Another day, another new name added to the transfer speculation pot which is bubbling away nicely. Given Cardiff City struggled to have a shot on target on Saturday against bottom side Huddersfield, a striker would appear to continue to be top of Neil Warnock’s wish list.
The latest name linked is Genk’s striker Mbwana Samatta, Tanzania’s captain and current top scorer in the Belgian top flight. Last season saw him score just 8 goals in 35 games but this season has seen him really hit top form with an impressive 24 goals in just 30 games.
In 2015 he finished top scorer in the African Champions League competition (CAF Champions League) and was named CAF African Player of the Year in January 2016, an award which saw him earn a long contract with Genk.
For those of us unfamiliar with Belgian football we spoke to our trusted Belgian friends about the striker and what he could bring to Cardiff City.
On his style of play…
Whilst Samatta isn’t the tallest of strikers at 5.11″ he is a very hard working attacker and this season has scored from all angles. He has scored a lot of goals in the last six months and has been excellent in Europe this season too.
On his eye for goal…
He is a better striker than Santini (Ivan Santini, striker currently playing at Anderlecht) and is certainly able to score with both feet and his head. He was not known for his heading prowess but this season that has improved drastically.
On his improved form this season…
He has really excelled under his new coach Philippe Clement who has got him playing as a central striker in a 4-3-3 formation, this seems to have brought the best out of him and he could fit into Cardiff’s system quite well.
On the rumoured €13 million fee…
He has only recently signed a new contract and Genk are extremely reluctant to sell given they are pushing hard to win the championship so it would take a very large bid indeed for them to even consider selling him to Cardiff City.