LA Galaxy: Top 5 Zlatan Ibrahimovic replacements

Mauro Zarate

Speaking of South American talent, reports have surfaced recently that the LA Galaxy could pursue Mauro Zarate as their next DP striker. The Argentine journeyman has spent time in Italy, England, and the Middle East, but has represented Argentine power Boca Juniors since 2018. Unlike the other forwards on this list, Zarate has the tendency to drop into the midfield to play as a false nine or a number ten, where he possesses the ability to combine with other players around him while also pitching in goals for himself. He is not quite of the standard of a Cavani or Mandzukic, but he has experience in Europe, knows how to score goals, and is a little younger than both.

Why It Will Happen

When you have Zlatan on your roster, you have to build your team around his style of play. And for first-year MLS coach Guillermo Barros Schelotto, this meant throwing out all preferred tactical approaches to maximize his talent. But with Zlatan out of the way, Schelotto can now implement a defined gameplan. This is what made him so successful while coaching in Argentina. Who better than to help implement that playing style than a player that Schelotto helped recruit himself? With Zarate, you get an in-his-prime veteran that already knows the head coach’s system. As a veteran of Schelotto’s coaching, he can also help start to build the locker-room culture that the Galaxy have been missing over the past few seasons.

Why It Won’t Happen

When your previous striker has been touted as one of the greatest players of his generation, it’s pretty hard to tell your Hollywood fanbase that his replacement is a player who hasn’t scored double-digit goals in a season since 2014.