Crouch for Striker?

Peter Crouch is expected to transfer from Liverpool to Portsmouth before the 2008 / 2009 season kicks off. This will reunite him with his England striker partner, Jermaine Defoe. Sky Sports' Opta stats look at the numbers that the partnership has achieved.

The article is fairly bouyant about their work together, and provides this data:

Crouch and Defoe for England

Matches Played Together: 7
Goals Scored as Partnership: 10
Goals Scored by Crouch: 7
Goals Scored by Defoe: 3

Portsmouth's opening three fixtures are not easy: Chelsea away first up, Man Utd at home in week 2, then Everton away in the third week. It is unlikely Portsmouth will bring home a large haul of goals against these opposition.

The fixture list gets easier for them over October and November, and this might be a good time to consider Crouch (or Defoe) for your squad.

Kanu and youngster Sahar (on load from Chelsea) also makes the decision Should I Buy Crouch more difficult, since it is unclear how Redknapp will play his strikers.

If / when Crouch's transfer to Portsmouth goes ahead, if Redknapp prefers a Crouch & Defoe strike force, and if Crouch is showing good signs of form then he may be worth looking at after gameweek 3. At this early stage however there are probably better options for a striker.