Dusan Vlahovic: Things to know about the Serbian striker

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With the season heading into the final stretch and a pandemic still running rife, transfer rumours are beginning to form, but big money signings aren’t likely to be occurring with their usual regularity in the coming window.

Clubs still need to conduct business however, and strikers are always hot property. While all the eyes are on the development of Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe, Serbian forward Dusan Vlahovic is quietly doing all the right things and more for club and country.

Predominantly, scoring goals for fun.

When a new striker pops up as prolific within Europe, attention immediately comes their way. Here is all you need to know about Vlahovic.

Having spent time with Red Star Belgrade in his youth, Vlahovic signed for Partizan Belgrade in 2014 and signed professional terms a year later, aged just 15.

In February 2016, he became the youngest player to feature in the Red Star/Partizan Eternal Derby, surpassing a certain Luka Jovic.

A monumental fixture.

If his derby record isn’t enough, it’s also handy to know that Vlahovic is Partizan’s youngest debutant and youngest goal scorer in their history.

He wasn’t done there, however, and has since broken records in Italy. His trio of goals against Benevento in March 2021 saw him become the first Fiorentina player to score a first half hat-trick in Serie A since 1964.

Right, enough records, here’s what makes Vlahovic so good.

The Serbian is a physical beast; he stands at just over six foot but is immensely strong and has an ever-lasting engine to carry him through games. His play style is explosive and while his best work comes inside the box to finish off play, he is smart off the ball, too.

Vlahovic moves well, be it peeling off a defender or giving them a nudge to create a yard of space for himself in true poacher’s fashion. His left foot can finish from a range of angles and distances.

Despite only scoring three goals for Partizan, the rest of his play at such a young age was enough for Fiorentina to make the move happen.

Dusan Vlahovic, Zlatan IbrahimovicDusan Vlahovic, Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Ibrahimovic battles with Vlahovic for possession | Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images

And there was us thinking it was Rickie Lambert.

Joking aside, most strikers would likely cite Zlatan Ibrahimovic as a source of inspiration – perhaps not for social media presence or hairstyles – but instead for his relentless scoring record and ability.

Vlahovic, while still very young and green, holds similarities in the way he throws his big frame at the ball to score. In an April 2020 interview, the Serbian described Ibrahimovic as his ‚idol‘ and expressed a desire to one day play alongside him.

Vlahovic is rated at a modest 75 in FIFA 21, and is said to have a potential rating of 82.

In career mode, you can probably snap him up for no more than £10m, making him a great budget option to bring to your save and develop mercilessly with some training.

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