Salomon Kalou feels he can finish top-scorer in Ligue 1 this season with Lille – ahead of Paris Saint-German and AS Monaco stars.
Last summer Chelsea decided that they would not offer a new contract to a number of players – one of which was Ivorian international Salomon Kalou.
The forward spent the majority of his time at Stamford Bridge playing second fiddle or out on the wing, despite considering himself a striker.
With that in mind, despite flashes of his ability, he never truly got off the mark for the club – and his stay in London is probably considered a disappointment.
He moved to France last summer with Lille on a Bosman deal and has so far not looked back.
After a slow start he finished last season in incredible form.
His form for Lille last season was impeccable – in particular in 2013.
Kalou played 15 times for Lille this year and scored an impressive 12 goals in that period – often as the lone front-man.
And this season he has started solidly – although he has managed just one goal in his four Ligue 1 appearances.
This summer he had numerous chances to leave Lille – a result of his €3 million release clause.
West Brom and West Ham were both heavily linked with his signature, but he rejected both moves for the same reason – he could not be assured of playing up top.
Both were likely to also use him out wide, something Kalou feels is no longer on his agenda.
And now he is playing through the middle, the effective Chelsea reject thinks he can finish top of the goalscoring charts in France – ahead of Edinson Cavani, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Radamel Falcao:
”I want to show that I can excel in the position of centre-forward and set goals for myself: why not finish top scorer? This type of challenge can make me become a great striker, given the level of competition in France. I hope already exceed the 20 goals. This could give us a place in the European Cup, our priority “ .
As impressive as his end of season form was last year, Kalou is certainly being ambitious to suggest he can outperform players such as the big names at Paris Saint-Germain and Monaco this season.
If he did however, West Brom and West Ham would not be the only ones revisiting his availability.
Can Kalou finish ahead of these illustrious frontmen this season?
image: © Ben Sutherland
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