"Given the goals, it is easy to forget Kroupi tends to operate as a No 10, not as an orthodox No 9. He thrives as a nine and a half, as Yvon Mvogo, the Lorient goalkeeper and his former teammate, puts it. It is also worth remembering that Kroupi was playing in Ligue 2 last season. At Lorient, where Kroupi scored 22 goals to help them win promotion as champions, it was often a case of teammates giving him the ball and letting him do the rest, but Kroupi has proved himself a team player for Andoni Iraola's side."
"Kroupi's name is on the lips of scouts at every elite club, with Barcelona thought to have joined Manchester City and Arsenal in keeping tabs. Bournemouth do not want to sell and would demand at least 80m. Eli Junior Kroupi celebrates scoring against Tottenham earlier this season. Photograph: Michael Steele/Getty Images"
Eli Junior Kroupi has become the first teenager to score 12 goals in a debut Premier League season since Robbie Fowler in 1993-94. He averages a goal every 121 minutes, with only Erling Haaland having a better ratio in the league. From 43 shots, 20 have been on target, matching the joint-best conversion rate with Igor Thiago. Among teenagers in the 21st century, only Romelu Lukaku has scored more in a Premier League campaign, and only Lamine Yamal has scored more across Europe’s top five leagues this term. Kroupi operates as a nine and a half rather than a traditional No 9, and he has shown team play after scoring early in his first starts. Bournemouth want to keep him and would demand at least 80m, while scouts from elite clubs including Barcelona, Manchester City, and Arsenal are monitoring him.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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