With all this talk of a center forward needed asap by Crystal Palace, I was wondering who the forwards who have gone down the pecking order at their clubs are. They are put on sale this January (well, almost, some are still important, but for a moderate fee could part ways with their clubs).

There's the Turkish CENK TOSUN at Everton. They paid a lot of money for him back when Palace was in competition too and he was scoring in the Champions League. If you ask me, he's a great striker who should get more appreciation. Works hard, runs into space, strong too, puts his shoulder into it plenty of times and is quite a good goalscorer (given the proper minutes). 2 goals and 2 assists this season. 14 goals and assists total in 2200 minutes in the Premier League and the Champions League. 9 goals and assists in the last 2 years for country too. Everton really should use him more, but they seem settled on selling him. Rumours are they could even accept a loss and sell for just 15 million.

CHRIS WOOD, the New Zeeland player from Burnley is having a pretty lousy season, as the entire team. Really took the PL by surprise last year when he came from the CHampionship. Very big striker, powerful, good headers. But good enough for the PL? I would say average until now.

ANDRE GRAY from Watford is another who has fallen down the pecking order. Was a fast forward for Burnley in their promotion bid a few years ago, Watford paid quite a sum for him (around 20 million). He's decent, but not exceptional. Considering that they'd want to recoup much of that, I'd say to pass on this one.

CHICHARITO. We all know the Mexican from his amazing goals scoring days at Man United. He went to Real Madrid and Leverkusen and did very well after that too. Now 30 years old. Had some problems with his weight last year, but maybe by not being as tall as other center forwards, some extra weight doesn't hurt him. He was always fast and had work ethic, but lacked much technique. He made up with his pressing and determination. West Ham still uses him, but they've said it's going to be his decision whether he stays or goes. He should cost around 10-12 million, an acceptable fee for one who still scored 1 in less than 200 minutes of gametime since coming back to England.

CHARLIE AUSTIN at 29 yo has just been a substitute this season for Southampton. Nevertheless, bagged 3 goals for them in the PL and the Cup. He is a great forward at headers and a decent forward overall. Very tall, strong. Many will say he gets injured too much, but he has only been injured 2 times in the last 3 years: once with a shoulder injury for 143 days and once with a hamstring injury for 98 days. Still, probably not the best option. Danny Ings, the man who got Austin out of the starting 11, has played pretty well since coming in the summer, scored some goals, 6 in 1100 minutes, excluding converted penalties (though a rate of 1 goal every 200 minutes can be called only moderate success for a PL forward, not confirmation). I expressed my feelings that Ings was not a player to go for last summer and I will accept any criticism on that, but it was the logical thing to say after him having been out for so long and having only scored once in 9 Premier League U21 matches last year, a very low level. We'll see how he goes the entire season.

STEVE MOUNIE from Huddersfield is a striker whom I really appreciate. For just 24 years old, he has very good accomplishments. But this first part of the 18/19 season has been awful for him. No goals and just 2 assists in 850 minutes. That's very bad for the morale of a forward. Even though he was great the last 2 years both in the French Ligue 1 and in the PL in his first season (21 goals and 5 assists in 4700 minutes), he will take some time to regain his mental ability to score. He is one player for the future though, I would take him if Huddersfield sold.

YOSHINORI MUTO from Newcastle is a newcomer from the Bundesliga. I talked about him and his exploits there on numerous occasions as I really believe in this forward. Bought by Newcastle, he has come to a struggling team which scores little. Scored just once (against Manchester United) in 400 minutes of gametime, but I'm very confident that all this player needs is a long run of matches to start firing. His numbers in the Bundesliga are just staggering. He needed time to get accustomed to the PL and has now done it. But Rafa Benitez is looking for other types of strikers and with Ayoze Perez, their best prospect for a sale playing in Muto's position, I think they would agree to sell for the same fee they paid for him- 9 million-, or even for less.

ANDY CARROLL is turning 30 this January and his contract with West Ham ends in June. We all know him, you'd know what you'd be buying: a tall striker, very good at headers, poor work rate but a killer left foot! Wouldn't want him though considering how little he has played in the last 2 years.

OUMAR NIASSE. I also have a really good opinion on this player, but Everton has decided to go with youngster Calvert-Lewin and bring in another forward this winter. Niasse will go either to Galatasaray or to Cardiff. If he does go to Cardiff, he will be a massive boost for them in the fight to stay up. He has experience with this type of relegation fight from when he was loaned to Hull in the second part of the 2016/17 season. He played very well there, scored goals, had great work rate, was very appreciated by fans, but the team narrowly went down. He then went back to Everton where he scored a lot even though he hardly came on for a couple of minutes and fans really appreciate him, but he will leave for gametime.

MATEJ VYDRA is the Czech player who was top goalscorer in the Championship last year. He was bought by Burnley but has hardly featured for them. A very fast player, more like second striker. He is very inconstant though, as he had a great Championship season 4 years ago, then a couple of average to bad ones, then came the amazing season in which he became top goalscorer again and now he doesn't play almost at all.

LUCAS PEREZ from West Ham is a player who I, for one, believe could solve the goal scoring issue at a club like Palace. Perez is a strong, left footed forward capable of also playing on the wings. He has never had managers giving him faith in England. He came from Deportivo la Coruna, for whom he was wonderful in the 2015/16 La Liga season. Arsenal used him mostly as a winger and it is pretty hard to get into he Arsenal team. He went back to Deportivo with moderate success and since last summer he has been hired by West Ham. The manager Pellegrini didn't even care about him but was forced to send him in with no other strikers. And Lucas scored a brace in his first match as a starter. And scored 2 more in the Cup, 1 against Tottenham. 4 goals in 300 minutes. And he has had good statistics the last years too, though he played little. Now I don't know if West Ham is really counting on him for the second part of the season. On a declarative level, he says he wants to stay, but I think he won't be getting many chances as they prefer Andy Carroll (back from injury) or even youngsters like Diangana ahead of him. Which is a shame really, this guy should be more respected. I know his playing style, he is not young anymore at 30, but still feisty and strong. I would have no worries if this guy were the main center forward for my team, he'd come true.

LEO BONATINI from Wolves was their starting striker in their promotion bid last year. He had good statistics in the Championship and in Portugal before that. But he has hardly played since they got Raul Jimenez from Benfica, a really good center forward who creates a lot. Still, Leo Bonatini, Brazilian with Italian passport, is a decent striker for just 24 years old.

JERMAINE DEFOE, 36 yo. In my humble opinion, he is not starting material for the PL anymore. I know a lot of you love him, but his best days were in Tottenham. He has gone on to make a decent seasons at a struggling side like Sunderland 2 years ago after coming back fro the MLS. I say decent because, even though he scored like 13 goals that season, half of those were penalties. And he is not a tall center forward. At 1,70 centimetres (5 foot 6) he is not a center forward to hold the ball for the players coming from behind, but more like a second striker. But if you play a tall striker and him as second striker you are very vulnerable defensively, as Defoe isn't capable at his age of doing defensive duties and closing spaces together with the 2 central midfielders behind him anymore. He has entered a few times for Bournemouth last season, but this season he has hardly entered at all. And there's a reason for that. 36 isn't 30. It's not even 33. Think about it: it's 36!

Speaking of elderly gentlemen, FERNANDO LLORENTE from Tottenham should be on his way this winter. Soon to be 34 years old (in February), he, as opposed to Defoe, did actually have a wonderful season with a lowly team like Swansea before coming to Tottenham, scoring a goal in less than 200 minutes of gametime. He is a real fighter, but can he keep it up at 34? Probably has 1 more good season in him.

LYS MOUSET is a young French striker from Bournemouth. Behind Callum Wilson and Josh King, he is on his way out too. Fulham is keen on taking him. He has come to Bournemouth after having a wonderful season in the French second division (Ligue 2) 2 years ago at just 20 years old. Hasn't really done much in England except for a few goals, but in the meanwhile played for the France U21 team and scored 5 goals in 6 matches. Turning 23 in February, the clock is ticking for him and he needs to play now. Wouldn't solve Palace's problems immediately and I wouldn't go for him unless they let him go for free, but he could be one for the future.

And taking into consideration those good forwards who have become substitutes in thier clubs in other European leagues:

There's MAXIMILIAN PHILIPP from Borussia Dortmund. Listen to me, if you have 15-20 million to spend, spend it on this striker! He's amazing for his age. 24 years old and 20 goals and 12 assists in 4500 minutes in the last 2 years. Skinny, but strong, pretty tall, but very fast, able to play on the wing too, good ball control, this is the perfect specimen of a modern striker. Borussia relies on new sensation Paco Alcacer and on veteran Gotze up front, so Philipp hasn't gotten much playing time, Still, scored 4 this autumn. He is wanted by a number of German clubs and will be taken for the fee mentioned above.

DAVIE SELKE from Hertha is another young german forward, 23 years old, very tall, but mobile enough at his age. Cost Hertha 8 million but they don't use him much, There's talk of him coming to Southampton to work with the new German manager there. Has a decent goal record for his age and he creates chances for others too.

LUCAS ALARIO. 26 years old Argentine striker from Bayer Leverkusen has cost them a lot of money (20 million) and has been, according to my standards at least, very good. But he's always a backup for Kevin Volland, who is the starter. 6 goals this season alone, 4 of which were in the Europa League. 22 goals and assists in 2800 minutes in the German club since coming to Europe. They probably want to recoup their money.

In Spain, there is LUIS MURIEL from Sevilla who will leave this winter. He is being offered to a number of Serie A clubs, cause he played very well there for Sampdoria before being bought by Sevilla. He has played well for Sevilla too, scored and assisted plenty. It may not seem so if you just do a wikipedia search and look at his number of matches, but it's only because he used to come on for very few minuted in a lot of matches. If you play him 90 minutes, he does something!

CARLSO BACCA from Villarreal is a wonderful player even at 32 years old. Seriously, if you want to be sure of a goals scoring striker, get Bacca! He was pretty cheap in the summer (5,5 million from Milan). I said Palace should have gone for him. Tremendous work rate, this is a player who always wants to win. 6 goals in 700 minutes this season for Villarreal too, but mostly as substitute.

In France, ROBERT BERIC from Saint Etienne, the Slovenian international, has come back to great form even though he hardly plays. A very strong, powerful forward. If the club could get past the fact that he had a nasty injury 2 years ago, it should try him. Used to be the best striker in the Austrian league, even fighting for the Golden Boot (like Mounas Dabbour from Red Bull Salzburg today), but got injured after going to France. Since last year though he regained his form, he has scored a lot even though he played little.

NUNO DA COSTA is a 27 years old Cape Verdian striker from Strassbourg. He has a pretty decent ecord for a striker in the last 2-3 seasons: 1 goal in less than 200 minutes of gametime. Able to play as winger too, he is really fast. Started the season as a starter, has 7 goals and assists for Strassbourg, but has pretty much been a substitute in the last months. I wonder if he had a knock or minor injury or if the manager just doesn't fancy him.

Mery Christmas to everyone! Take your picks!

Err, I’ll take Solanke on loan or Origi to buy, you didn’t mention either of those.

From your list, my preferences would be :-

Domestically - Charlie Austin (can't see Southampton letting him go though)
Internationally - Carlos Bacca

you too, very good summary, you should be doing DF job clearly you have some good ideas un like DF et-al who all seem to useless!

Personally i dont see us buying a striker in January (unless one or two of our current crop are sold)

It's a bad time to buy a top player, and I genuinely don't see us shelling out 25mil for a player which is pretty much the going rate for a first team striker if our squad also has Benteke, sorloth, ayew and Wickham.

I think a loan is more likely and then review our position in the summer.

They would be my ONLY two as well

The Voice of Reason In An Otherwise Mediocre World