Stoke City and Cardiff City join Leeds and Sunderland in striker transfer race
These four second tier sides are in for the in-form forward
Hull City, Cardiff City, Bristol City, and Stoke City are all interested in signing AFC Wimbledon striker Ali Al-Hamadi in the January transfer window. Al-Hamadi has shown his goalscoring ability and playmaking attributes, making him a well-rounded forward.Stoke City, in particular, could benefit from signing Al-Hamadi as they have struggled to create and convert goal-scoring opportunities this season.
Hull City, Cardiff City, Bristol City and Stoke City are all interested in signing AFC Wimbledon striker Ali Al-Hamadi.
Journalist Darren Witcoop revealed that the four second tier sides are looking at bringing in the Iranian international in the January transfer window, with Leeds and Sunderland also said to be keen on the forward.
Football League World exclusively revealed that League One side Peterborough United had a bid rejected for the 21-year-old in the summer. Witcoop added that Barnsley had also seen an attempt to sign Al-Hamadi turned down, with the Dons wanting over £1 million for the striker.
Who is Ali Al-Hamadi?
The Iranian international first broke onto the EFL scene in the 2022/23 campaign. He scored 10 goals in 19 league appearances, and he’s carried this good form through to this season.
Al-Hamadi has registered a combined nine goals and assists in the 2023/24 league campaign. The 21-year-old has also created four big chances, and he plays just under 2 key passes per game, according to Sofascore.
He didn’t start the season brilliantly; it took him almost a month to make his first goal contribution. But, since the start of September, he’s really hit his stride again.
What would Ali Al-Hamadi bring to a Championship side?
The Wimbledon striker initially caught the eye of many teams because of his goalscoring. Now, though, he’s added a lot of playmaking attributes to his overall game that make him a much more well-rounded forward.
Last season, he would generally lean towards playing from the right side of the pitch, whereas this season he’s been deployed more centrally. You’d expect this to get him in better scoring positions, but the fact that he’s creating for others in these areas makes him an even more promising prospect.
Stoke City need to sign Ali Al-Hamadi in January
After a very promising summer transfer window, in which they signed attacking options like Wesley, Ryan Mmaee, and Andre Vidigal, they’ve not been very productive in front of goal.
In the Championship, the Potters rank 17th for big chances created, with 22 created in 15 matches. These are situations where a player should reasonably be expected to score, according to Opta.
Of those 22 big chances, they have missed 15 of them, as per Sofascore. The squad is evidently lacking someone who can create and take opportunities. With the money they invested in the summer, this simply isn’t a good enough return on investment.
Al-Hamadi has shown that he can be a good finisher and creator for teammates. On his own, he could solve Stoke’s problems in front of goal.
The risks with buying him are that he’s only been successful in League Two, and that is a big step down from the Championship. The other concern would be the price tag. It’s rare that a League Two players gets sold for a seven-figure fee; only 10 such fees have been paid for a fourth tier player in the league’s history, according to Transfermarkt.com.
It’d be a big gamble, but if Stoke have serious playoff aspirations, they’re going to need to solve their problems up front, and Al-Hamadi may well be the answer.
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