One of the classiest strikers of the current generation, Edinson Cavani has established himself as one of the greats of the Beautiful game, at both international and club level. And now, he has reached that point in his career, where Cavani has to take a crucial decision – to stay at the same level or to reach out and for greater heights.
Having played for both Napoli and Paris Saint-Germain in his illustrious career, the Uruguayan has achieved the status of a cult-hero, with his exploits in club football. Although before Cavani decides to hang up his boots, the 33-year old has to take an important call, whether to end his distinguished career on a high.
Edinson Cavani: Player Profile
Cavani has his own style of play, apart from having a completely different level of fitness and athleticism on the pitch. This means that the veteran has much to offer, despite his age, and it is not the end. But for sure, he is reaching the fag end of his career.
The Uruguayan striker has earned the reputation of a goal-scoring machine throughout his career. He has been consistent in his performances.
Despite these facts, the phenomenal performances from his fellow Uruguayan, Luis Suarez has prevented Cavani from reaching the stardom at the international level. At club level too, he was pushed out on the wing at PSG, to accommodate Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the centre, but ‘El Matador’ kept proving his worth, time and again.
Football pundits have poured the praise on Cavani, on many occasions, due to his work ethics and professionalism apart from stats.
The player has over 341 goals in 556 games played across Europe and different positions. With the national team, the player has 50 goals in 116 matches. Cavani will be missed by the majority of his fans, because of the style of play he offers on the pitch, rather than the accolades gained in his distinguished career.
Should Edinson Cavani join the Premier League?
Apart from the stats, accolades and personal achievements, Cavani is the perfect traditional striker. With his towering presence on the field, he can engage in the physical battles and his style of play will certainly suit the pace of the English Premier League.
Despite showing the characteristic features of a perfect striker who can reign supreme in the Premier League, Cavani is yet to play for a Premier League side. He has been linked with various European elites throughout his career but the Uruguayan refrained from joining the attractive and tenacious leagues like Premier League and La Liga.
The player was on the verge of moving to Atletico Madrid, just to see the deal fail in the 11th hour, of the recent winter transfer window.
Moreover in 2013, when Jose Mourinho was all set to sign Cavani for the Stamford Bridge-based outfit during his second stint at Chelsea, PSG lured him to Paris by offering a lucrative deal to the player.
Though he started as a star face to the new project of the Parisians, Cavani has so far, failed to help the Parc des Princess based club win the Champions League for which, PSG have been splashing the money left and right. The player has won just the league titles and domestic cups in France and there have been reports of unrest in the PSG camp.
As a consequence, the management decided not to offer a new deal to the player. This might be the proper situation where both PSG and Cavani have to move on. The name “Cavani” is just enough for the clubs from the Middle East and the United States, to offer him lucrative deals.
Clubs line up to secure the services of Edinson Cavani
(According to the reports, Inter Miami’s owner Jorge Mas has confirmed the club’s interest to sign the player from Paris St Germain. The MLS outfit made his move to Spain complicated, by making a late bid in the winter transfer window. However, it might be a disgrace for the game if a player of Cavani’s stature decides to play in a league beneath his level.
The 33-year-old is a born challenger and has come across a difficult path to reach the level he’s at today. In South America, he had different challenges. When Cavani moved to Naples, there was a different challenge in front of him. Napoli wanted to make their mark in Europe, apart from just hosting matches at the iconic San Paolo stadium.
When he was done with that challenge, the Uruguayan moved to France where PSG had similar ambitions. Within no time, he became a hero amongst the Parisians.
Though he takes pride in the clubs he has played for in the past, a player is not complete without European glory. Moreover, the dreams remain unfulfilled for Cavani. In the current day football, loyalty is not rewarded much and a player has to fulfil his own dreams and ambitions.
For all the aforementioned points, questions and doubts in the discussion, the solution is an elite Premier League club. A move to the most lucrative league in Europe can help the player achieve his dreams of European glory, which would complement his domestic and international accolades.
Which Premier League sides can Cavani join?
On the other hand, there are very few players of Cavani’s age who are better suited for a league as competitive as the Premier League.
Chelsea are short on strikers who can be their main target man and score consistently throughout the season. Though Tammy Abraham has fared decently in the 2019/20 season, the value added by Cavani would be completely different. The experience brought by the veteran, after achieving success across all of Europe at the highest level, can show the English top tier what they have missed on the due course.
Apart from Chelsea, it is Tottenham Hotspurs who can snap up a deal for the striker. Jose Mourinho has been an ardent fan of the player in the past and tried to sign him for the Blues.
Also, Harry Kane is being linked with a move to Manchester United (seems quite difficult though) further making life difficult for the Lilly Whites. It would be a tactical masterclass from Daniel Levy if he lures Cavani on a free transfer to North London.
With all the attributes to succeed in his kitty, Edinson Cavani can be a tailor-made player for the English Premier League. While not much time is left on his quest to force an exit from PSG, ‘El Matador’ should make the decision as soon as possible. Is it the last chance for the 33-year-old to achieve European glory? Only time will tell.Â