With Rangers reportedly taking an interest in another fresh-faced, Finland-based number nine, comparisons between Alfredo Morelos and Kai Meriluoto feel about as inevitable as a red card in an Old Firm derby.
Morelos, after all, joined the Glasgow giants as a little-known youngster from HJK Helsinki back in 2017; Coincidentally, the same club 19-year-old Meriluoto currently calls home.
But the similarities don’t stop there.
Meriluoto might have a slightly different frame to Morelos – more rangy than rambunctious – but what he lacks in physicality he more than makes up for in poise and prowess. Meriluoto already shares the Colombian’s energy, link-play and movement, not to mention a ferocious work ethic in and out of possession.
He’s also, in the words of HJK coach Toni Koskela, a ‘pure centre-forward; A goalscorer’.
A claim emphatically hammered home by his prolific record at youth level, not to mention a tally of eight goals in 15 matches on loan at Ilves last season.
“Kai is a pure centre-forward; A goalscorer,” Koskela told MTV. “Pretty versatile. He moves exceptionally well for a player of that age and scores a lot of ‘goalscorer’s goals’.
“This shows that he understands where he can be most dangerous. Add more power and speed, and you have a good package.”
Rangers like HJK Helsinki’s Kai Meriluoto
You only have to look at the sort of goals Meriluoto scored during his time at Ilves to see where Koskela is coming from. Though still a teenager, he already appears to have perfected the art of popping up in precisely the right place, at precisely the right time.
He’s not as explosive or powerful as Morelos. But centre-forwards with Meriluoto’s automatic, almost-innate instinctiveness can be worth their weight in gold.
Ruud van Nistelrooy, Mario Gomez, Pippo Inzaghi and more carved out quite the career on a diet of close-range tap-ins after all. And that’s just three examples.
“I always expect a lot from myself,” the self-confident Meriluoto tells Iltalehti.
A burning desire for regular first-team football, his says, fuelled the decision to leave HJK on loan.
“When it seemed that there was no playing time at HJK, my agent and I felt that the best solution was a loan. Ilves were interested, and I knew it was a good place for a young player to develop.
“There was a surprisingly large amount of responsibility right away, so I am very satisfied with the solution.”
According to MTV, his one-in-two record at Ilves could pave the way for Meriluoto to become the third Finland-based striker to join Rangers since their return to the top flight in 2016; After Morelos and former Honka starlet Juan Alegria.
And while Meriluoto would primarily be viewed as ‘one for the future’ at Ibrox, don’t be surprised if he ends up emulating the immediate impact made by Morelos instead.
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