The EFL season is well underway, but many clubs are still in need of firepower.
One of the areas that everyone needs quality is up top. Strikers are a valued commodity, and clubs have to pay a premium for those with prolific records.
Or do they?
Right now, there are still a number of strikers who can join clubs for free. Those in League One are best-placed to snap up free agents – players formerly of the Championship might drop down for the right deal, and the other two leagues offer some rich pickings as well.
If you support a League One club where cash might be an issue, here are five free-agent strikers your club could sign tomorrow.
Disclaimer – by the time you read this, these strikers might already have a club; the transfer market is that fluid!
Macauley Bonne
Bonne is still only 28, and a couple of years ago, he was hot property. His performances for Leyton Orient, scoring 49 goals in just 103 appearances, saw Championship side Charlton make a move for him. He impressed at the Valley, with QPR paying an undeclared fee just 18 months later.
He seemed to have the world at his feet, but goals have been hard to come by since. He did net 12 in 46 for Ipswich, but stints with Charlton, Gillingham and Cambridge have not proven fruitful, and he left the Gills in the summer.
Mo Eisa
If Bonne was considered a big name a couple of years ago, then Eisa was perhaps even bigger. Cheltenham took him from Greenwich to the west country, and he thrived there, catching the eye of big clubs. After a short, unsuccessful spell at Bristol City, Peterborough paid a club record fee for his services. He never quite caught fire there, scoring 21 times in 71 outings. He’s most recently been with MK Dons, averaging a goal every three matches.
Eisa is 30 now and a Sudanese international, which could cause complications for a lower-league side unless they have enough players to get a game called off! With 152 goals in 352 senior appearances, he would be a solid signing for a League One side.
Fejiri Okenabirhie
Okenabirhie is still only 28, and has the pace to unlock defences and run in behind. His goals return is modest at best – he scored 16 in 52 for Doncaster and 11 in 47 for Cambridge, which is by no means prolific.
There is a risk here; he’s suffered from injury issues in the past, but for a team looking to flesh out their attack and add numbers to their forward line, Okenabirhie could be a solid pick-up.
Danny Hylton
Hylton is by no means a young man anymore, not in football terms. He’s 35 and has just had a 32-game spell with Northampton Town that didn’t bring any goals. That’s a huge surprise, given that he has been prolific in the past, not least with Luton for whom he netted 62 times in 170 outings.
Hylton is a handful for defences, upsetting players and making a nuisance of himself. He’s recently trialled at Charlton but hasn’t picked up a deal, making him available for the right team.
Scott Hogan
Hogan came up through the non-league system and made his name with Rochdale, before being snapped up by Brentford. They’re great at spotting lower-league talent, and quickly he went from nowhere to being worth £12 million – that’s the fee Villa gave the Bees in January 2017.
His return was ten goals in 61 outings before a move to Birmingham, where he has spent the last four seasons. He’s hit a modest 36 goals in 158 appearances, but would still be a solid signing for a League One club looking for a robust, experienced striker.
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