Video Evidence: Dieumerci Mbokani & Andre-Pierre Gignac (Fulham)

As the summer rolls into action, we are happy to re-introduce our “Video Evidence” features in which we run our eye over some of the mooted transfer stories currently taking up column inches in the papers.

Taking into account where they started from, the size of the club, their financial clout and their squad of players, many have justifiably been trigger-happy to label Fulham as the team of the season last year in the Premier League.

Over-achieving is never easy to accomplish, but Roy Hodgson surpassed all reasonable expectation by lifting the Cottagers into seventh-place at the season’s end, resulting in the guarantee of European football next season in West London.

Adding to the squad is not a luxury for Fulham, but a necessity. With a relatively small squad that proved more than the sum of its parts last year, Roy Hodgson only has to look in the goals scored column in the final table, just 39 goals scored all season, to see that recruitment in the attacking areas of his team needs care and attention.

And, so it is that with the onset of the re-opening of the transfer window, the Cottagers have been linked with two of the brightest attacking stars on the continent—Standard Liege forward Dieumerci Mbokani, and Toulouse’s lethal hitman, Andre-Pierre Gignac.

Before arriving to his technical abilities on the pitch, Dieumerci Mbokani should be credited for providing one of the best all-time videos ever to be shown on this website (watch here). Big hair and a big smile, Mbokani has a seemingly infectious personality that makes him likable and easy to connect with.

On the field Mbokani boasts the talent too, the 23-year-old Congolese striker has an overall recent career record of almost a goal every two games having bagged 15 goals in 32 games during the 2007-08 at Anderlecht, whilst in 2008-09 at Standard the forward claimed 20 goals in 41 appearances.

Big, strong, powerful in the air, and with good technical ability, £5m-rated Mbokani is a striker primed to lead the line, relieving much of the pressure and expectations currently falling on the shoulders of Bobby Zamora and Diomansy Kamara.

(Video evidence of Dieumerci Mbokani can be seen here.)

Alternatively, reportedly being-lined up as a second option is Toulouse’s serial goalscorer Andre-Pierre Gignac who has shot to fame after a terrific season in front of goal in Ligue 1.

Fulham will have to join the back of the queue for Gignac, as the 22-goal top goalscorer in France is currently also being courted by Aston Villa and Stuttgart, while his current club Toulouse have declared their intention to fight to hold onto their star-striker as the vultures begin to circle.

Under contract until 2012 Gignac will not come cheap, however as a striker with a keen eye for goal and primed to act as the focal point of any teams’ attack, blessed with pace, excellent aerial ability and a lethal right-foot.

(Video evidence of Andre-Pierre Gignac, including the majority of the striker’s goals this season, can be seen here.)