The Guinea striker who netted 28 league goals as Stuttgart secured a second-place finish last season is now on 21 Bundesliga goals for the Black and Yellows. Guirassay has 34 goals in all competitions for the club and 40 for both club and country this season. His 13 goals in the Champions League have made him the top-scoring African in the competition's history.
The 29-year-old striker is somewhat of a late bloomer as he struggled to make an impact while playing in the French League in his younger days. While he has been a vital part of BVB’s resurgence under Niko Kovač, no one in the team can step in and take on the role if the need arises. It has been reported that the club is working on acquiring a young backup striker for their top scorer, so here we take a look at two possible candidates:
Eli Junior Kroupi
The 18-year-old Lorient striker is one of the hot prospects in world football. The young French talent seems to be on the right path to follow in the footsteps of great strikers of the past. Kroupi’s intelligence is his strongest suit.
According to WhoScored, Kroupi’s attributes include strengths through balls, ability to hold on to the ball, finishing, long shots, headed attempts, and defensive contribution. He can also play on the wings, which makes him a versatile addition to the squad.
He has found the net 23 times and provided three assists in 32 games for Lorient - the club BVB got one of their best players of recent years in Raphaël Guerriero. Transfermarkt values the player at 12 million Euros, which puts him in Dortmund’s price range.
Assane Diao
The 19-year-old Senegalese is turning heads with his performances at Como this season. He has so far scored eight league goals in 15 games for Cesc Fàbregas’s side as they keep punching above their weight.
The young talent was brought through Betis’s academy and has represented Spain in the youth teams. Just like Yamine Yamal and Nico Williams, many believe he is the next big talent to come out of Spain. Diao has chosen to represent his birth country at the senior level and has already made two appearances for the The Lions of Teranga.
With Borussia Dortmund’s strong track record of producing prolific strikers that went on to become world beaters, both players seem an ideal fit.