Harry Watkinson
Sasa Kalajdzic: United’s next big striker or a costly risk?
Manchester United are reportedly battling Bayern Munich for the signature of 25-year-old Stuttgart striker Sasa Kalajdzic, but why is he so in demand this summer?
The 6ft 7 giant has scored goals consistently for Stuttgart for the past two seasons, but there is concern over whether he could make the step up to the Premier League.
This article breaks down the Austrian's stats and assesses whether he would fit into Erik Ten Hag’s system.
The next Peter Crouch?
Just like the great Peter Crouch, Kalajdzic epitomizes the phrase ‘a big lad with great feet.’
Obviously, as a 6ft 7 player, he is an aerial asset for any team. Looking at his performances last season, the Austrian centre-forward won an average of 4.1 aerial duels per game… one of the highest for his position in the Bundesliga.
But his game goes far beyond just his heading. Throughout Kalajdzic’s career, he has scored 17 headed goals but also netted 11 with his stronger right foot and seven with his left, showing he is versatile in terms of the way he scores.
In 2020-21, Kalajdzic scored 16 goals in 33 league appearances and last season he scored 6 in 15, so he is a consistent goal scorer, averaging 0.46 goals per game in that time. It’s fair to say he burst onto the scene in Germany in a big way.
Beyond his goals, he is also an effective creator. Last season, he made an average of 1.5 key passes per game, despite only making one assist. However, in his first two games this season he has already made three, which is more reflective of his numbers.
Although, Kalajdzic's passing, on the whole, isn’t brilliant; with a pass success rate of only 69.4% last season. Also, he gave the ball away with poor control an average of 3.2 times per game, so these are areas he will need to improve if he does make the switch to the Premier League.
Despite this, a creative goal scorer is definitely one thing that Erik Ten Hag would love to bring to Manchester United this summer… with a reported price tag of around £25 million, he could be worth a punt.
Does he fit Erik Ten Hag’s style?
Ten Hag had a record of turning players who had struggled elsewhere into prolific assets at Ajax.
The obvious comparison is Sebestian Haller; another tall striker standing tall at 6ft 3, Ten Hag transformed him from a player scoring seven goals a season for Aston Villa, to one of the most sought-after strikers in Europe, following the 2021-22 campaign when he scored 32 goals in 39 appearances for the Dutch champions.
Ten Hag adapted his style at Ajax to suit Haller, by focusing more on getting the ball out wide and crossing balls into the box for Haller to convert. He also used him effectively as a target man, as Ajax would often send long balls up to him so Haller could use his hold-up play skills to build an attack for his team.
Kalajdzic has the potential to do a similar role for Manchester United, with wingers like Jaden Sancho, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Elanga at the club, if they can become effective crossers then Kalajdzic could add plenty of goals for the Red Devils.
Injury woes
However, any club looking to bring in Kalajdzic are taking a risk because of his injury record.
Last season, he missed 18 matches due to a major shoulder injury and a calf strain. More significantly, in 2019-20 he missed nearly the whole season due to a cruciate ligament rupture… which is an injury that has come back to haunt other players (just think of Maco Reus’ promising career grinding to a halt at his peak).
Overall, Kalajdzic has missed 77 matches due to injury since 2017… so he certainly fits into the injury-prone category. If United bring him in this summer, just imagine the frustration from the fans if he picks up another serious injury and is out for half the season yet again.
He undoubtedly has the ability to score goals and also has the potential to improve, but if he ends up sitting on the sidelines… that will be irrelevant. It’s a balancing act of risk with Kalajdzic, so the Manchester United board have another big, potentially costly transfer decision to make over the 25-year-old Austrian.
It will be interesting to see whether Kalajdzic does make the switch to United this summer, especially as you get the feeling that one more bad transfer decision could be the tipping point for the Old Trafford faithful.
