Good for him

goals at 42 seconds and 1:45
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phnNTCkWob0

scored the first, set up the second I think

Is it possible to get him back from loan haha

My word, that first one A howler to make Muric’s errors look like good keeping

Both decent enough finishes though.

Vegas Claret wrote: ↑

Sat Aug 02, 2025 8:43 pm

Good for him

Great to see!

He was very raw when we signed him, but he has all the physical attributes that you'd want from a striker.

Hindsight is 20/20 but I thought he had something as with Darko Churlinov another who seems to be not in the picture despite reasonable performances for his national team

Great club St Pauli. Fanatical fans and great merchandise!

They should be playing for us, or sold.
Due to their international profiles they are saleable assets, sending them on loan means we could lose them for nothing in the future.
A knock on effect of our oversized squad, but we need to start trimming somewhere. Besides make money on 3 or 4, save wages on 3 or 4, and it might give us some wriggle room to make 1 good signing.

I don’t believe it

He's completely f***ing useless at our level and everyone knows it.
That's why he's been farmed out.

ElectroClaret wrote: ↑

Sat Aug 02, 2025 11:54 pm

He's completely f***ing useless at our level and everyone knows it.
That's why he's been farmed out.

What if he ends up bagging 15 in the Bundesliga?

CoolClaret wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 03, 2025 12:03 am

What if he ends up bagging 15 in the Bundesliga?

Might be wrong but over the last 2 seasons has anyone scored more goals than Houtondji in our squad?

Hountondji has 20
Flemming 19

Can’t think of anyone else that gets close to that

Newcastleclaret93 wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 03, 2025 8:29 am

Might be wrong but over the last 2 seasons has anyone scored more goals than Houtondji in our squad?

Hountondji has 20
Flemming 19

Can’t think of anyone else that gets close to that

Brownhill.

Brownhill and Flemming

Leisure wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 03, 2025 9:09 am

Brownhill.

Tbf he’s no longer in the squad

taio wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 03, 2025 9:34 am

Brownhill and Flemming

Flemming only has 19 over the last 2 seasons

Newcastleclaret93 wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 03, 2025 9:35 am

Flemming only has 19 over the last 2 seasons

Including cup games. Did you include cup games for Hountondji?

taio wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 03, 2025 9:36 am

Including cup games. Did you include cup games for Hountondji?

Including everything. Just out and out goals.

But I will admit flemmings stats on Google stats don’t look accurate because according to them he hasn’t played a cup game in two
Years. (But I am sure he has for us?)

Newcastleclaret93 wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 03, 2025 9:38 am

Including everything. Just out and out goals.

But I will admit flemmings stats on Google stats don’t look accurate because according to them he hasn’t played a cup game in two
Years. (But I am sure he has for us?)

Scored 22

taio wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 03, 2025 9:41 am

Scored 22

Assume that’s a few in the cup for us?

Still shows something quite interesting. That only Flemming has scored more than Houtondji over the last 2 seasons.

Newcastleclaret93 wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 03, 2025 9:44 am

Assume that’s a few in the cup for us?

Still shows something quite interesting. That only Flemming has scored more than Houtondji over the last 2 seasons.

Yes.

But Hountondji's goals you quoted include cup games?

Brownhill too.

But it's largely irrelevant because it's comparing apples with oranges.

Newcastleclaret93 wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 03, 2025 8:29 am

Might be wrong but over the last 2 seasons has anyone scored more goals than Houtondji in our squad?

Hountondji has 20
Flemming 19

Can’t think of anyone else that gets close to that

I presume you are including 14 goals scored in France League 2 two seasons ago when shipped out on loan by his parent club

Stats hide a lot of things - seems you are duped by these as were our recruitment team

jojomk1 wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 03, 2025 9:51 am

I presume you are including 14 goals scored in France League 2 two seasons ago when shipped out on loan by his parent club

Stats hide a lot of things - seems you are duped by these as were our recruitment team

Off course including them goals.

We have players from leagues all over the world, like I say none of them have scored that many either.

Hopefully Broja will be able to bag for us

He's young. I think he'll go on to have a decent career. I actually liked his movement and the positions he took up. Physically he's got what it takes and will mature there too.

Fundamentally, I'm just not sure he's a good enough footballer to play at the highest level. Specifically his first touch, which obviously leans into dribbling and ability to play the right pass. Can he improve that? Sure, but some of that is innate. In a dreamworld if you smashed him and Zian Flemming together into a single entity I think you'd have a real player on your hands.

I don't want to write him off at such a young age, I think he'll have a good career. If we're in the championship (hopefully not) I think he'd do well there in the future. Premier league? Very doubtful in my opinion, but admittedly that's not based on a lot of games. I hope he proves me wrong.

CoolClaret wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 03, 2025 12:03 am

What if he ends up bagging 15 in the Bundesliga?

That would mean he’s improved and we all know that neither players or managers can improve or regress. Ability and performance are fixed in some minds forever.

done it again, tap in
https://x.com/FootballBenin/status/1954213994383687752

Vegas Claret wrote: ↑

Sat Aug 09, 2025 11:34 pm

done it again, tap in
https://x.com/FootballBenin/status/1954213994383687752

Busted a gut to get there though, good movement and anticipation - I do believe there's a player in there!

Better than anything we saw om the turf on Saturday

CoolClaret wrote: ↑

Sat Aug 09, 2025 11:56 pm

Busted a gut to get there though, good movement and anticipation - I do believe there's a player in there!

agree mate, I reckon he has more potential than Foster (i'm rarely right though )

Vegas Claret wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 10, 2025 12:13 am

agree mate, I reckon he has more potential than Foster (i'm rarely right though )

CoolClaret wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 03, 2025 12:03 am

What if he ends up bagging 15 in the Bundesliga?

Weghorst scored loads in the Bundesliga

CoolClaret wrote: ↑

Sat Aug 09, 2025 11:56 pm

Busted a gut to get there though, good movement and anticipation - I do believe there's a player in there!

He’s 23, a good season at his age and we are either guaranteed to make a good profit or he breaks through into our starting 11

Win win for us this season on loan

deanothedino wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 10, 2025 7:07 am

Weghorst scored loads in the Bundesliga

Weghorst joined us at a bad time. I think if he'd joined a few years earlier he'd have done pretty well.

deanothedino wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 10, 2025 7:07 am

Weghorst scored loads in the Bundesliga

Yes, but this is different - Houtoundji is pretty young, raw and hasn't played much football. We're seeing if he kicks on and develops this season playing at a higher level.

I'd love for the lad to succeed above all because he's our player but also because he's had dreadful stick from most people on here.

"Looks like he's never played football before".

Now he's better than Foster. Where the hell does that leave Foster?

willsclarets wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 10, 2025 8:25 am

Weghorst joined us at a bad time. I think if he'd joined a few years earlier he'd have done pretty well.

I agree, but that only reinforces my opinion that scoring lots in the Bundesliga won’t necessarily be an indicator of anything.

CoolClaret wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 10, 2025 11:30 am

Yes, but this is different - Houtoundji is pretty young, raw and hasn't played much football. We're seeing if he kicks on and develops this season playing at a higher level.

Not really, it’s still not going to tell you whether he’d have been fine for us or not.

deanothedino wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 10, 2025 8:20 pm

Not really, it’s still not going to tell you whether he’d have been fine for us or not.

Yes really, this is a lad that is raw who hasn't played much football, this loan will see if he can contribute at a higher level and if he kicks on and develops.

It's not if he'd be fine for us or not (right now), it's if he one day could be - what's so hard to understand?

CoolClaret wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 10, 2025 8:31 pm

Yes really, this is a lad that is raw who hasn't played much football, this loan will see if he can contribute at a higher level and if he kicks on and develops.

It's not if he'd be fine for us or not (right now), it's if he one day could be - what's so hard to understand?

I’m not finding anything hard to understand. He might become a very good player in the Bundesliga, doesn’t mean he’d come back to England and light it up does it? What’s so hard to understand?

I'm happy that he's getting game time and scoring goals.
Strikes me there's a bit of an agenda here... written off so soon when others are given so much slack.

deanothedino wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 10, 2025 8:35 pm

I’m not finding anything hard to understand. He might become a very good player in the Bundesliga, doesn’t mean he’d come back to England and light it up does it? What’s so hard to understand?

No but at the same time if he goes there and bags 15 this season in the bundesliga. Then at 23 years old we have striker that has a great pedigree to push on either further with us.

I mean take everything out of it, I think most of us would have killed for a striker with his athletic features that had just bagged 15 in the Bundesliga.

For context Ekitike was just bought for 80m at 23 after scoring 15 in the bundesliga

Sesko was just bought for 72m after scoring 13 goals in the Bundesliga

deanothedino wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 10, 2025 8:35 pm

I’m not finding anything hard to understand. He might become a very good player in the Bundesliga, doesn’t mean he’d come back to England and light it up does it? What’s so hard to understand?

Did I say that it definitively means that 'he'd come back to England and light it up' ?

Just stated that it'd indicate that he's kicked on and developed, which would be great for Hountodji, who has all the raw traits that you'd want in a striker.

CoolClaret wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 10, 2025 8:43 pm

Did I say that it definitively means that 'he'd come back to England and light it up' ?

Just stated that it'd indicate that he's kicked on and developed, which would be great for Hountodji, who has all the raw traits that you'd want in a striker.

Where did I say it wouldn’t be great for the lad? You sound like you’d start an argument in a broom cupboard.

Newcastleclaret93 wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 10, 2025 8:42 pm

No but at the same time if he goes there and bags 15 this season in the bundesliga. Then at 23 years old we have striker that has a great pedigree to push on either further with us.

I mean take everything out of it, I think most of us would have killed for a striker with his athletic features that had just bagged 15 in the Bundesliga.

For context Ekitike was just bought for 80m at 23 after scoring 15 in the bundesliga

Sesko was just bought for 72m after scoring 13 goals in the Bundesliga

If we can use that to sell him and not be the ones to find out whether it translates to the English game then I’m all for it!

It's not the league that you score your goals in, it's the quality of the teammates that you play with.

ecc wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 10, 2025 12:21 pm

I'd love for the lad to succeed above all because he's our player but also because he's had dreadful stick from most people on here.

"Looks like he's never played football before".

Now he's better than Foster. Where the hell does that leave Foster?

make or break for Foster this season imho, he's 25 in less than a month and has a lot to prove (obviously taking into account his unfortunate issues which I hope he is over)