The name Serhou Guirassy has been on the lips of many pundits and fans this season. As the Guinean has been banging in the goals, Manchester United’s strikers have been struggling to find the back of the net. In fact, Marcus Rashford’s strike against Arsenal is the only Premier League goal scored by an attacker this season for the Red Devils.
The Guinea forward was once again in the news this week as he scored the winning penalty in Stuttgart’s 2-1 win over Borussia Dortmund. At the time of writing, the forward has scored an incredible 16 goals in 10 games this season for the German club. Only the prolific Harry Kane has scored more Bundesliga goals so far this campaign. Hence, the persistent tongue wagging about him.
Incredibly, he has also scored in every match he has played in this campaign, with the exception of a 2-0 loss to Cologne in September. The African striker has also impressively scored three braces and two hat-tricks this season. His magnificent goal tally has seen Stuttgart jump up to third in the table with only Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen currently outperforming them in the Bundesliga.
However, would the Stuttgart striker have what it takes to make it at a club like United?
Guirassy’s career has really taken off recently but it would be fair to say this is not a precise representation of his career to date. The forward is 27 years old and this is the first time he has ever hit goalscoring numbers like this.
According to transfermarkt.com , the Guinean has scored an impressive 30 goals in 52 games in the German league. However, Guirassy has spent most of his career in the generally accepted weaker Ligue 1 in France. Here his statistics are not so eye-catching.
The forward only scored 31 goals in 109 games for clubs such as Rennes and Amiens. The Guinea international only provided 3 assists in his time in the French first division, so he can hardly be classed as a striker that consistently brings others into play.
The man from Arles has only actually played for Guinea 10 times despite being 27 years old. He has found the net three times, most famously against Brazil in a friendly in June of this summer in Barcelona. Although, with respect, Guinea is hardly a powerhouse regionally, never mind internationally. They currently sit 80th in the FIFA World Rankings. It begs the question, why he has not represented his nation more despite his world-class form at the moment.
It is possible that Serhou is a late bloomer, and we are only now seeing his true potential. Jamie Vardy and Callum Wilson are both examples of strikers who improved as they passed their mid-twenties. On the other hand, we have also seen countless examples of strikers who have had purple patches but have never been able to repeat the trick consistently.
Talksport have recently linked the Guinean to the Premier League with a £15m move to Fulham. Just this week, Newcastle United have been credited with an interest in bringing Guirassy in to help their injury ravaged front line.
Interestingly, Serhou himself has recently spoken about his rejection of Nottingham Forest in the summer and his preference to stay in Germany. Nonetheless, the striker has kept his options open for a January move by stating that “I cannot hide these things – everyone knows the Premier League is one of the most competitive leagues in the world.”
All in all, a move for Guirassy would not really make a lot of sense for a club like Manchester United due to his goalscoring record and age profile. The club has taken a gamble on Rasmus Hojlund and he needs minutes to build form and experience. Guirassy is young enough that he needs consistent gametime but also old enough that there is unlikely to be much more potential growth.
Ironically, after years of mistakenly bringing in sticking plaster solutions like Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Edinson Cavani, it could be exactly what the club now needs to provide valuable competition and mentorship for their young Danish star but also allow him the game time to reach his full potential.
A move to the Fulhams or Nottingham Forests of this world is likely the best next step for the intriguing Guinean forward.