IT is the signing that will define Albion’s season. Can Fran be the man?

Is Fran Sandaza the goalscoring matador manager Gus Poyet has been scouring the market for all summer?

Poyet is convinced the 25-year-old Spaniard will make a difference where it really matters - inside the opposition penalty area.

He spoke enthusiastically about Sandaza’s goalscoring instincts and finishing qualities after watching Glenn Murray and Ashley Barnes fire blanks against Leyton Orient on Wednesday.

Two into three does not go, so one of them is likely to make way for Poyet’s latest and most significant signing when Albion return to action against MK Dons at Withdean a week tomorrow.

Poyet’s optimism is given credence by pretty strong statistical evidence. Sandaza scored 23 goals in 36 appearances during four years at Valencia.

That is not a record to be sniffed at, even if it was for the B team of the La Liga outfit. You would, after all, expect quite a few reserve sides of Premier League teams to be too strong for Albion.

Poyet has been monitoring Sandaza since his close friend Roberto Di Matteo tried to take him to MK Dons two years ago. Sandaza joined Dundee United instead - after flirting with the idea of changing careers to become a policeman - and his goal-scoring record there stands up to scrutiny.

He netted overall 11 times in 38 appearances in the Scottish Premier League, 14 of which were as a substitute. The way Albion outplayed Aberdeen pre-season emphasised the dubious level of top flight football north of the border, but five of Sandaza’s goals came in three games against Rangers and Celtic.

Sandaza also accumulated seven yellow cards in an impressive debut season at United. Poyet describes him as “aggressive” inside the box and the caution tally indicates the six-footer from Toledo is not afraid to put himself about.

Interest in Sandaza from other clubs in the English Championship and Spanish second division add more weight to the theory that Poyet may have unearthed a striker to propel Albion towards a promotion challenge.

What of the doubts? How high up, or low down, Sandaza really was on Poyet’s wanted list is a moot point. The Seagulls were certainly interested in Shefki Kuqi at Swansea where Sandaza coincidentally had a trial which came to nothing.

Fitness is the biggest concern. Sandaza started only 24 out of 76 league games in two seasons at Dundee. His goalscoring flow in his debut campaign was interrupted by injury, the last one was wrecked by Murray’s bugbear, a double hernia.

Dundee United’s willingness to let him cancel his contract, which had this season to run, in order to join Albion for a year should not be regarded as a negative since he was their highest earner.

It won’t stop some supporters feeling a little sceptical, considering the manner in which another overseas centre forward Federico Turienzo flopped in the Championship for Albion.

A Dundee United insider believes he will deliver. The source told The Argus: “It was Craig Levein (now Scotland manager) who unearthed him and he did not make too many bad signings for the club.

“Fran is a good player if he is fit. He has a bit of flair but also works very hard. He was very popular with the fans and the rest of the players as well."