I’ve made a start for you Glenn…

City boss and future knight of the realm Glenn Roeder has made it clear that a proven goalscorer is right at the top of his list of priorities when he begins his summer restructure at the club. Always one to try and help out where possible, for this week’s column I’ve put together a bit of a shortlist of potential targets for him to work through with Messrs Smith, Jones, Turner and Doncaster:

Bobby Zamora (West Ham United).

What’s the story? The former City trainee has missed most of the season with a serious ankle injury, and is only now making a return to first-team duties at Upton Park.

Zamora shot to fame at Brighton and Hove Albion where his impressive goalscoring record of 76 goals in just 125 games persuaded then Spurs boss Glenn Hoddle to fork out £1.5m for his services in the summer of 2003. The following January he joined the club he supported as a boy as part of the deal that saw Jermain Defoe move to White Hart Lane.

27 year-old Zamora has scored a total of 113 career goals in 271 games - a ratio of 2.4 games per goal.

How much would he cost? Weekend reports linked Birmingham City with a £4m move for the man rejected by the Canaries as a youngster. So that seems to be the going rate.

Verdict: If that £4m figure is about right there’s a snowball’s chance in hell that Zamora will make his way to Norfolk - and that’s even before trying to convince him that his immediate future lies outside the Premier League. Unlikely then.

Shola Ameobi (Newcastle United).

What’s the story? The 26 year-old Nigerian-born striker has been continually linked with a loan move to Carrow Road this season, and has hardly played for Kevin Keegan’s struggling Toon Army.

Ameobi has been at the club since the age of 13 when he was spotted playing for his local youth side, and made his debut for the Magpies in September 2000 against Chelsea at St James Park.

He has scored 28 career goals in 168 games - a disappointing ratio of 6 games per goal, although many of those appearances have come from the substitute’s bench.

How much would he cost? A difficult one to forecast as Premier League strikers seem to be going for ridiculous money these days. I would think somewhere around the £2.5m mark would be reasonable but it could easily be anywhere between £1.5-£3.5m.

Verdict: Ameobi could be lethal at Championship level, and I can see him as a potential replacement for Dion Dublin. If the transfer fee itself wasn’t a problem, his wages probably would be. Has anyone seen his house on MTV Cribs? It’s massive.

Freddy Eastwood (Wolverhampton Wanderers).

What’s the story? The former Southend United star was linked with a move to Norwich before joining Wolves, but for some reason has failed to establish himself in Mick McCarthy’s side.

The Welshman has 6 caps and scored 24 goals for the Shrimpers in the Championship a couple of seasons ago. He has scored a total of 84 career goals in 178 games which a ratio of 2.1 games per goal - although that does include his time at non-league Grays Athletic.

Eastwood is famously a member of the Romani community and was often seen exercising his horse on the A127 in Essex on the morning of a match day when playing for Southend.

The 24 year-old Welsh international got off to a blistering start at Molineux, picking up the Player of the Month award for August, but since then has fallen behind Andy Keogh, Jay Bothroyd, Kevin Kyle and Sylvan Ebanks-Blake in the pecking order.

How much would he cost? I reckon a bid of around £2m would get the attention of McCarthy for a player signed for £1.5m last summer.

Verdict: I see Eastwood as the perfect long-term replacement for Jamie Cureton, but could the two play in the same side? I don’t see any reason why not.

Martin Paterson (Scunthorpe United).

What’s the story? Paterson started his career at Stoke City, and after a successful loan spell at Grimsby Town was signed by Scunthorpe last summer to replace Billy Sharp.

The Canaries reportedly had an £850k bid for 20 year-old Paterson rejected in January, prompting their Chairman to say that it would take a bid of “£5m” to prize-away his main asset.

In November, Northern Ireland manager Nigel Worthington included Paterson in his squad for the friendly matches against Denmark and Spain.

Paterson has scored 12 goals for Scunthorpe this season and a total 19 career goals in 63 games - a ratio of 3.3 games per goal.

How much would he cost? Somehow I don’t think it would take that £5m to nab Paterson - especially if the Iron are relegated to League One. Somewhere around £1.5m should do it.

Verdict: He has proven his worth at Championship level, and could be another replacement for Cureton.

And the best of the rest:

Izale McLeod (Charlton Athletic). Another linked with a move to Norwich this season, McLeod has struggled to settle at the Valley and could be a cheaper alternative at around £1m.

Shefki Kuqi (Crystal Palace). The former Ipswich man has been transfer listed for allegedly making naughty gestures at his own supporters when he was substituted against Wolves recently. I suspect he could be picked up for less than £1m - but would supporters be able to forgive and forget his Tractor Boy past?

Ched Evans (Manchester City). The general consensus of opinion is that The Ched will be heading back to Eastlands at the end of the season. Sven Goran Eriksson has some pretty impressive strikers already in his locker though - and you can bet your bottom dollar he’ll be adding to them over the summer, so why not go back in for Ched? I’ve no idea how much he would cost, but it’s got to be worth the question hasn’t it?

So there you have it Glenn, I hope that helps. For what it’s worth I’d try and get Freddy Eastwood and Ched Evans, but if it wasn’t obvious before it seems fairly certain now that a big, big investment is going to be needed over the summer to fill the many vacancies left in the City squad.

Chairman Roger Munby has come out this week and promised to back Roeder in the market this summer, so it’s bound to be an exciting time.

And we’ll be getting a new kit. I’m looking forward to the summer already.

Until next week…

OTBC