Going into the season there was a general assumption that Orlando City would be lacking pretty heavily on the defensive side of the field while the offense thrived with Kaka at the helm. Boy were we backwards. Interestingly enough the defensive line has played quite well while the attack has been quite lacking, especially at home.

Orlando City is getting to the point where they are almost in desperate need for a quality striker up front in order to be able to score goals to limit there problems in the final third. In the latest 2-0 loss against Toronto, Orlando City was lacking creativity in the final third, and seemed to be trying to take the ball up the flanks (especially in the 2nd half) instead of staying central and creating better opportunities through the run of play.

You would never think that an offense featuring Kaka would lack creativity on offense, however that is the case. I believe that Kaka is playing to far forward, and he needs to sit back a little further in the midfield and be able to receive the ball before the final third in order for him to utilize his world class passing skills and create better opportunities up top. Even though Cyle Larin and Bryan Rochez have a ton of promise, neither of them are at a level where they should be starting strikers on the Orlando City roster.

Here are the 5 top players I think Orlando City should sign in this transfer window in order to help finish in the final third.

#5 Luis Fabiano- Market Value: 1,000,000 £ (Sao Paulo FC)

Luis Fabiano is a Brazilian Striker who is 34 years of age. Even though he is getting a little bit older, Fabiano is a well proven striker. He could immediately come in and make an impact in the final third. So far this season at Sao Paulo, has scored one goal in five appearances. His contract doesn’t end until December 31 of this year, so Orlando City may potentially have to pay a transfer fee it they wanted him sooner, however they could probably get him quite cheap if not on a free transfer considering his lack of playing time so far this season. Keep in mind Fabiano and Kaka played together recently when Kaka was on loan at Sao Paulo.

#4 Lima- Market Value: 8,500,000 £ (SL Benfica)

Most people who are reading this article have absolutely no idea who this guy is, and that is understandable. The 31 year old, Rodrigo José Lima dos Santos is a starting striker for Benfica in Portugal’s top league. So far this season, Lima has scored 14 goals and completed 5 assists for Benfica so far this season. He is another proven striker who I believe could come over to the MLS and score plenty of goals. He is somewhat of a natural fit for Orlando City for a few different reasons. One, he is Brazilian, which would be following the trend of signing quality Brazilian talent. Two, he plays for Benfica who has a strategic partnership with Orlando City, which also helps. A player of this quality would cost Orlando City a good chunk of money, however his production on the field would surely make it worth it. Benfica may not be willing to part with him right now because he is a quality striker, but could Orlando City could potentially work a deal to possibly send Carlos Rivas’ contract to Benfica and then resign him immediately on loan and let him develop here in Orlando plus a transfer fee? Benfica could very well be interested in something like that as well considering they were interested in Rivas before Orlando City acquired him. This would be an incredible signing.

#3 Peter Crouch- Market Value: 2,000,000 £ (Stoke City)

Peter Crouch is a 34 year old striker for Stoke City in England. Crouch has been mentioned in Orlando City rumors in the past and is another natural fit considering Phil Rawlins has plenty of ties with Stoke City. He is getting older, but I believe he could provide quality minutes while on the pitch in Orlando. This wouldn’t be as great of a signing as somewhat like Lima, but realistically if Stoke City was willing to split with him it would be much more affordable for Orlando. I wouldn’t be surprised if this actually happen.

#2 Dom Dwyer- Market Value: 1,500,000 £ (Sporting Kansas City)

This would be an unbelievable trade if Orlando City could pull it off. Dom Dwyer is one player who absolutely thrived in Adrian Heath’s system when Orlando City was in the USL Pro. If Orlando could acquire him, he would make an immediate impact for Orlando City and potentially score a lot of goals. I’m not sure if Sporting Kansas City would be willing to part ways with Dwyer, but if they were it would be for a pretty hefty fee. If Orlando City could make this trade happen, Dwyer would be the second most marketable player in Orlando behind Kaka because of his past here in Orlando. This would be the most realistic choice to look at if I were in charge of the front office in Orlando. This would be another huge signing for Orlando however I wouldn’t hold your breath.

#1 Zlatan Ibrahimovic- Market Value: 21,000,000 £ (Paris Saint-Germain)

This would be one of the biggest signings in MLS history, and probably an unrealistic one at this point. Ibrahimovic is an unbelievable striker. If he were to come to Orlando he would immediately put himself in the race for the Golden Boot considering his skill level. Unfortunately Ibrahimovic is under contract until July of 2016 with PSG and it is unlikely that an MLS team would pursue him until then in order to get him on a free transfer. However, with all the scrutiny that Ibra is under at PSG, there is a chance that PSG would be willing to let him go now for a discounted rate to get him out of Paris and also to get something out of him instead of letting him go on a free transfer. This is probably the most unrealistic signing out of everyone on my list, but still possible if Orlando City is willing to make the investment.

That is my list of the proven strikers Orlando City should try to acquire. I’m sure the front office has a list of their own that they are looking at and hopefully will pull the trigger sooner rather than later.

*Market values were provided by transfermarkt.com