He was our talisman nearing the end of last season and it was his goals in the Npower Championship & Final at Wembley that ensured a swift return for us hammers to the Barclays Premier League.
But with a few dodgy games this season and injury that left him out of our team for two months he has moved down the pecking order in his preferred position up front.
He also moved even further down that order in January with the loan signings of Moroccan international Marrouane Chamakh and Wellington Paulista from Arsenal and Cruzeiro respectively. This now means we have 7 strikers in our first team! Carlton Cole, Modibo Maiga, Andy Carroll, Ricardo Vaz Te and youngster Elliot Lee. Can’t say we lack back up, so we should be expecting a few more goals from our team.
See I believe RVT has the flair that we need in the side and could play out wide as well, but he will also find it difficult there as well after we re-signed former youth product Joe Cole from Liverpool on a free transfer.
So where exactly does he fit in to our team as we try to develop our squad?
For me, I would like to see Vaz Te loaned out to a club in the championship as this is the league where he managed to maximize all potential he had. The step from the championship is massive, and for Vaz Te I see it as more of a leap.
With another half a season in the championship I think Vaz Te will get the game time needed for him to get sufficient game time for him to get experience. And if all goes to plan, he may get a run in our team. With Paulista’s, Chamakh’s and Andy Carroll’s loans all expiring in the summer this will mean there will be room for him to play in the squad.
Talking about strikers leave the club, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Modibo Maiga leave this January. For me, he hasn’t shown any sign of premier league quality yet, although only playing cameo’s. He would be another striker that could leave on loan, but I would prefer him to go to a premier League club. Newcastle are interested and this could be a good deal for both the club, who lost Demba Ba to Chelsea, and the player.