Not done a women’s football article for a while so I thought there’s no better time to do one than the present given it’s the mid-season break and the summer transfer window is officially OPEN! YAY (only worth getting excited about of course if your team is going to do any business). So this blog will focus on who I think my beloved Notts County Ladies should target this window. I think it’s clear that from the games Notts have played so far there is a clear need for at least a striker who has a good goal scoring record and offers something different to what the Lady pies currently have up top. Additionally to this a creative winger would too be needed by Notts given the teams over reliant on Rachel Williams. I say this on the back of 3 disappointing results involving a draw at home to Reading and back-to-back losses to Birmingham where Notts failed to score. They did however put in an impressive performance against Liverpool a month back but to me there’s a clear need for strength up top as well as constancy. Below I’ll give my so-called shortlist for who Notts should target. Sofia Jakobsson The 26-year-old Swedish forward is yet to reach her prime but has an impressive goal scoring record for a number of teams she has played for in her career most notably her current club Montpellier where she has a total of 25 goals in 42 appearances over her two seasons with the Division 1 Feminine club. Although last season she did only manage 9 goals in 20 compared with 16 in 22 in her first season in France. Jakobsson does have experience of playing in England having appeared for Chelsea during the 2013 FAWSL season, playing 11 and netting 6 goals which equates to just over a goal every other game. In addition to her goals the Swedish striker has plenty of other attributes due to her ability to hold the ball up as well as using her pace to run onto through balls. The 5’8’’ Sweden international seems to be close to the full package and would sure be a great signing for the Lady Pies. Ana-Maria Crnorgorcevic A player who’s fast enhancing her reputation on the World stage thanks to the Swiss internationals performance at last year’s World Cup in Canada. The 25-year-old like Jakobsson (above player) is also a striker and she plays in the Frauen Bundesliga in Germany for 7 time league champions and 4 time Champions League winners FFC Frankfurt. Crnorgorcevic is a slightly different player to Sweden’s Jakobsson as her play is more suited to the wings with her main attribute being running at defenders. However she we tussle with defenders too and attempt to win knock-on’s to her strike partner. The Swiss international’s goal scoring record is not as impressive with only 14 goals scored in nearly 60 appearances, although this is partly down to her not being an out and out forward. I think if Notts were to make a move they would only need to look at her link up play on international duty with Bachmann and Dickenmann to realise what an asset she would be. Pernille Harder
The third option on my list is 23-year-old Dane Pernille Harder who currently plays her trade in Sweden for Linkoping. Harder is younger than the two previous options and has the advantage of being able to play in midfield and attack. It would be fair to say Harder’s main quality is her confidence on the ball and being able to take players on and bring her teammates into the game. Furthermore she’s an all-round finisher being able to score from close range, headers and from outside the box. Possibly comparing her to Crnorgorcevic and Jakobsson she’s maybe slightly short of that level, but has great potential and may be the most cost effective for Notts should they wish to pursue a striker. My opinion is that Harder is possibly similar in terms of play to Jess Clarke but the two would complement each other on either wing ready to assist and cut inside. Could potentially be a great asset to Notts over future years.
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