Che Adams Is Making A Difference

For the past couple of seasons, Birmingham City had been crying out for a striker to partner Donaldson or even to step in when he was injured or if a suspension occurred. But with the financial situation dragging on, it appeared that we were going to settle for the odd loan spell or a very low priced, bargain. The reported fee is suggested to have been at £2 million and this was not a loan but it certainly was a bargain.

The 20 year old striker, Che Adams, was snatched from Sheffield United after making 47 appearances for the Blades scoring 11 goals. Now these stats for youngsters should be taken with a pinch of salt in terms of goals scored because they’re often brought on as a sub or they’re brought on when the team is comfortable to give them a bit of game time so the intensity is just not the same. But 47 appearances is a lot for a man of his age and it was great that he was able to accumulate this experience in a good league.

On a purely individual level, to me he looks like the player that we have been longing for. He has the strength to worry defenders by knocking them off the ball. Wilson for Bournemouth has a knack of doing this in the Premier League and it always means that the defenders back off leaving the opposition with a bit of space in order to pick out a pass. It is a physical advantage but this then becomes a psychological problem for the defender. Che has this upper and lower body strength in abundance but despite this, it doesn’t seem to slow him down.

For a well built footballer, he certainly can cover the ground very quickly. A few times this season he has got to the ball first despite not looking like the favourite to win the sprint from the start. He has the determination to try and get to through balls and this kind of tenacity will certainly pay off.

A further part to his game that I really like is his willingness to defend. It is vital to defend from the front because defenders usually resort to the long ball tactic and if we can force them to try and play a rushed ball, it will either go out of play or to one of our defenders. If they opt to play a shorter ball, we have a chance of winning it or forcing the ball back to the goalkeeper because all of the potential passing channels are blocked. He is a clever striker in this regard and something which may go unnoticed sometimes but it is crucial.