Get yourself a striker like Wout Weghorst who can do it all

Johnny Nic attempts to change your perception of Wout Weghorst – so much more than just a big lad up front…

Who’s this then?

Wout François Maria Weghorst is a 29-year-old 6ft 6in Dutch striker who currently plays for Burnley having signed in the January transfer window.

He started his career in the second tier of Dutch football in 2012, playing for FC Emmen for whom he played 66 games, netting 21 times. This led to a free transfer to Heracles Almelo who were in the top flight at the time.

In his second season he helped the club to a sixth-place finish and to qualify for the Europa League for the first time in the clubs’ history. His 24 goals in 73 games across two seasons attracted AZ Alkmaar who fancied a serious portion of Weghorst, so Wout moved to them for two seasons, again scoring freely, notching 45 in 86 games.

Inevitably, when a striker is scoring better than a goal every other game, bigger clubs pick up the scent and start sniffing around. This time it was Wolfsburg who turned up with £9.45million in a biscuit tin and took big Wout away with them.

His three and a half seasons in the Bundesliga went very well. He notched 70 in 144 games, his last full season saw him score 25 in 41 games, 20 in just 34 Bundesliga matches. He is usually good for a goal every other game and was by now a full Dutch international having been picked by Ronald Koeman in 2018 and scoring in a friendly against England.

So it was surprising that a big club hadn’t tried to tease him out of the Bundesliga before Sean Dyche turned up jingling £12.5million worth of change in his pocket and lured him to the bright lights and glamour of Turf Moor to help them fight relegation.

Why the love?

Let’s face it, who doesn’t love a big Weghorst?