Kei Karama - Verdict, would you sign?

[Canary Willo 0]

As he returns to USA after 6th May, what is the general verdict?

 

For me, his attitude, spirit and willingness to work hard are his greatest strengths. Great leap and a good physical presence. However, Appears on his heels a lot of the time, not anticipating passes or runs to be made. Was certainly on his heels when the chance came against Swansea.

 

For that reason, for me, at 28, I cannot see him improving dramatically that he is going to be somebody pushing for a starting place for me, hence I would say, Premiership, no, Championship yes.

 

We could use the £2m to look for a 3rd/4th striker 5-8 years younger who has more potential to develop.

 

What''s the view guys? All welcome and fully respected.

[Koreacanary 0]

You have demonstrated the point in your post to some degree but I would again echo that his greatest strengths are his willingness, spirit and attitude. I think that these qualities should really be a given for any footballer in the top flight and probably is true of most of them.

I greatly admire Kei Kamara and I think he would be a fantastic championship player but I am not convinced that he has made enough of an impact or would make more of an impact in the future to justify the money we would have to spend for him.

We still have 6 games left to run, so he still has that window to change the minds of doubters but what with premiership squad restrictions, I don''t think we should bring in a player who is almost certainly going to be a 3rd or 4th choice.

[Indy_Bones 441]

I think if we want to improve as a team overall, then we need to be looking at stronger options than KK.Kamara gets it right with the ''mental'' aspects of the game - great attitude, great spirit etc, but when it comes down to overall playing ability, there''s little between him and the likes of Jackson (although I''d have KK over SJ given the choice), and certainly not enough quality to justify us spending a decent amount on for what amounts to a bench player/impact sub.Out of all areas on the pitch, I''d argue that the strikeforce has to be our primary focus over the summer (already started with the RVW transfer), and we simply HAVE to bring in a quality striker to play alongside RVW and or Holt.And for me - Kamara is not that player, which is a damn shame [:(]

[smooth 114]

I would not sign him, I feel if he had been match fit from the beginning it may have been better. But I agree with other posters and re-iterate my comments from earlier this year, we need better.

He certainly has great attributes, but they are not enough for a lean competitive premiership squad who are moving for prem stability, this next window is imperative. I expect good good players to be introduced into our first team. We have a few spots that need to be filled by starters and we genuine quality, unfortunately kk is not.

Again I think if holty left he could be a good replacement, but I would expect us to get a new starting striker this summer and kk would be a squad player.

[SwindonCanary 455]

It all depends on how much he will cost, but yes I would sign him, he''s just learning the English game and with good coaching he can improve massively. Remember how bad Drogba was when he first started in the Premiership.

[Bws Cat 0]

I''d sign him. He''s a good player and I think his mental attitude is one of the best, if not the best, in the team

He''s a quick player and I have noticed a few more chances for us since he came here. He''s scored practically two goals (I count Sunderland because Wes knocked the ball In when Kei already got it on target).

Sign him up I say.

[Canary Willo 0]

4 no''s, 2 yes''s so far...

[Morisons Prozac 0]

If its the choice of keeping Holt or keeping Kamara then it''s Kamara every time. Hope we will bring another striker in though

[ryanncfc 0]

Not for me unfortunately. 1 goal in 8 games for a striker just isn''t good enough, and I think the Prem is just a step too far for him. It reminds me of when Oli Johnson came in, full of energy and the right attitude, but quality wise just isn''t there. Next season is a massive one (assuming we stay up this year) as we can start to push for mid table-top half PL I believe, with the right signings in the summer, players like KK won''t be the answer. Possibly if we go down, but deffo not if we remain in the PL for me

[Indy 3,283]

Stay up and I would say no, but relegated I think he would be a handful in the championship.

 

If we beat Reading and it looks like we are safe, I think our budget will stretch further than Kamara.

 

We have Becchio & Holt, Jackson will go and RVW coming in. Do we need another stiker in the same class as Becchio, Holt? I believe we need another high quality stiker better than Kamara.

 

So on that I would not be dissapointed to see him stay but not made the impact we were all hoping for, so no not for me.

[kick it off 1,948]

I would sign him up. Gives us another option up top, and he''s not an out and out striker so those judging him solely on goals are a little unfair imo. 

Playing the lone striker in a 4-5-1 doesn''t suit his game, but I think if it were possible to pair him with a genuine strike threat up front (such as Van Lupine Tadger), or to play him in the Hooly position in a Michu kind of role, we would see better from him. £2mill is chump change at this level and is probably not far off what we''ll get for Vaughan, so whilst maybe not a starter, he''s certainly a good option to have from the bench, and we may find that as he adapts to the English game, and we have a bit more flexibility in our formation when Wolfy gets here, that he becomes a viable first choice option.

[kick it off 1,948]

Additional to the previous post:  I would rather sign Kei and ship out Luciano, if it were a choice between the two.

[pablofarmer 0]

For a player who had no pre season and only took a few weeks to make it to the starting line up I think there may be something we are not seeing just yet.

I would like him to stay as I think there is a real buzz around him, I think he is good for the team.

As for his actual ability I think really he needs to bulk up a bit, and develop his hold up play a bit more.

If the price is less than £2m, which i have seen somewhere than I would go for it.

[lake district canary 4,531]

Well I''d keep him if possible.   No one can say the team is creating enough chances at the moment for the strikers to flourish, his attitude is great and he has more strength and power than Jackson - who incidentally I still think can do a good job for the team when he comes on.   KK with a good pre-season getting up to speed could be a good asset next season.     Season two was always going to be where we see what a Hughton team can really do and I think we''ll want to keep him because of that.    Survive this season and move on from there with one or two extra players brought in to strengthen the midfield.   Holt. KK, RVW, Becchio, Jackson - a strike force to be reckoned with.

[crabbycanary 2]

1 in 8? Is that 8 starts? What''s Holt''s ratio this season?  That is not a dig at Holt btw, just trying to highlight the comparison of stats.

Wether you like it or not, we will need a 3rd and 4th choice striker. For the price, and for that role, he would be perfect. Our budget will be utilised for imporving other positions, but we will not be spending, say £5-10M on a player who will be 3rd/4th choice for the said position.

He has a bit to learn, but has a lot to offer. For the money, then it is a yes from me

[Indy_Bones 441]

[quote user="crabbycanary"]Whether you like it or not, we will need a 3rd and 4th choice striker.[/quote]We already have those in Jackson, Becchio, Vaughan and Chris Martin, none of whom are going to cost us a transfer fee.Do I think KK offers more than any of them? Maybe, but is it enough to justify the spending for a benchwarmer (even if it''s relatively little at this level)?It could be argued that his positive attitude and freshness is worth the transfer on it''s own, even if he''s used sparingly (much like Crichton apparently helped massively in the dressing room even if he rarely played) on the pitch.I still think we need to be looking to spend whatever funds we have on genuine quality, rather than 3rd/4th choice strikers and other ''benchwarmers''...

[Felixfan 53]

If he scores the winning goal tomorrow he can have freedom of the city.

[Jacko 0]

Seems a bit harsh to write Becchio off when he has hardly kicked a ball for us. But I guess Hughton and the coaching staff see the players everyday in training. At the moment Kamara is doing it for them and Becchio isn''t.

As for Kamara I guess whether we sign him will depend on what other options are out there during the summer and other factors like Holt''s future. The attitude and appetite for the game are excellent. The physical attributes are also there. He is very quick and excellent in the air.

I think sometimes you just have to question whether the sharpness and tactical awareness is at times. Like when he was caught on his heels against Swansea for the chance and sometimes against Arsenal he switched off when playing wide allowing them to get in behind out wide.

Personally I would explore other options if we stayed up before choosing to sign him. It wouldn''t be a priority.

[kick it off 1,948]

[quote user="Indy_Bones"][quote user="crabbycanary"]Whether you like it or not, we will need a 3rd and 4th choice striker.[/quote]We already have those in Jackson, Becchio, Vaughan and Chris Martin, none of whom are going to cost us a transfer fee.

[/quote]

Jackson, Martin out of contract in the summer and Vaughan is almost certain to be sold (for a fee).

[Bannana Boy 30]

Sign him up - If the price is right (say £2m - £3m) then I would think we''ve done a good bit of business.

As others have said he still has a lot to learn about the English game an he has improved as he has been getting up to speed, as it were.

If we''re serious about competing in one of the toughest leagues in the world, having cup runs and maybe, just maybe, pushing for European football we need a decent sized squad filled with players who can perform at a high level.

I think KK can easily take a spot in the 25 man squad - even with the likes of RVW coming in.

Plus his attitude is fantastic - and unfortunately you just don''t get that with a lot of players (look at Berbatov, for example - great player but terrible attitude) and I think that really adds something to a team.

[ZLF 271]

You keep your best players from season to season dont you?   Since Feb, he is our most threatening striker,  involved in play most,  best attitude and best passer.  And thats with the "he still has lots to learn about the english game" comments.

 

He is clearly a level above Jackson, Becchio, Martin & Vaughan so I dont agree with the keep them - we want 4 strikers who offer something at prem level and the opportunity to rotate.  Becchio may offer that,  the remaining three do not - so why on earth would we keep any of them ahead of signing Kei? 

 

On current form he would be the one to go to after Ricky.   At just c£2m (and relatively low wages) he would improve our sqaud,  and could be funded by the release / sale of the make weight strikers we have.  Letting him go means we would have a weaker strike force.

 

Options of Ricky, Holt and Kei feels a good first three,  esp as we need to spend so much more money at centre midfield, full back and centre back too.

[Nicko 0]

Nope. He''s just not good enough.

That said, I''ve got a lot of respect and gratitude for him for his goal vs Everton. He came in to do a job, and that goal could be one of the ones that helped keep us up!

[ron obvious 1,495]

It is a tricky one. Crabby spelled out the reasons why; he''s a different sort of front man to what we''ve got, &, while he wouldn''t start every game, he would cause some teams a lot of trouble.

I also believe he can improve - don''t forget he''s only had a few games at this level & is doubtless finding there''s a lot to learn. I''d be interested to see an interview with him now about the difference between the MLS & the prem, if it''s as he expected etc.

Realistically I think you''d be lucky to find a second string striker like him for the money - especially one prepared to sit on the bench & maintain his enthusiasm. So, despite his rawness & naivety, I''d sign him.

[ZLF 271]

[quote user="Nicko"]Nope. He''s just not good enough. [/quote]

 

Are you looking  to buy 3 more new strikers for next season then?   If he is not good enough then nor are the ones he is currently keeping out of the team.

[ZLF 271]

[quote user="ron obvious"] Realistically I think you''d be lucky to find a second string striker like him for the money[/quote]

 

So so this...[Y]

[Aggy 747]

I think I''d take him above Becchio. I didn''t think Becchio would offer much in this division so I wouldn''t be surprised to see him go if a decent offer comes in.

It really depends on where we''re going to strengthen throughout the rest of the team. With RVW coming in, I doubt we''re going to have huge huge sums available elsewhere. If Hughton feels the £2mil or so probably needed for Kamara would be better spent on a winger, central midfielder or centre half, or even as part of the kitty to bring in the sort of striker who drops off and brings others into play then Kamara may be surplus to requirements. However, I wouldn''t be disappointed to see him here if the rest of the squad restructuring allows it.

[Nicko 0]

[quote user="ZippersLeftFoot"]

[quote user="Nicko"]Nope. He''s just not good enough. [/quote]

 

Are you looking  to buy 3 more new strikers for next season then?   If he is not good enough then nor are the ones he is currently keeping out of the team.

[/quote]

There''s better out there that we should be looking at.

[East Coast Canary 0]

In the Premier? NO!

[Guest]

Premier League, no. Championship, maybe.As a loan player, Kamara has made a contribution. Scored once (two if you include the Sunderland goal) and offered something different with his height and pace. But his all round game looks rough around the edges for a player aged 28.  If he were 21 and showed signs of developing, it might be different.One other question I would add is how many of our attacking players have actually looked good under Hughton?

[Salopian 1]

No - he''s quick and enthusiastic, but a little lacking in technique - and too old to improve much