If there is one thing that Celta Vigo have been missing for the last few campaigns, it has been a recognised goalscorer to lead the line as a true number nine. In Maxi Gomez, they may just have found exactly what they were looking for.
Although John Guidetti and Claudio Beauvue failed to have any kind of consistent impact in LaLiga, Eduardo Berizzo was still capable of putting together a squad that managed a sixth-placed finish in the 2015/2016 season and both a Copa del Rey and Europa League semi-final place in 2016/2017.
Iago Aspas was a major driving force from the right-hand side, drifting in and scoring freely last season for Celta in an attempt to keep La Celeste on track despite the sale of Nolito to Manchester City. But, despite the Galician's form being enough to earn him a call-up to the Spanish national team, it was clear that something was missing. Somebody to create for, a player to rely upon in the penalty area.
John Guidetti's miss at the very death of Celta's Europa League semi-final second leg against Manchester United highlighted that additional cutting edge was needed. The squad and system was a support network for a striker, mostly down to the exciting options in attacking midfield and the marauding runs of Hugo Mallo down the right-hand side.
In Maxi Gomez, Celta's prayers have been answered. A rather cheap deal was struck for the now-21-year-old forward during the summer, by all accounts, partly down to his relative anonymity at Defensor Sporting in Uruguay and the fact that spending big on a young goal scorer from South America can be a major risk. This time, the gamble has paid off, with the youngster's opening two performances in LaLiga providing a window into what can be expected - and he ticks all of the boxes of yesteryear.
Bulky and bullish, Gomez has the presence and strength to hold his own, with any marker this campaign having a real handful to deal with. There is no fear in his play, he is unmoved by the idea of ruffling feathers and that rough and ready style adds an important edge to the Celta attack.
It is not the area of physicality where he truly excels, however. Maxi Gomez is a natural goal scorer, with his debut performance against Real Sociedad demonstrating nothing short of the fact that Celta have somebody to shoulder some of Iago Aspas' goal scoring burden, so long as the service for him is up to par.
Rather than carving out opportunities for himself with the ball at his feet and beating men in the process, the Uruguayan has an eye for goal and an understanding of how to find it. A spatial awareness of exactly where to be and precisely how to manipulate his body and the space around him in order to direct the ball safely beyond the goalkeeper's grasp.
His two finishes on Celta's opening LaLiga match day illustrated that Maxi Gomez offers many possibilities from areas that may not under usual circumstances boast the best probabilities. The first: a neat, hooked finish. The second was rifled home after a knockdown from a corner by Gustavo Cabral.
In the air, he is not afraid to challenge and put his body into the equation to make life difficult for central defenders. Versus Real Betis, his third goal of the season came via a scrappy deflection, but there is no denying that his hefty presence is another string to Celta's bow for set-piece scenarios alongside the likes of Gustavo Cabral and Facundo Roncaglia. As a collective, Celta lack height, but the burly 21-year-old helps bridge the gap slightly.
Pione Sisto and Iago Aspas will no doubt enjoy the luxury of being able to put the ball into dangerous areas with confidence, knowing that Maxi Gomez should either be on their wavelength - or at least following his predatory instincts in the box. The addition of Stanislav Lobotka and the permanent signing of Jozabed in midfield only bolster the options that Juan Carlos Unzue has to transition upfield creatively and allow for his wide men to provide for his front man.
Unzue has inherited a very capable group of players from his predecessor, and since then they have not lost any players that will extensively damage their attempts to qualify for the Europa League this time around. They already had the production line to create opportunities and Iago Aspas to lead by example. In Maxi Gomez, they have added a natural goalscorer, and having such a player can make a squad's good performances sensational and paper over the cracks when Celta's general play isn't up to scratch.
When things aren't clicking, it is unlikely that the erratic and lumbering presence of Guidetti can be the tonic to Celta's woes, but the instinctual flick of Maxi Gomez's boot alone could earn La Celeste some season-defining points between now and the end of the LaLiga campaign.
