Sideways Sammy's Look At Conor Chaplin

Last updated : 31 August 2018 By SS

The transfer saga that has dragged on and on has finally reached its conclusion, Conor Chaplin is a Coventry City player. Identified as the replacement for Marc McNulty as soon as rumours surfaced that our top-scorer last season was set to sign for Reading, it cannot be said that Mark Robins hasn’t been patient in waiting for his preferred target.

That being said, the situation at the club in terms of strikers has altered quite significantly since Marc McNulty’s departure. Chaplin doesn’t arrive as a direct replacement for McNulty as Jordy Hiwula and Amadou Bakayoko have been added to the mix over the summer, in addition to Jonson Clarke-Harris, Maxime Biamou and Jordan Ponticelli who were already at the club, as well as a change in system to one that only accommodates one out-and-out striker.

The narrative that we’ve been sold by Portsmouth fans is that Chaplin is a striker of decent potential who needs a run of games to build confidence and momentum in his career. As a quick, nippy, not particularly physically strong forward, it’s hard to see him being effective in a lone striker role. With Jordy Hiwula a roughly similar style of striker to Chaplin, there’s a further worry that even if Mark Robins adopts a system more suited to a Chaplin style striker, he might not be afforded the same patience that ultimately aided Marc McNulty’s goalscoring form last season.

The presumption is that now Robins has got his man, Chaplin will be given every chance to demonstrate that belief in him. If that is the case, it does place a huge question mark on the logic of signing Amadou Bakayoko and Jordy Hiwula over the summer. While it’s good to see the club landing their preferred target to replace Marc McNulty, the squad is absurdly overloaded with strikers and at least one or two of those that we’ve signed this summer are likely to be frozen out of the first-team picture without really being given a fair shot to show what they can do.

* As of 30/08/2018

https://sidewayssammy.com/the-squad/conor-chaplin/