Nothing like a good debate, so here's hoping I can start one:

There’s been talk on this site that we need to upgrade our strikers. But is there actually a need and if so, how great is it?

We simply don’t have the kind of money that would enable us to buy a proven 15 goal a season PL striker (never mind a 20 goal a season one). We are shopping in the lower leagues and less fashionable clubs overseas.

In last summer’s transfer window, there was talk of our getting Adam Armstrong from Blackburn. Southampton outbid us (£15.93m according to Transfermarkt - the figures quoted below are also from that site) and he’s basically been a nonentity there (3 goals and 3 assists in the PL). He spent most of the second half of the season on the bench.

Mitrovic at Fulham has scored some 70 goals over his last 2 Championship seasons but managed just 14 in his last 2 Premier league ones.

Basically, the gulf between the Championship and the Premier League can be massive for central strikers.

We bought Edouard and Mateta from other countries’ leagues for £14.69m and £9.9m respectively. They’ve scored 11 PL goals between them at the rate of a goal every 247 minutes. That equates to 14 goals over a full season which for a team like Palace is an OK return. Both players are 24 and IMHO will improve as they gain more PL experience (Mateta has already improved significantly since those early days under Hodgson).

I’m happy for us to keep them both and see what they can do next year and so for me, at least, there’s no urgent need to upgrade our strikers.

Over to you all!

Very good points, well made.

Both Edouard and Meteta are not premiership standard strikers and should be replaced . Out of the two , if we had to keep one it would be Edouard .

sheesh, give them a chance.
1 year to integrate into a new club, team and Country isn't really that much.

I wasn't a Mateta fan when we signed him, but he has improved no end this year. He's learned to play with the team and is looking much more settled. He'll be our first choice at the beginning of the season - and it'll be down to Edouard to dislodge him.
A third option wouldn't go a miss.

There aren't many PremierLeague standard strikers outside the premierleague ready to go, you need to buy someone with potential and bring them up to speed.

"It was a Team effort, I guess it took all players working together to lose this one"

This, with bloody bells on.

People go on about 20-goal strikers like they're commonplace and every club has one.

How many times have we had a player hit 20 goals in the last 20 years? AJ & Murray... I think that's it.

If Mateta can hit 10-12 goals a season from open play (and his form this season suggests that's possible), that's a very decent output for a forward at our level

Unless Benteke goes, I don't actually think we need a striker. Even then it would be rotation/backup.

Édouard should be given time to improve. Zaha will become a striker. Mateta will improve a bit with experience.

Reinvigorating midfield and RB is more important, and maybe in goal too. Eze has looked good in the past few weeks, so getting him and Olise to where we hope they can get to would give us as many options as buying a centre forward would do. The game is way more fluid these days, and teams are less reliant on a target man anyway.

Ultimately it depends on what we have to spend and who is available, but striker is not where I would see the most urgent need to invest. Replacing Gallagher and the ageing midfield is more important.