Follow us on Twitter @claretandview // Words by Harry Trend (@HazaTrand)

Alfredo Morelos is the name on everybody’s lips in Glasgow at the moment. The Rangers striker has firmly established himself in the first team, banging in 8 goals in 13 games for the Scottish side so far, this season.

Unsurprisingly this form in front of goal has caught the attention of many Championship managers, including Steve Bruce, who sent chief scout Tony Coton to watch Morelos in the Ger’s 3-0 win at home to St Johnstone last Friday.

Who is he?

Alfredo Morelos is a 21-year-old Colombian striker who made his move from HJK Helsinki to Rangers in for what looks like a steal now, just one million pounds. Morelos was born in Cerete, a municipality in the north of Colombia, and started off at Independiente Medellin before moving to HJK Helsinki initially on loan, then on a permanent a year later. The former Columbia U-20 international scored 27 goals in 42 games for the Finnish side.

What’s he like?

Much like Jonathan Kodjia, Morelos likes to be proactive rather than reactive, a lot of his goals in Finland were self-made. Since his move to Rangers, the Columbian striker has made the most of better quality teammates, scoring more from crosses and through balls. For a man under 6 foot, he is also a danger in the air purely because of how high he can jump then hang in the air.

Where would he fit in?

For Rangers, Morelos starts upfront in a two off Kenny Miller. If he did move to Villa, it’s unlikely he’d be up top on his own, but he could play in a front three. A lot of goals the Colombian scored for HJK came from cutting in from wide areas, and a front three of Morelos, Davies and Kodjia could work.

What have people said?

Jonne Lindblom, Morelos’ adviser, “In terms of his style of play he reminds me a bit of Luis Suarez. Obviously only one of them is a world class player but, in terms of how he controls the ball, how he shoots in really small spaces without needing a lot of time.”

Is it likely he’d come to Villa?

Bruce already has an excess of strikers, but you can never have too many good players. Nonetheless, Morelos would be used as an impact substitute initially, especially if Scott Hogan leaves in January which is looking increasingly likely. Price wise, we’re looking at about 8-12 million pounds, although some sources value him closer to 15 million.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.