So for those that saw the game: assuming we don't sign a Chaplin or similar, should Hiwula play through the middle or down the wings in a front 3?
I'd say he can do both but it depends what's happening around him e.g.. I think he'd do ok in a front 2 with Biamou or JCH - when he went clean through, he was right of centre with classic strikers movement, pulling slightly wider to create a gap and then keeping himself onside. However if you still wanted Andreu in there then the rest of the 3 midfield would have to be quite defensive, probably at the cost of any natural width, or you go 3 at the back.
He'll be fine in a 3 too if he refines his role a bit more but on Saturday Bayliss tucked into the middle quite a lot off the ball while Hiwula stayed wide. It isolated Biamou and also meant that Hiwula was quite far from the box a lot of the time, reducing his goal threat. 2nd half he tucked in a bit more and until we conceded we actually looked really good.
As a 3rd option, if we wanted to play with him as the spearhead with forwards off him, I think we'd have to drop a DM and play the midfield a lot closer to him, playing with him and running off him a lot more than Saturday. I'm not sure L1 is ready for the kind of total football yet
The least preferable option for me but he is our only current forward with genuine flexibility I'd say.