Real Madrid: In Search of a Number Nine

It is a mantra that has been repeated too often this year to even matter anymore: Real Madrid need a number 9. Jose Mourinho asked for one in his first press-conference. His handlers at the club have been talking him down ever since. Repeated often enough, it becomes hard to remember if the phrase has any particular meaning anymore. We forget whether or not Mourinho said he needed help in case Gonzalo Higuain and Benzema faltered, or that he needed someone to play the role (a tank), a role that neither play well. So now with Benzema on the worst form of his life and Pipita Higuain out for at least four months, with doctors certifying that his effectiveness may not return to him until sometime in the next calendar year, Real Madrid have finally conceded that they may need to invest some money into shoring up their strike partnerships.

Before I being lining up the candidates, let me answer a question that some might have been asking. Why did they wait this long in resolving the striker issue? They could have had any number of quality strikers in the Summer. They might have been able to prise Didier Drogba away from Chelsea. If you know anything at all about Don Florentino you know he would never give Drogba that sort of money. The fact is they had tested Higuain throughout all last year, he passed their test, and they gave him a hefty pay raise. They also have a ton of money holed up in Kaka, Benzema and Cristiano with only one of those showing any return. They would love to take their losses, but it is still too early to decide on any of them. Add the fact that they have the two Diarras, Fernando Gago and many others who can't or won't play under Mourinho, but their value is stagnant unless they are played, then you understand what the club is up against.

Any player they sign can only be a stop-gap solution. The alternatives that most madridistas would prefer (Drogba, Tevez, Chicharito, Llorente, etc.) are pies-in-the-sky. Real Madrid do not have the money to compete with Manchester City or Chelsea and even then, with new financial restraints coming in next year, who is to say that even those clubs can continue spending as freely as they have been. These are some of the names being bandied about.

Luis Fabiano: two years away from his best form. Looking towards Brazil like many of his countrymen.
Ruud Van Nistelrooy: 35 years old and left Madrid due to achilles injury. Doubtful if he still has the pace for Spain.
Emmanuel Adebayor: cannot count on him match-in match-out. Lousy first touch. A cancer in the locker-room.
Miroslav Klose: always plays better for country rather than club. Will need time to adjust to a new league. Time that Real Madrid don´t have.
Nelson Valdez: small market player. Can he handle the pressures of Madrid? Doubtful. Not a prolific scorer.

The cheapest option is probably Ruud and he did leave the club with his head held high, which explains the mainly positive reaction on Real Madrid message boards, but I can't help but think that they could do better than that list above. Here are my suggestions.

Mirko Vucunic, AS Roma
Edson Cavani, Napoli
Romelo Lukaku, Anderlecht
Hulk, FC Porto

None of them are exorbitantly priced and none of them will conflict with the players they already have. They are younger and, whether anyone wants to consider this or not, there is no guarantee that either Benzema or Higuain ever recovers their best form. They need to consider long-term options even if the short-term desire for trophies weighs on them. With that criteria, what are your preferred options?