:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47356966/IMG_3248.0.0.JPG)
Bolton Wanderers' 16 year old Iranian striker Alex Samizadeh scored again yesterday.
UNDER-18s: @ASamizadeh on scoresheet as #BWFC suffer defeat against @Coventry_City. Report: http://t.co/oyf68QLR41 pic.twitter.com/fwOFak985u
— Bolton Wanderers FC (@OfficialBWFC) October 7, 2015
Key word being 'again'.
He scored a hat-trick on his debut for the U18 team, with three more to follow in the next three outings.
Born in Tehran, the capital city of Iran, and moved to England in December 2013. He started playing for Curzon Ashton's under-18s team in June 2014, quickly graduating to their first team before moving on to Bolton via a stint with Manchester City.
He also came off the bench to score on his debut for the U21 team on September 8th:
You can read an exclusive interview with Alex by clicking here.
He's a self-publicist, much in the way that fellow youngster Jamie Thomas is:
Good to get another win with my boys 1-0, & also to score another goal! 9 in 6 @OfficialBWFC #bwfc u18s
— Alex Samizadeh (@ASamizadeh) October 3, 2015
So when do we start talking about the next step?
Obviously the age thing is a real barrier - with the player not turning 17 for another month.
However, given the struggles of first team strikers Gary Madine and....errr.....that's about it, shouldn't we already be considering promoting Samizadeh and Thomas together?
I know Wanderers boss Neil Lennon has expressed the belief that Thomas in particular, is not ready - and both strikers may well not be 'ready'.....but the grim facts relevant to the debate is that we have scored 9 goals in ten games. For those with a calculator, that's a rate of 0.9 goals per game. Tough maths.
Our main striker - Madine, has scored at a rate of 0.22 goals per game, which in the annals of time ranks alongside Johan Elmander (0.19 per game), Emile Heskey (0.04 per game) Craig Davies (0.18 per game) and Jermaine Beckford (0.15 per game). These numbers make for diabolical reading and beg the question to Mr Lennon "just how old do you have to be?".
Thomas has been in the first team squad on occasion, but has yet to see action. I can only imagine that if Samizadeh continues his impressive form then he will be joining the former Blackpool man on the same bench and, possibly, sharing a forward line together.
What harm could it do?
Would you put them in the first team? Leave your thoughts below the line.