Players Under The Microscope / Mike Norman / 11 March 2009 / Leave a comment

Roque Santa Cruz's proposed move to Man City in the January transfer window left some people fascinated and others questioning whether the Paraguayan striker was genuinely worth the £25 million he was valued at. "Mystical" Mike Norman investigates.

He sounds more like a prizefighter than a Premier League footballer, but judging by his first season in English football, Blackburn's Roque Santa Cruz is amongst the heavyweights when it comes to sticking the ball in the back of the net.

Throughout his career, that hasn't always been the case however.

During his eight year tenure at Bayern Munich, injuries and some stiff competition from Bayern's more recognisable strikers restricted the Paraguayan to just 155 league appearances, in which he managed to score just 31 goals. The then Blackburn boss Mark Hughes saw something he liked in those sporadic appearances however, because he would later bring Santa Cruz to Ewood Park in a transfer worth just £3.5m.

His impact was immediate, scoring with just his third touch during his Premier League debut against Middlesbrough before going on to score a further 22 goals that season.

But his love affair with Blackburn Rovers appears to be turning sour, and after being the subject of much transfer speculation this season, questions are being asked as to whether he will remain at Ewood Park come May.

Not surprisingly, it was Mark Hughes who was at the forefront of all the transfer speculation surrounding Santa Cruz. Clearly an admirer, Hughes persuaded City to bid first £12m, then £16m to bring the striker to Eastlands. Both bids were rejected however, as Rovers now valued their prize asset at an astonishing £25m - that's more than 700% more than what Blackburn paid for his services just 18 months earlier. It was no surprise then that when the transfer deadline passed without Manchester City, or any other club for that matter, meeting Blackburn's ambitious valuation.

So Roque Santa Cruz remains a Blackburn Rovers player - with a £25m price tag on his head. Is he worth that amount of money? Personally I don't think any club would be willing to pay those figures for him and he will remain a Blackburn player into next year.... providing Rovers don't get relegated of course. A real possibility when you consider they are just [5.4] for the drop, though admittedly in a better position than they were under Paul Ince at which point they traded at just [2.66] to go down.

He is obviously a talented player, who is extremely hard working and will press the opposition defenders when they have the ball. He is physically strong, skillful, and especially good in the air, but when you're talking about footballers who are worth £25m+, you're talking about the Cristiano Ronaldos, Steven Gerrards, and Wayne Rooneys of this world - players that consistently score goals, supply goals, and add huge worth to a team when in the starting line-up.

Yes, Blackburn's number nine scored 19 Premier League goals last season, but this season has mirrored the eight he spent in Germany - plagued by injuries and inconsistent (just four league goals scored in 20 appearances).

Blackburn travel to Fulham in the Premier League on Wednesday night - a fixture that they will deem winnable, but one they will be happy to take a point from. The Match Odds market has Fulham available to back at [2.3], Blackburn at [3.7], and The Draw at [3.3].

Despite Fulham's home defeat at the hands of Hull City last week, Roy Hodgson's men still have a remarkable record at Craven Cottage for a team that was expected to struggle at the start of the season. Incredibly, 27 of their 34 league points have been won on home soil, making them statistically the fourth best home team in the Premier League. Blackburn on the other hand have recorded just one win away from Ewood Park since September - ironically, against Hull City at the beginning of March.

Fulham/Fulham appeals in the Half Time/Full Time market at odds of [4.0], not just because of their impressive home record, but more because that out of the eight wins they've recorded this season, they've led at half time in seven of them.

Under 2.5 Goals is not surprisingly as low as [1.72] to back considering how few Fulham concede in the league in front of their home fans. Over 2.5 Goals is available to back at [2.36].

For a Correct Score, I'm leaning towards 1-0 ([7.8]) and 2-0 ([12.5]) to Fulham, which rules out a goal for the subject of this piece, Roque Santa Cruz - though he will be available to back at around [8.0] once the First Goalscorer market matures. Andy Johnson ([6.5]) and Bobby Zamora ([8.0]) are amongst the Fulham players likely to score the first goal of the game.