Player Focus: Why Salomon Kalou Has His Premier League Admirers

When Chelsea secured the services of Salomon Kalou in 2006, José Mourinho at the time was delighted. He’d brought in a player who was prepared to work hard and showed an eagerness to improve in a new league. Regardless of his ethic, ‘Salou’, as Mourinho nicknamed him, never fully endeared himself to the Blues faithful - despite his impressive performance in the Champions League final win over Bayern Munich - and after six years at Stamford Bridge, was released from his contract last summer.

There was interest across Europe, yet it was Ligue 1 side Lille who won the race to sign the Ivorian. Netting 14 league goals - more than he managed in any of his six year's with Chelsea - and attaining an average WhoScored.com rating of 7.15, Kalou has now been linked with a move back to the Premier League during the current transfer window, with West Bromwich Albion and West Ham United both supposedly battling it out for the 27-year-old.

Having already lost key trio Dimitri Payet, Aurélien Chedjou and Lucas Digne, not to mention head coach Rudi Garcia departing for AS Roma, it’s understandable why Les Dogues would be loathe to losing last season’s top scorer. The club won 60% of the games he started compared to just 7.7% without him; the 52.3% difference was the largest of every player to have both started and missed 10 league games last season.

His 14 Ligue 1 goals came as only Payet (3.6) fired away more shots per game than Kalou (2.5) for Lille, not to mention the former Chelsea attacker averaging 1.5 successful dribbles per game; the most of any player with the French club over the 2012/13 campaign.

With an overall dribble success rate of 50.6% in Ligue 1, interest from England’s top tier should not come as a shock. Of every West Brom and West Ham player to have attempted as many dribbles as Kalou (83) over the season, none matched his success, with West Ham’s Mohamed Diamé coming closest to Kalou, having completed 49.2% of his dribbles. It’s this direct threat that would likely appeal to both teams as they aim to build on the back of successful seasons.

Only Romelu Lukaku (17) bettered Kalou in terms of goals scored and with the Belgian expected to play a prominent role for Chelsea following his successful loan stint at the Hawthorns, the need to land a consistent goalscoring striker is of the upmost importance, especially when factoring in the loss of Marc-Antoine Fortuné, while Peter Odemwingie looks set to leave before the close of the transfer window. West Ham have also looked to address the same problem with the permanent signing of Andy Carroll, but the departure of Carlton Cole means another frontman would be a welcome addition for the Hammers.

It’s fairly evident that there is space for another attack minded player in either squad for the upcoming season. Furthermore, with a player as experienced in England’s top flight as Kalou, for the reported fee - supposedly between £2m and £3m - the pairing would land themselves a striker that is set to come into his prime over the coming months.

His goalscoring exploits when comparing Lille, West Brom and West Ham players saw no one net more clear-cut chances than Kalou (9), while in creating 6 himself, it brings his creative side to the surface. Though he only accrued 3 Ligue 1 assists over the season, that he directly contribution to 28.8% of their goals serves to highlight his importance to the club.

Moreover, his experience in Europe will provide a key asset to both Steve Clarke and Sam Allardyce as they both aim to make a long-term impact on the Premier League. Having scored 36 and assisted 22 goals in 156 Premier League appearances during his time with Chelsea, it’s understandable why the duo are on the hunt for Kalou and why Lille would intelligibly be eager to hold onto the Ivory Coast international.

His versatility and movement across the frontline - evidenced in his above heatmap - would also be vital to potential suitors and while 15 of his 30 starts in Ligue 1 and the Champions League were as the central striker, making appearances as both a right-sided and left-side forward would benefit West Brom and West Ham significantly, with both teams having used a 4-2-3-1 as their main formation last year.

However, while Carroll will be expected to provide the focal point of the West Ham attack, losing Lukaku means West Brom will need to bring in a striker to lead the frontline. With a conversion rate of 19.7%, that figure was better than every player to have played as a striker for all three teams last season, denoting his capability in front of goal.

Scoring every 157.4 minutes for Lille again saw only Lukaku net more often (117.8) of every regular starter for the three teams, further hinting towards his prolificacy for the French side last season and his potential when playing as the focal point in a team. With the goalscoring exploits evident, it’s fair to say that Kalou would make for a very good signing for either Premier League side, especially for the mooted fee.