Championship Transfer News: West Ham aim high for a striker

Championship / Michael Lintorn / 23 January 2012 /

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Peter Odemwingie is no longer a certain starter for West Brom after just four in 13 starts this season

"Sam Allardyce has long bemoaned his team’s chance-to-conversion ratio and is determined to find a solution in the transfer window this month."

A proven goal-getter leads Championship promotion hopefuls West Ham's January wish list, though they don't yet appear close to signing anyone...

West Ham went top of the Championship for the first time this season on Saturday with a 2-1 triumph over Nottingham Forest, however there wasn't exactly a party atmosphere at the Boleyn Ground to celebrate the occasion.

One reason is the likelihood of Southampton instantly reclaiming the position that they have held since September when they entertain Leicester on Monday in a match that they are [1.86] to win and in which they are backed by The Joker.

The other is that both of their goals against a Nottingham Forest side on a rotten run of form and four points from safety came courtesy of Mark Noble from the penalty spot, marking a third straight game in which they had failed to score from open play.

On paper, the Irons appear to boast one of the strongest pool of strikers in the Football League, but with John Carew and Frederic Piquionne managing just four between them, the onus has fallen on Carlton Cole and summer signing Sam Baldock to fire them back to the Premier League.

And with both players suffering lean spells at the moment, there is an understandable concern that when their current spate of penalty awards ends, the goals and consequently the victories will dry up, compromising their [2.4]-rated title bid.

Sam Allardyce has long bemoaned his team's chance-to-conversion ratio and is determined to find a solution in the transfer window this month. Judging by links to Rangers' SPL top scorer Nikica Jelavic and West Brom's Peter Odemwingie, he is setting his sights rather high, perhaps too much so.

It is reported that negotiations with Jelavic haven't gone well - his father quoted in The Sun saying that he is too ambitious to join them or QPR - and Odemwingie is a similarly bold target having netted 15 times in the Premier League last term.

Second favourites Southampton [[3.7]] have also adopted the buy-big-or-don't-bother mentality by chasing prolific Celtic forward Gary Hooper, who made his name under Saints boss Nigel Adkins at Scunthorpe. They have also been frustrated thus far in their efforts.

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