/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/22229613/160391780.0.jpg)
That name is Adam Le Fondre, who currently plays for Reading F.C. in the Sky Bet Championship league. In my past articles I have stated if the Houston Dynamo wish to continue playing the 4-4-2 they would need a Forward/Striker who can score at least 40% of the time to pair with Bruin who currently scores 30% of the time. Alfie could possibly be that player! In his time at Reading F.C. he is getting the ball in the net 38% of the time which is pretty darn good.
To be honest I had not heard of Alfie prior to the rumor circulating, but like most when I heard the name the first thing I wanted to do was research to see if he would be worth us truly pursuing. First off one of the things we would have to consider is who leaves us to free up an international slot so we could sign ALF?
Currently filling our international slots we have Jermaine Taylor, Omar Cummings, Jason Johnson, Giles Barnes, Andrew Driver, Alex Lopez, and Boniek Garcia. The current speculations amongst fans are as follows; Giles Barnes going back to England, Andrew Driver going back to Europe, and Omar Cummings being released, and a small chance of Boniek Garcia going overseas due to his performances for club and country. Of those the most likely scenario is Barnes and Cummings, personally I have a feeling Driver will stay with us another season or two.
Now the final discussion that has come up is whether or not Alfie would deserve a DP contract or not. For the information that I could dig up on him states he's valued at 4M€. He is pretty highly rated by Reading F.C., but at the same time he is growing increasingly frustrated since he is not starting for the team. So he is willing to leave for starting team play but is he worth 4M€?
In my opinion no, if we could score him for between 750K€ and 900K€ and score him to a non DP contract he would absolutely be worth the pickup. But if he demands DP money we may want to pass on him. If we are gunning for a DP forward/striker there are better options out there. But if we can get Alfie for a non DP contract I have a feeling he could be a consistent double digit goal scorer for us.
With that said here are some stats on Alfie in addition to a video highlighting his goal scoring ability. Let me know what you think Dynamo Theory readers, should we sign Alfie? If we sign him should it be to a DP given his ability or do you feel he's just average and should not have a DP contract? Let us know your thoughts!
Article credit: Pete Hernandez (@DynamoPete)