Kei Karama - Verdict, would you sign?

[Monty13 2,229]

With RVW joining, potentially one would suspect another quality striker on the shopping list, the high potential that Holt is here and pushes his way back up the pecking order, Kamara will probably be 3rd or potentially 4th choice striker.

If the people saying no can point out to me a striker for around the same price who is significantly better and prepared to be 3rd or 4th choice I would love to hear some names suggested?

[Indy_Bones 441]

[quote user="Monty13"]If the people saying no can point out to me a striker for around the same price who is significantly better and prepared to be 3rd or 4th choice I would love to hear some names suggested?[/quote]That''s where some of the confusion is coming from, most people who are saying no aren''t suggesting we can get better for the same money, they''re saying we should be spending slighlty more in order to get better quality on the bench.The suggested price for KK of around 2 million sounds like a pretty good price, and if we were playing in the CCC then it would be an obvious choice, but we''re not playing in the CCC, and we need to be looking for a slightly higher standard where possible.My own view is that we can probably get a striker from the continent for around 4 million who can actively challenge for a starting place (if not take it from Holt etc), rather than simply being a decent player who''s going to sit on the bench that we can call upon if needed.

[KeelansGlove 0]

Spending 10/20/30 Million is no guarantee of success we have all seen it before.

Personally I think KK is a no brainer. Will only get better with preseason and is more athletic than anyone else in our squad.

If the price is around what has been quoted then get it done.

[Morisons Prozac 0]

Am I the only one that thinks Kamara is better than Holt? Other than being a better athlete, he is technically better with great control. The only thing Holt has over him is that he has better reactions and more determination. Would keep Kamara as 2nd/3rd choice striker, depending on whether or not we sign another striker.

[Citizen Journalist Foghorn 0]

Indy_Bones wrote: My own view is that we can probably get a striker from the continent for around 4 million who can actively challenge for a starting place (if not take it from Holt etc), rather than simply being a decent player who''s going to sit on the bench that we can call upon if needed.

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£4 Million, for a proven striker... You are having a laugh aren''t you? KK has looked a threat when he plays, is versatile and can play on the wings as well as up front. He looks a real handful who would be in and around the first team week in week out. For the alleged figure of £2 million that is a complete bargain!

How people expect any striker to come into a side creating few chances, playing unambitious cautious football and bang in 4 goals in 7 games is beyond me.

[KeelansGlove 0]

Spot on Foghorn !

[star_manic 0]

as far as i have seen, KK is not a striker. he does not have a strikers instinct. he is more of the old fashioned inside forward. and in doing this job is worthy of a place in our 25 man squad for next season.

[Indy_Bones 441]

[quote user="Citizen Journalist Foghorn"]£4 Million, for a proven striker... You are having a laugh aren''t you?[/quote]Tell that to players like Berbatov who''ve signed for that sort of price or less, not to mention players who''ve gone on free transfers such as Demba Ba and Mladen Petric.And that''s just in the UK, take into account options across Europe and I think it''s perfectly reasonable to suggest that there are strikers out there who could do a damn good job for us given the opportunity.No-one was expecting KK to come in and be score endless goals when not fully fit, but he''s never been prolific in his whole career, even in a much weaker league, so if he struggles to hit double figures consistently in the MLS, why should we think he''ll do better than that here in a much tougher league???The fact is that he''s played fairly well so far, has been committed, worked hard and made some decent link up play, but he''s unlikely to do much more than that even given a longer run and a full pre-season, which is why his price is reasonable for what he offers, but there IS better out there (assuming we want to spend the money).

[kick it off 1,948]

[quote user="Indy_Bones"][quote user="Citizen Journalist Foghorn"]£4 Million, for a proven striker... You are having a laugh aren''t you?[/quote]Tell that to players like Berbatov who''ve signed for that sort of price or less, not to mention players who''ve gone on free transfers such as Demba Ba and Mladen Petric.[/quote]

I see your point Indy but other factors like wages come into play here. 

Ba was on a reported 50k per week at Newcastle. Berba is on a reported 110-120k per week at Fulham etc etc.

It''s fine to say we could get a decent striker for 4mill, but to then use Berbatov and Demba Ba as examples doesn''t really illustrate your point imo. 

I have to say £1.5-£2mill is nothing at this level, and I would rather bring in Kei on the cheap and leave more in the pot for midfield than sign another striker if we''re going to stick with 4-2-3-1 next season.

[Indy_Bones 441]

But leaving us with only one quality striker would almost force CH to have to play a lone front man...Holt may or may not get back to his old form (hope he does), Becchio doesn''t look like he''ll get near a starting place (sure it was just a deal to get rid of Moro tbh), Jackson isn''t good enough and will likely be moved on along with C.Martin and Vaughan, which leaves us with RVW as our most dangerous threat (and we still don''t know how he''ll adapt to this league).If he got injured and Holt wasn''t on form, then I wouldn''t want to rely on KK to provide us with goals as his game seems far more like a support striker than a goalscorer and if there''s no-one to support...You make a fair point about wages, but using Ba as the example, we could afford the wages with the 4-5 million we''d have saved on a transfer fee (but then this takes us into another debate about upsetting the rest of the squad with those wages...)At what point are we going to accept the fact that quality costs money? This season was all about staying up to get us close to debt free whilst giving us a slice of the new TV deal, but going forwards we can''t turn round and expect to compete on the cheap because it just will not work, and then we''ll be in the nightmare situation of potential relegation and/or trying to come back up.I''m not asking for the likes of RVP to be signed, I''m not even asking for players like Benteke or their ilk, I just want someone who knows where the goal is more than players like Jackson and KK do, who doesn''t cost the earth. Players like that ARE out there, and whilst we won''t get a 20 a season man for that money, we could get double figures and a genuine threat, rather than a willing runner with a very average to poor goal ratio...

[kick it off 1,948]

[quote user="Indy_Bones"]But leaving us with only one quality striker would almost force CH to have to play a lone front man...Holt may or may not get back to his old form (hope he does), Becchio doesn''t look like he''ll get near a starting place (sure it was just a deal to get rid of Moro tbh), Jackson isn''t good enough and will likely be moved on along with C.Martin and Vaughan, which leaves us with RVW as our most dangerous threat (and we still don''t know how he''ll adapt to this league).If he got injured and Holt wasn''t on form, then I wouldn''t want to rely on KK to provide us with goals as his game seems far more like a support striker than a goalscorer and if there''s no-one to support...You make a fair point about wages, but using Ba as the example, we could afford the wages with the 4-5 million we''d have saved on a transfer fee (but then this takes us into another debate about upsetting the rest of the squad with those wages...)At what point are we going to accept the fact that quality costs money? This season was all about staying up to get us close to debt free whilst giving us a slice of the new TV deal, but going forwards we can''t turn round and expect to compete on the cheap because it just will not work, and then we''ll be in the nightmare situation of potential relegation and/or trying to come back up.I''m not asking for the likes of RVP to be signed, I''m not even asking for players like Benteke or their ilk, I just want someone who knows where the goal is more than players like Jackson and KK do, who doesn''t cost the earth. Players like that ARE out there, and whilst we won''t get a 20 a season man for that money, we could get double figures and a genuine threat, rather than a willing runner with a very average to poor goal ratio...[/quote]

All fair points there my man. I''m glad you spotted the upsetting the squad implication in my wages post cuz i didnt really make that clear and it was kind of a big part of my point lol.

After taking your points into account about possibility of RVW injury etc - I actually agree with you that we need another decent striker, but I think with better service Kei is capable of doing 10 goals and 10 assists a season and I think for the fee involved, it''d be mad not to do it. I would rather sign Kei + another who is capable of 10 goals a season for a combined 6 mill, than I would go and spend 6mill on a striker who may or may not settle/injured etc etc.

I think that if we need to find 1.5mill from somewhere to make the difference in bringing in another striker, then we''re in a position to do so by selling Becchio or using him as a makeweight (he would be less inclined to be a benchwarmer than Kei imo). I would rather sacrifice Becchio than Kei to bring in another, but thats probably only down to having seen a lot more of Kei and his ability, and Becchio not setting the world alight when he has been given a chance.

Having said that, we need to drastically improve Midfield or we won''t be creating any chances anyway lol. 

Hughton has a tough summer on his hands imo, but I trust he''ll see us right.

[PurpleCanary 5,553]

[quote user="Indy_Bones"]But leaving us with only one quality striker would almost force CH to have to play a lone front man...Holt may or may not get back to his old form (hope he does), Becchio doesn''t look like he''ll get near a starting place (sure it was just a deal to get rid of Moro tbh), Jackson isn''t good enough and will likely be moved on along with C.Martin and Vaughan, which leaves us with RVW as our most dangerous threat (and we still don''t know how he''ll adapt to this league).If he got injured and Holt wasn''t on form, then I wouldn''t want to rely on KK to provide us with goals as his game seems far more like a support striker than a goalscorer and if there''s no-one to support...You make a fair point about wages, but using Ba as the example, we could afford the wages with the 4-5 million we''d have saved on a transfer fee (but then this takes us into another debate about upsetting the rest of the squad with those wages...)At what point are we going to accept the fact that quality costs money? This season was all about staying up to get us close to debt free whilst giving us a slice of the new TV deal, but going forwards we can''t turn round and expect to compete on the cheap because it just will not work, and then we''ll be in the nightmare situation of potential relegation and/or trying to come back up.I''m not asking for the likes of RVP to be signed, I''m not even asking for players like Benteke or their ilk, I just want someone who knows where the goal is more than players like Jackson and KK do, who doesn''t cost the earth. Players like that ARE out there, and whilst we won''t get a 20 a season man for that money, we could get double figures and a genuine threat, rather than a willing runner with a very average to poor goal ratio...[/quote]

 

[Y]

Yes. It all depends how much money (assuming we stay up) we have available, and what Hughton''s other priorities are. A talented all-purpose midfielder (on many posters'' lists of a must buy) might be picked up dirt cheap or might cost millions. Ditto another central defender.

But if we still have serious money to spend on a striker then we should. We are going to have gone through a whole season without any of our strikers performing to a Premier League level of quality. Simply adding RVW, who may or may be that good, and even if he is may take time to adjust, is asking for another relegation battle next season. I understand all the arguments put forward in Holt''s defence but the likeliest explanation for the lack of goals is that age has caught up wth him. If so, that process will not reverse itself next season.Kamara as a cheap addition to the squad? Fine. Kamara as the final strking acquisition and a potential starter? No.

[ZLF 271]

This season is a tough one to assess just how  good our strikers are at finishing.  Our glaring weakness in central midfield and, to a degree turners lack of pace, have meant we defend soooo deep,  leading to a lack of support for the lone striker and limited chance creation.

 

Kei has looked better than Holt,  who, if given chances, can score,  and RvW should be a significant step up from both of them.   Becchio seems to be a a holtalike but given his two starts its impossible to assess him.  Jackson I suspect is not quite up to it.

 

Both Holt and Kei have shown they can worry PL defences this season, and good ones too.    Scoring is as much about creation as finishing and Holt has shown he can, and I suspect Kei could match him, given the little extra we have seen from him so far. Its not like he has missed loads so far.

 

We will score more goals next season by spending the money on 2 quality midfielders and a centre back,  as that will enable us to use our good quality midfield attackers in and around the lone striker.    As such Kei as a VFM support for Kei makes sense.   If we have enough money to be a second RvW after the other additions then the question is whether we should sign Kei and sell holt...

[Yelloow Since 72 54]

There is another factor, though. If KK does not sign, City have to play the final two matches with Holt, Becchio, and Jackson as the only options up front. If PL status is still uncertain, is that worth the risk? I would say not, but then I think KK has already shown enough to be worth signing and I also think he will continue to improve.

[Bethnal Yellow and Green 1,557]

Have a feeling Kamara''s signing will be confirmed before Stoke, ever since he posted ''THANK YOU'' on Twitter for seemingly no reason I''ve had my suspicions.

[ZLF 271]

not today it seems

[BroadstairsR 2,137]

This thread is now into it''s twelth page, has 165 replies and over 7, 500 views.

 

I have read it all and even contributed a couple of times.

 

Only now have I noticed the OP''s mis-typing of KK''s name. Who the fcuk is Karama? [:D]

 

Does this confirm my plasticity or am I, like everybody else it seems, so used to the pitfalls of regularly visiting the only website in the entire Universe not to have an edit facility that such bloomers go unnoticed?

[CambridgeCanary 0]

Surely it is a long standing rule of this forum that names in titles are misspelt.

Hoolihan and Houghon follow the time honoured path of Shackle and Frances etc etc.

[Canary Willo 0]

Many apologies guys, normally spilling is one of my srenhgts.....

 

The fact it has taken a week to be noticed mitigates me somewhat I hope?

 

Maybe coincidence that, as I  live in Dubai, one of the small suburbs here is Karama, must have had fake bags et al on my mind last week, (My Dubai cousins will understand)

[hairy canary 0]

It''s a definite yes for me.

Feel confident he can and will score more goals for us if he is signed....Don''t know why I feel like that, but I do.....

But also his jumping ability is worth having for defending against corners etc.

Yes, I know he gave away a penalty...but that was a very very soft decision.

Hoping he gets at least one against Stoke, and then signs a deal with us during next week.

[Icecream Snow 761]

If his agent is over here, I suspect a deal is on the cards ;)For me I''m assuming Becchio will be a makeweight in a deal for Hooper, and we''ll end up with RVW, Hooper, Kamara and Holt.

[Redders Right Foot 22]

Becchio only just recently got a house and moved his family down.

[Lets be aving you! 0]

Well, that will have only cost him a couple of months'' wages, if Master Bates is to be believed.

[kick it off 1,948]

[quote user="Icecream Snow"]If his agent is over here, I suspect a deal is on the cards ;)[/quote]

Is his agent here? I''ve not heard that?

[Yelloow Since 72 54]

I heard that a top official from Sporting Kansas City was over last week. Given that the MLS season has started, that seems strange unless something is up.

I''m still a definite yes on KK signing.

[Zak Van Burger 0]

Definite yes from me too, was quite amused that shortly after being written off on here by a few as too old to  improve KK pulled out a blinder of a performance in the Reading game, the best match played by any of our strikers this season imo. Goal against the Stukies might swing a few more votes in his favour can see him doing well against a team like that tbh.

[smooth 114]

It was against reading a poor team, he didn''t make mincemeat out if the team at the bottom of the table.

He would be a squad player next season and I am happy with that.

Holt, Benno, pilky are all players that have not done enough this season. We need genuine quality to come in as if rvw got injured and we relied on the forwards we have now we would struggle.

Kk is not the answer but if holty left kk could occupy that place if holty stays then I want a better forward in than kk. It is quite a come down from rvw to what we have had this season.

[Icecream Snow 761]

[quote user="kick it off"][quote user="Icecream Snow"]If his agent is over here, I suspect a deal is on the cards ;)[/quote]

Is his agent here? I''ve not heard that?

[/quote]http://www.pinkun.com/norwich-city/kei_kamara_keeping_options_open_as_norwich_city_loan_nears_end_1_2169419"Kamara’s US-based representative flew in for last weekend’s Reading game to hold further talks with the club’s hierarchy,"

[Twitchy 0]

Not a hope I''m afraid, nice bloke and backround story but no not a hope.

[Canary Willo 0]

Stick with the original post, last week against Championship defence, ok. this week, clueless, on his heels again.

 

Both him and Holt were poor today, and I''m not talking about goal scoring chances and  lack of service but their hold up play, running off the ball, and decision making was awful. Full revamp needed up front IMO, both should move on and rebuild around RVW, if we stay up..