Liam Cullen

[Yankee_Jack]

According to transfer market for 2022/23 season

For Cullen: Liam Cullen - Stats 22/23

Championship: 8 goals, 1074 minutes played, 134 minutes per goal

FA Cup: 0 goals, 134 minutes played

EFL: 1 goal, 90 minutes, 90 minutes per goal

Season aggregate: 9 goals, 1298 minutes played, 144 minutes per goal

For Piroe: Joël Piroe - Stats 22/23

Championship: 18 goals, 3621 minutes played, 201 minutes per goal

FA Cup: 1 goals, 152 minutes played, 152 minutes per goal

EFL: 0 goal, 0 minutes

Season aggregate: 19 goals, 3773 minutes played, 199 minutes per goal

Roughly speaking, Cullen has half the goals of Piroe, playing a third of the minutes. @CroJack and I get the same aggregate numbers.

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Since Cullen has been keeping his strike rate fairly constant as more minutes are played, if Cullen had played Piroe's minutes, he is projected to score: 26 goals. Of course, the extrapolation may not hold true over time, but at this point Cullen is clearly the better striker. And as @ivoralljack pointed out early on his minutes were few and far between at the end of matches. And, as I have pointed out, until the Norwich game at least, Cullen was not getting the type of service he would thrive on from players around him. Cullen has been scoring based on opportunism and scraps. Factor that in and I think Cullen's numbers are even more impressive. Curt et al know a thing or two.

This is why other clubs are watching Cullen.

Also, I would point out once again, that last season with all that Piroe accomplished, no club came in with a serious enough offer to tempt the Club to move him. Why? Other clubs are not blind nor stupid, and they have no lack of full match video on Piroe even if they don't see him in person. There is clearly something about him that other clubs with a need are not attracted by, or cannot put a value on that tempts the Swans to make a deal. This is what I am curious about. I wonder what that is. What is it that Piroe fails to do as a #9 or #8 that sours the interest?

Even more confounding is that Burnley, having lost a #9 on loan to United, came in for Obafemi not Piroe. Transfer Market (Michael Obafemi - Transfer history) lists this transaction as a loan with a loan fee of £4M and an end of season return to us. The fine print about what actually happens next is not presented. Not sure how we know this, but my foggy understanding is that he sticks with Burnley ... time will tell.

And Obafemi's aggregate minutes per goal is 277, considerably inferior to Piroe and makes Cullen look like he's walking on water.

 

[ivoralljack]

I guess that Obafemi attracted more interest than Piroe because, at £4 million, he is about at least a third of what we'd ask for the Dutchman. I've seen figures of between 10 and 20 million pounds being quoted for Piroe and I reckon that is scaring off some would-be suitors. Piroe is a good Championship striker and, like CJ, I'd like to see the club keep him and Cullen together in a concerted effort for the top six next season. Rather that than see the owners pocket the great majority of any fee we might get for Piroe and partner Cullen with some inexperienced, cheap loanee.