Back page Things could not really get much better for Bournemouth striker Callum Wilson at the moment. The 22-year-old summer signing from Coventry City has continued exactly where he left off last season – scoring 11 goals in 20 appearances for the Cherries.
His excellent form earned him both an England under 21 call-up for the first time and the Championship player of the month award for October. Wilson’s performances are one of the main reasons why Bournemouth currently find themselves in second position and have real possibility of a Premier League promotion charge.
The young striker made his way through the ranks at Coventry, making his professional debut in 2009 at just 17. He made his League debut the following season before loans spells at Kettering and Tamworth. With limited appearances coming in the 2012/13 campaign, last season was his first full one for the Sky Blues and where he established himself as one of the brightest young English strikers in the Football League.
He scored 21 league goals in 37 outings despite missing a two months through injury at the start of the year. This won him a place on the PFA League One team of the year and he was named as Coventry’s player of the season.
His impressive season earned him a £3 million move to Bournemouth and he has been worth nearly every penny so far. With nine league goals coming so far this season in his first full season in the Championship, he has adapted to life in a higher division fantastically well.
It is easy to tell why he has been called up to the under-21 squad despite his limited amount of injury-free seasons. There was maybe a fear that his rise had come about a little too fast but that simply has not been the case. He has all the tools that could potentially make him a Premier League striker in the future, perhaps sooner rather than later if things continue the way they are especially with Bournemouth doing so well.
But if they fail to secure promotion, then they could have a very hard time in keeping hold of Wilson come next summer.
Wilson has plenty of qualities that make him an exciting striker. He possesses a lot of pace that causes defenders problems and allows him to beat them with ease. This is also added with his dribbling capabilities and the way he keeps the ball so well. His hold-up play is excellent which allows him to play with a striker or up top by himself, due to his tremendous finishing abilities.
He has a superb eye for goal that makes him a natural finisher which is a quality becoming rarer and rarer among strikers in England. This is also down to his composure under pressure that allows him finish at will.
While it would be premature to say Callum Wilson is ready for an even bigger step up to the Premier League right now, he is certainly capable in the future. We will have to wait and see how he performs for the England under-21 side and during the rest of the Championship season.
What is certain is that Wilson has the tools to succeed at the highest level and he is certainly going to be one of the hottest properties outside of the top flight during the next couple of transfer windows.
