie struggled for confidence, despite a few glimpses of his form on the South Coast. While Everton’s style of play didn’t always suit his strengths, he should find the Stoke system slightly more accommodating. Pulis will have his players pump balls up to Beattie from all angles – including from the left via fellow new signing Etherington. That supply should be meat and drink to Beattie.
Fuller will be his likely partner and that’s a pairing that will doubtless cause hesitant defences a world of pain. In addition, Beattie may stake a claim for penalties and will also look for a key role in direct free-kicks around the box – many of which he’ll source himself with his awkward style.
Is he worth investment? Possibly. Stoke have a decent four-fixture window that looks kind enough to allow Beattie to settle (tot MCY sun POR) and get off the mark. Much will depend on his price of course but I would expect him to come in somewhere between the 5.5 – 6.0 mark in the Fantasy Premier League game.
Should he be the same price as Fuller (5.5) then, to my mind, he would be worthy of immediate consideration. If he arrives as a more expensive option however, I’m struggling to see the merits of taking Beattie over Fuller, who is already established in Stoke’s style of play and has 6 goals to his name.
Fuller returns from a suspension after the weekend trip to Chelsea and as long as he stops threatening team-mates and begins threatening defences, he looks a decent option over those four games. As for Beattie – it’s a “wait and see” policy for me. He is set for a debut at Stamford Bridge – one of his favourite grounds – he has already shocked the Blues once with a wonder goal in a 4-2 for Southampton. The omens are on Beattie’s side already then – I’m just not sure if that’s enough right now.