Alfredo Morelos and Mousa Dembele might have different styles. They might even fulfil different roles on the field.
But that won’t stop Scottish football fans comparing the two.
As strikers, there’s only one stat that matters – goals. And looking at last season, Morelos is better at finishing his chances than the Frenchman.
According to research done by Dougie Wright over at Clyde 1, Morelos narrowly pipped Dembele with a stronger shot conversion rate.
Colombian enjoys better shot conversion rate
Morelos took 84 shots in the league last season and scored 14 goals. That’s a conversion rate of 17%. Demebele took 59 shots in the same period and scored only 9 goals. That’s a conversion rate of 15%. On this stat at least, Morelos is a better finisher.
Dougie also said that Dembele is “probably going to be the most expensive export in Scottish football history.” What does that mean for Morelos?
The significance is that Morelos has been regularly berated for not converting chances. Dembele, on the other hand, has been widely rated as a massive talent who will rake in a fee in the 10s of millions. Both it seems have been greatly exaggerated.
A tale of two seasons – for both players
Granted, Dembele tormented Rangers in his first season. Last year, however, a plaguing injury held him back and the fact it is recurring has raised eyebrows about the powerful striker’s fitness.
Morelos, on the other hand, is flying. He might’ve missed a host of chances against Celtic last season, but the sensationalism of them has been greatly overplayed. There were some great saves amongst them, and Rangers didn’t quite have the team, leadership or confidence they have now.
There’s even talk of him getting a Colombia cap.
Don’t bet against him nabbing one in early September.
If he does, soon even the most critical of quarters will have to admit that Rangers have a top, top player on their hands.
