Luka Jovic is the newest name at striker

Corvino has a hunger, and the only cure is not more cowbell. It’s talented, young, cheap, and preferably Balkan players. After hearing the rumors about Bojan Knezevic, now we’ve got a new one about Benfica B striker Luka Jovic, whose biggest claim to fame is as Red Star Belgrade’s youngest-ever goalscorer.

The 19-year-old Serbian showed tremendous promise last year before moving to Lisbon, where he’s been kept with the reserves in the 2nd division while he develops. To be honest, his club form isn’t all that impressive, but he’s been brilliant throughout his youth international career and looks the kind of player who can be a big star, although he’s still in the learning phase of his career.

There is a bit of a stink surrounding his transfers, though. He’s a Fali Ramadani client, which is a bit of a concern, but it’s his move to Benfica that’s the real problem. After joining Cypriot club and undoubted third-party ownership front Apollon Limassol along with former teammate Andrija Zivkovic (follow the link for a more detailed discussion), he moved to Portugal in circumstances that remain murky at best.

There’s no doubt about his ability, though. He’s a nippy front man who can also push out into the wide areas. He’s excellent with the ball at his feet and packs a powerful shot with either foot. He’s got plenty of pace, but more than that, he has the confidence and composure to bang the ball into the net whenever possible. He may need another year or two to put it all together, but he’s almost certainly going to be a good player. Benfica, though, may want a considerable sum to make sure they profit from the €5 million they paid for him, which could put Fiorentina out of the running.