If reports out of Sweden are to be believed, Frank Yallop's Scandinavian scouting trip may have added a most impressive scalp: Ghanaian striker David Accam of Helsingborgs IF.
Accam, 24, is a pacy striker who thrives on the counter. In the open field, he can be devastating, and his movement and finishing have continued to improve year after year. He's coming off the best year of his career, having scored 17 goals in 25 appearances in the Allsvenskan, and was reportedly the subject of a $2.78 million bid from Mexican club Tigres UANL.
It's hard to imagine Accam wouldn't be a Designated Player, as his salary demand alone would likely necessitate such a tag. He's also been on the perimeter of the Ghanaian national team, which (as our the USA's World Cup history indicates) is no small feat.
Hot (Time) take
Hot damn, now we're getting somewhere. I'm sure there's going to be some "shaw, Allsvenskan, my mom could score 15 there'-type sentiment out there, but scoring 17 goals in 25 games in any top flight is fantastic production. His career has been straight up - from the Right to Dream Academy in Accra, Ghana, to playing for lower-league teams in England (Ledbury Town, Evesham United) while on a student visa in England, to a brief stop in the Swedish third division with Ostersund, to three solid years with Helsingborgs IF. If he can put up similar numbers before moving on from MLS, we'll have full-blown David Accam tifo builds under planning this time next year.
In short: Accam is one of the very best strikers in the Allsvenskan, and a big get for the Chicago Fire. And he's only 24! If you're a long-time Fire fan looking for an apt comparison of talent and playing style, think Damani Ralph.
In Accam and fellow Sweden import Kennedy Igboananike, the Men in Red have added a tremendous amount of pace and swagger up front. Both promise a lot of fun running onto through-balls from the likes of Harry Shipp, Mickey Stephens and Razvan Cocis.