[Swiper the fox]

Originally Posted by zerks

Podolski to Benteke, Yeah or nay?

Worth taking the chance particularly as it will leave you with a nice bit of change, Podolski is the opposite of most of the guys we rave about as he's a striker playing in a midfield position, I wouldn't want that in my team. Is Benteke the best replacement? Who knows, if Villa are to stay up they'll rely a lot on him, hard to see them being a free scoring side though.

[zerks]

Originally Posted by Swiper the fox

Worth taking the chance particularly as it will leave you with a nice bit of change, Podolski is the opposite of most of the guys we rave about as he's a striker playing in a midfield position, I wouldn't want that in my team. Is Benteke the best replacement? Who knows, if Villa are to stay up they'll rely a lot on him, hard to see them being a free scoring side though.

I think he's a bit like Fletcher at Sunderland,if there's a goal scored he's more than likely to be involved in it.
Agbonlahor seems to be hitting some kind of form again & Benteke is benefiting,plus as you said the move would leave me with a nice few quid to spend elsewhere in the team.

[roryc]

Who's the best <£10m option up front for the end of season run in?

Made a bit of a shortlist, leaning towards Benteke myself (already have Suarez/Lambert). It's between him and Sturridge. Both are the in form players and both still have something to play for. Just need Sturridge to get more gametime to make it worth the risk. Will be keeping a close eye on Berbs for the DGW...

In order of Points per game (PPG):

Sturridge
£7.5m - 6.2 PPG (since joining Liverpool). Last 5 games - 4 goals, 2 assists
Liverpool have a cracking run coming up and will be pushing for European spots. He seems to be injury prone though. If he's guaranteed a start he's a definite option, even alongside Suarez.

Lambert
£7.2m - 5.1 PPG. Last 5 games - 2 goals, 3 assists
Tough run after next week, but Southampton are nowhere near safe.

Berbatov
£6.9m - 5 PPG. Last 5 games - 3 goals
Ah the enigmatic Berbatov. He'll score 16 points against Arsenal and then get 7 consecutive 2 pointers. Fulham have nothing to play for but he could be a worthy punt for Fulhams DGW whenever that is.

Benteke
£7m - 4.8 PPG. Last 5 games - 5 goals
Great fixtures coming up with some 6 pointers against Reading & QPR. Must win games if they want PL action next year. Results have been getting better and they were unlucky last week against Arsenal.

Kone
£6.5m - 4.2 PPG. Last 5 games - 3 goals, 1 assist
Wigan are in a relegation battle and will be relying on top scorer Kone to help them stay above the dropzone. Good to note that they'll have a DGW coming up. One of the fixtures will be against United, but if they have already won the league and are challenging elsewhere it's likely Wigan could get something from this.

Lukaku
£6.5m - 4.2 PPG. Last 5 games - 3 goals, 2 assists
West Brom have nothing to play for really but Lukaku has shown he can score. 4th highest goalscoring striker this season despite missing a lot of games. Not one I would pick though.

Cisse
£8.8m - 3 PPG. Last 5 games - 2 goals
More expensive than any of the above with a worse return. But he showed last year what he's capable of, could be worth the gamble. I wouldn't though.


Tevez, Ba, Hernandez, Podolski, Remy simply not playing enough to be considered.

[Lemlin]

I have Lambert myself but, when you say you base some of your decisions on what the market lads in your job say, why don't you ask them what the odds are on each striker to score the most for the remainder of the season?