One of the most prolific strikers in Europe has pledged his future to Real Madrid. The biggest European clubs were interested in his services but Real have won the race. He is coming to the club in one of the most difficult periods in Real’s recent history and the question is can he live up to the expectations.
Klaas Jan Huntelaar has been brought as a replacement for Ruud van Nilsterooy, as Ruud has been sidelined with injury. Interesting thing is that Huntelaar already replaced his compatriot in the Dutch national team and he is expected to do the same at club level. He should have no problems fitting into the squad as five Dutch players are already at Real and that will be a big advantage. Also, team’s style of play is no problem as Real now play with classic number 9 supported by two wide players. This is the same system he got used to in Ajax and I have no doubts that he will fit right in.
Huntelaar is the classic centre forward with an incredible sense for goal. He is great in the air and is also an excellent reader of the game. Therefore, if his teammates cross the ball into the box, the odds are that he will be there to score. He is not a selfish player and works a lot for the team, and that is why you could see him in his own box ready to clear the opposition corners. Above all, he is probably the most prolific scorer in Europe. His record of 100 goals in 120 games for Ajax speaks for itself. Huntelaar also scored 10 goals in 18 international caps for his country and he is expected to score a lot more.
I don’t think he will need a lot of time to adapt to Real and as soon as recovers from an ankle injury I expect to see him scoring. The Hunter rejected a hefty offer from Manchester City, hoping that bigger team from Manchester will come calling but it seems that Alex Ferguson has made one of the rare mistakes in his career. He let Huntelaar leave to Real Madrid for 20 million euros, but the fee could rise to 27 millons based on his appearances. That is a big sum to pay but I am sure that Huntelaar is worth every penny and that he will soon show it.
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It is hard to say for those Dutch strikers. Proving your quality in Dutch league is not that hard, you do not need to be world class striker to be the best goalscorer in the Eredivisie. Look at Kezman for example, he scored 2 or 3 per game while playing for PSV, but then did not prove himself at Chelsea or Atletico, and he even did not leave the mark at Fenerbahce and now at PSG. So, let’s wait and see what the kid will do in Real Madrid.