Chaplin has been disappointing this season, but as has been said numerous times on this forum, I believe it’s due to his positioning. The key question is whether that’s under instruction or his lack of positional awareness.
Biamou jokes aside, the strike partner is also key. Playing with JCH is a pretty thankless task, as unless he’s an impact sub, he adds little and also has poor positional sense or footballing intelligence. Hopefully the Hiwula combination will work, and the two of them can use their movement to trouble defences. Hiwula is the best striker at the club at the minute.
The price tag is high and, unfairly or not, that doesn’t help when judging his contribution so far. His first touch has been poor, and when he does control it, the ball then seems to get caught under his feet, and he’s a lot slower than I imagined. However, at times his movement has looked good and he is obviously keen to do well, so hopefully the ability MR saw in him will come through.
He’s not someone I would have wanted to sign based on his first six months, but from a longer term perspective I believe he’ll prove his worth.