Sport
Edinson Cavani is the bridesmaid striker Premier League clubs should be queuing up for
It was 2011 when Edinson Cavani shot to fame on the world stage. The Uruguayan made his way onto the radar of the English media when playing for Napoli; he scored a brace against Manchester City in the group stage of their maiden Champions League campaign, before proving a rather sharp thorn in eventual winners Chelsea’s side during the knockout rounds.
The following summer, Cavani, known as El Matador (The Killer) for his ruthless streak in front of goal, was the talk of Europe. It seemed all but certain he would leave the Stadio San Paolo; the pattern is so common, an exciting team full of attacking talent enjoys some success on the European stage and suddenly everybody wants a slice. That season, it was Walter Mazzarri’s Napoli, the next year it was Borussia Dortmund, led to the final by Jürgen Klopp in 2013. Most recently, it has been Monaco and, for the sake of nostalgia, Ajax.
Much to everyone’s surprise, Cavani didn’t join Sergio Agüero and Carlos Tevez at City, nor did he replace the departing Didier Drogba at Stamford Bridge. It took a year, but he left Napoli and signed for Paris Saint-Germain, one of the most exciting projects in the game. Just like last summer, strikers dominated the European market and Cavani was centre stage.
His £54million switch was record breaking, but after easing to the Ligue 1 title the previous season, led by Zlatan Ibrahimovic, PSG were facing a threat from Monaco. Four years before building one of the best young teams around, they amassed one of the most expensive; James Rodriguez joined from FC Porto and Geoffrey Kondogbia from Sevilla, but the £50million capture of Radamel Falcao from Atletico Madrid particularly caught attention. Having scored 130 league goals across just three seasons combined at Napoli and Atletico, it was genuinely felt that, adding Ibrahimovic into the mix, Cavani and Falcao made Ligue 1 the place to watch the best strikers on the planet.
Cavani a sidekick in Paris
Yet, it has never really panned out for Cavani in Paris; his goalscoring record, 97 in 142 league games, is still phenomenal, but it hasn’t been met by the respect it deserves. Laurent Blanc, PSG boss at the time, pandered to Ibrahimovic who, like everywhere else he has been, declared himself king. The Swede is a freak of nature and the perfect man to lead the Parisian charge, but it left Cavani out in the cold, wide left in a 4-3- 3. In 2016, when Ibrahimovic abdicated his throne, El Matador must have jumped for joy but a year later and he was back where he started; Neymar signed from Barcelona in an earth-shattering £196million deal that meant when he said jump, his new teammates would have to ask how high.
There were a lot of murmurs Cavani didn’t see eye to eye with Ibrahimovic, but it never got out of hand. Although he is now the main striker in a front three with Neymar and another summer arrival Kylian Mbappe, he still finds it hard to express himself. The public bust up with Neymar over who took a penalty in a game with Lyon, and the subsequent reports of a bribe to Cavani from the board to let Neymar have his way, showed the situation as it truly was. The 30-year- old is said to have stood by his principles and shunned the pay-off, but surely he can’t stay at the Parc des Princes if he wishes to be the main man, especially with Neymar and Mbappe in town.
English clubs should take note
Once again, almost every Premier League club was on the hunt for a striker in the summer but, curiously, Cavani’s name was never mentioned, let alone with any prominence. Arsenal paid out for Alexandre Lacazette, Manchester United and Chelsea tossed a coin for Romelu Lukaku and Alvaro Morata; Manchester City already had Gabriel Jesus and Sergio Agüero, while Harry Kane was primed for a third Golden Boot at Tottenham. Other than their age, there isn’t much any of those players have going for them over Cavani, a proven world-class goalscorer who has never been truly appreciated at the top level. His future at PSG came into question when they outlined their transfer plans and it has only looked more ominous since.
Even if they haven’t given him the role he deserves, a huge part of PSG’s development from exciting prospect to European superclub has been down to Cavani. He stepped in on the few occasions Ibrahimovic had an off day, he was there before Neymar and has continued to be relied upon. As their weekend clash with fierce rivals Marseille was drawing to a close, PSG were 2-1 down and Neymar had been sent off. There were no arguments over who would take a free kick in a great position; Cavani stepped up, saved the day and proved himself yet again.
Edinson Cavani may not be flash; he may not be the most marketable player on earth. But he is a natural, born goalscorer and someone who works hard for the team on any given day. Premier League clubs have all spent big on strikers, but they would be recommended to keep an eye on Cavani’s situation. After all, he is a king without a throne.
