A few years ago Charlie Austin was a bricklayer and amateur footballer for his local side, Poole Town. Last season, his first in the top flight, he scored 17 league goals. So, it should surprise me that he has not been shipped off to another Premier League side as of yet. But, it does not. In fact, there is nothing that Queens Park Rangers can do to surprise me; such is the comical nature of their recent episodes.
Austin is English, so plenty of clubs such as Liverpool and Manchester City might have been tempted. But, City has enough forwards and Liverpool opted for his International teammate Danny Ings. He’s tall, holds the ball up and hits the target more times than not. So, really everyone should be interested. But, where should he go and where will he be most likely to succeed?
Chelsea is interested but a move would not be in Austin’s best interests. Falcao looks set to be joining as well and at such a crucial time in Austin’s career he needs to be playing, especially if he wants to play at the Euro’s next season. This is another reason why he cannot stay in the Championship.
Newcastle United have been heavily linked. Surely he would get into their eleven on a regular basis. Steve McClaren has just taken over at the helm and they are in a bit of a transition period. But, Pappis Cisse looks set to leave. Neil Young once famously sang, “it's better to burn out than to fade away”. If this is true than Cisse has done the exact opposite. But, that could bode well for Austin who would join a strike force with a lot of question marks. The only problem I have with Austin moving to The Magpies is that they are in such a state of turmoil at the moment that I can see both good things and also very bad things possibly happening during his time up north.
West Ham United are favorites to land Austin. I can understand why. The future is bright for the Hammers. This season will be their last at Upton Park but playing at the Olympic Stadium could propel them to heights that they have not been for some time. But, will Austin get enough playing time there? If Andy Carroll’s injury record were any indication then the answer would be yes. If he were a horse he would have been put out of his misery about five or so times since he joined the Hammers after a failed stint at Liverpool. Austin would compliment Diafra Sakho and Enner Valencia well. Plus, with Slaven Bilic at the helm, it would seem that Austin’s opportunities would only increase. Charlie was alone up front for long spells last season. This will surely change if he becomes a Hammer.
The future is bright for West Ham and so to for Charlie Austin. However, whether or not the two will link up remains to be seen. A move to Newcastle is still in the cards and could prove fruitful as well. As long as Austin avoids the bench next season I believe we will see even more from him next season. The quality around him will certainly be an upgrade. I saw better football from the Ivory Coast women in their 10-0 defeat to Germany than I saw at times from Ranger’s last term.
Source: DSG
