Why Sheffield United should go all out for Yakou Meite
According to the Daily Mail, Sheffield United have been credited with an interest in Reading striker Yakou Meite, with Chris Wilder keen to bolster his team’s attacking firepower ahead of the upcoming Premier League campaign.
As per the report, the 24-year-old has attracted interest from a number of top-flight clubs this summer after banging in 17 goals for Reading across all competitions last season.
Reading are keen to keep hold of Meite but the Berkshire outfit could be forced to cash in on the Ivorian international due to their unstable financial situation amid the coronavirus pandemic. (h/t Daily Mail)
Profile
Yakou Meite rose through the youth ranks of Paris Saint-Germain but he largely featured for the reserve side of his boyhood club, making only a solitary first-team appearance.
The 24-year-old was snapped up by Championship outfit Reading back in the summer of 2016 but he returned to France on loan with Ligue 2 club Sochaux following a disappointing debut season in the English second-tier.
Despite managing only 5 goals in 35 appearances on loan at Sochaux, Meite was afforded another opportunity to prove himself at Reading and the Ivorian grabbed his chance with both hands. The versatile forward netted 13 times in all competitions during the 2018-19 season and bettered that tally with 17 in all competitions last term, including 13 goals in the Championship.
Why Sheffield United need Meite
Sheffield United enjoyed a fairytale start to life in the PL following their promotion to the top-flight last summer. In fact, the Blades were very much in contention for a European spot throughout large quarters of the 2019-20 season, but eventually fell short and settled for a 9th-place finish.
One of the main reasons behind their inability to break into the top-six last term was that Chris Wilder’s side just didn’t score enough goals. Sheffield United only netted 39 times in the league last term, which was amongst the worst scoring records in the division.
The Blades saw their goals evenly spread out throughout the squad, which is a big positive, but the unimpressive returns of the strikers remain a major cause of concern moving forward. Lys Mousset and Oliver McBurnie scored 6 goals apiece in the Premier League last season while David McGoldrick, Billy Sharp, and Calum Robinson shared only 6 goals among them.
To put things into context, Sheffield United clearly need more goals from their strikers and the arrival of Yakou Meite could solve a nagging issue in a key area of the pitch for the Blades.
The 24-year-old deserves a shot at the Premier League after scoring 30 goals for Reading over the past two seasons. Meite is predominantly left-footed, so he could offer something different and boost the squad dynamics as the likes of McBurnie, McGoldrick, Mousset, and Sharp are all right-footed.
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Furthermore, the Ivorian boasts the versatility to play as a centre-forward and also as a wide attacker on either side of the pitch. Hence, his arrival at Bramall Lane would offer Wilder with some valuable cover in multiple areas across the forward line.
Verdict
All in all, Sheffield United need to add more creativity and goal threat to their forward line. A potential deal for Yakou Meite could well be a step in the right direction for the Yorkshire club.
