Doncaster's Sharp or Huddersfield's Rhodes?

If you can believe the gossip, Leicester look set to sign Billy Sharp from Doncaster for £3m whilst Doctor Evil seems intent on spending the same amount on Huddersfield striker Jordan Rhodes. The question is, who would get the better deal?

Well to some extent it is academic because Sharp wants to stay close to his family in Sheffield following the loss of the new born baby, but I like the look of the guy. His 9 goals in 16 games for a very poor Doncaster team is an impressive return, and the guy's attitude can't be questioned given he played and scored within days of his son dying. He is strong, skilful and composed in front of goal, and at £3m looks a snip. However, he is 25 and hasn't yet had a shot at the big time. Prem clubs must have looked at him and seen something they don't like. I said Mucky-Smith couldn't be "all that" when Brighton signed him, and so it is proving. Decent - better than Piquionne certainly - but nothing exciting.

What about Rhodes? Well he is still young enough at 21 to have a future at a higher level, and 20 goals in 20 games suggest he is a natural goal scorer, but the question is, can he step up to the plate against better opponents? We would be taking a gamble in signing him and buying potential when what we need is a proven striker in our present situation. He has already failed once at Championship level because Ipswich let him go, and you have to worry about the guy's self belief given he opted to play for Scotland despite not having a drop of tartan blood in his body. At 6'2, he looks perfect for a 4-4-2 formation, with Baldock alongside, but what then happens to Cole? Most of us would see more sense in signing a rival / cover for Baldock rather than a replacement for Cole.

Then there is the question of formation. If Allardyce is intent on playing 4-5-1, how many centre forwards does he need exactly? We already have Cole, Piquionne and Carew. How many "traditional number 9s" can you squeeze into 4-3-3 / 4-5-1? And there is a boy called Montano scoring for fun in the lower divisions, and we don't have to pay £3m to sign him!

I suspect Leicester would be getting the better deal here. In any case, if we are sticking with 4-3-3, the priority should be wide men who can score, rather than the Sharp and Rhodes style of player.