I think with Lambert, Sturridge and a potential high-profile attacking signing with Suarez money, there is room in the squad for only one more striker. We have agreed the deal for Remy, but will we still push ahead with it if it becomes clear Borini isn't going anywhere? I don't know. But here are some thoughts on the 2 players and our situation.
First of all, based on their respective performances over the last couple of seasons, I think Remy is overall an upgrade on Borini and probably a better fit for the current squad. Remy is a consistent goal-scorer, but can be a bit lazy and average in his teamwork. Borini is a top-class player in terms of movement, work-rate and tactical awareness, but he is average physically and has not been scoring or creating much. Since our current crop of midfielders doesn't have a single goal-scorer like Lampard or younger Gerrard, we need our strikers to score and in theory we can live with a bit of laziness up front because we have plenty of grafters in midfield. Remy is a bit less well-rounded version of Sturridge, so in theory that makes it easier swap one for another, whereas Borini has a completely different style. Plus an instinctive goal-scorer like Remy would be good to bring on as a substitute in addition to Sturridge when we need to find a goal.
However, Borini still has room for improvement, he just turned 23 a couple of months ago and usually that's the age when a player makes a step up in his development. For instance Torres at 23 shot up to a completely different class than he was at 22. Borini's problem, like someone else has recently said, was that while he always found space and chances, he was always a half-step too late, too indecisive, not precise enough in finishing when the chance came. What is he finds that extra "half-step" from somewhere: simply from physical maturity or training or experience? Then he could be someone comparable to someone like Gilardino: physically unremarkable, but dangerous because of his movement and predatory instinct. If he indeed becomes someone like that, I'm sure we would much prefer to have the player than £12 or 14M we would get for him. If Borini could get to the point where he scores at a rate of roughly 1 goal in 2 games, in addition to his movement and graft, he would be overall a better player than Remy.
So my conclusion is, if you look at what happened in the past, Remy is definitely the better option. If you try to look into the future and try to be optimistic about Borini's development, it could be in the end a good thing if Borini insists on staying and proving his worth. Henderson was in a similar position last season and we are all happy we didn't sell him then for what now seems like a pittance.
First of all, based on their respective performances over the last couple of seasons, I think Remy is overall an upgrade on Borini and probably a better fit for the current squad. Remy is a consistent goal-scorer, but can be a bit lazy and average in his teamwork. Borini is a top-class player in terms of movement, work-rate and tactical awareness, but he is average physically and has not been scoring or creating much. Since our current crop of midfielders doesn't have a single goal-scorer like Lampard or younger Gerrard, we need our strikers to score and in theory we can live with a bit of laziness up front because we have plenty of grafters in midfield. Remy is a bit less well-rounded version of Sturridge, so in theory that makes it easier swap one for another, whereas Borini has a completely different style. Plus an instinctive goal-scorer like Remy would be good to bring on as a substitute in addition to Sturridge when we need to find a goal.
However, Borini still has room for improvement, he just turned 23 a couple of months ago and usually that's the age when a player makes a step up in his development. For instance Torres at 23 shot up to a completely different class than he was at 22. Borini's problem, like someone else has recently said, was that while he always found space and chances, he was always a half-step too late, too indecisive, not precise enough in finishing when the chance came. What is he finds that extra "half-step" from somewhere: simply from physical maturity or training or experience? Then he could be someone comparable to someone like Gilardino: physically unremarkable, but dangerous because of his movement and predatory instinct. If he indeed becomes someone like that, I'm sure we would much prefer to have the player than £12 or 14M we would get for him. If Borini could get to the point where he scores at a rate of roughly 1 goal in 2 games, in addition to his movement and graft, he would be overall a better player than Remy.
So my conclusion is, if you look at what happened in the past, Remy is definitely the better option. If you try to look into the future and try to be optimistic about Borini's development, it could be in the end a good thing if Borini insists on staying and proving his worth. Henderson was in a similar position last season and we are all happy we didn't sell him then for what now seems like a pittance.
