Yussuf Poulsen is currently one of the promising young strikers who is making a lot of noise in the Bundesliga. The 24-year-old Danish centre-forward has been in fine form for RB Leipzig this season, accumulating 8 goals and 2 assists from 15 appearances.
A youth product of Danish club Lyngby, Poulsen made his move to German third division club RB Leipzig back in 2013. The 24-year-old has been a key figure for Leipzig over the last five seasons, playing a pivotal role in their rise from a third division side to a top-table outfit in the Bundesliga and have put his team on the map at the European front as well.
With all due regards to the promise and potential that he has displayed over the course of the last five seasons, Poulsen hasn’t yet crossed the 10-goal mark in any of his seasons in the top flight. However, he already has 8 goals to his name this term, which is better than the numbers he has managed in any of his previous seasons.
Timo Werner has stolen the limelight with his goals but Poulsen continues to be an indispensable component of Leipzig’s attack. In fact, he has brought the best out of the German youngster in recent years.
Standings at 6ft. 4 inches with a burly frame, Poulsen is known for his work ethic and aerial prowess. He is not a stationary centre-forward by any means. On the contrary, he tends to drop deeper to receive the ball in the midfield and drives forward with his pace to initiate the attacks.
Poulsen is excellent at hold-up play and knows exactly how to bring the others into the game. He has the ability to link-up with his teammates in the final third with quick, short passes and subtle flick-ons, often creating space for the others to pull the strings. In other words, he is a target-man with dynamic abilities.
Poulsen is exceptionally fast, agile and fleet-footed for a player of his stature and has the ability to make incisive runs in behind the backline. However, his most impressive attribute is his ability to take off the ground quickly to win the aerial balls, making him a genuine threat from set-pieces and corners.
To put things into perspective, Bournemouth should start keeping tabs on him ahead of the January transfer window as he ticks all the boxes to provide cover and competition for the likes of Callum Wilson and Joshua King.
Bournemouth have lost momentum after a bright start to the season and Eddie Howe should try to bring in some fresh faces in January to boost their chances of a top-ten finish. The Cherries have relied heavily upon Wilson and King and an injury to either of the two players is bound to leave the manager short of options in the final third.
Lys Mousset is a promising youngster but he hasn’t shown the ability to perform at the highest level just yet while Jermain Defoe is virtually a spent force in the Premier League.
A striker like Yussuf Poulsen can bring a lot to a team like Bournemouth and the Cherries should start pursuing an interest in the industrious Dane.