One of the key components of any Championship-winning side is boasting a striker who can find the net on a consistent basis. While this is not always the case, past seasons underline that teams are usually happy to splash the cash more freely to land those who are known to find the net.
As the new campaign draws nearer, Sports Mole takes a look at those who could top the scoring charts this time around, but there is no place in our list for the likes of Ross McCormack, Andre Gray and Chris Martin.
1. Daryl Murphy
Club: Ipswich Town
Age: 32
Goals last season (Championship): 27
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The big question heading into the 2015-16 campaign concerns the Irishman's ability to match the feat of last time out, when he top-scored in the Championship with an impressive 27 goals. In his four previous years with Ipswich, Murphy's goal tally averaged at around five per season, before he made a step up in 2013.
Thirteen goals throughout that year was a respectable return, but having stepped it up last term to spearhead the Tractor Boys' drive to the playoffs, the pressure is on Murphy to find his scoring boots once again. It is not known just how serious the reported interest in the ageing forward was earlier this summer, but having penned a new deal at Portman Road focus can now switch to the new season.
2. Jordan Rhodes
Club: Blackburn Rovers
Age: 25
Goals last season (Championship): 21
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If it is consistency you are after, then look no further than prolific Blackburn striker Rhodes. A hugely impressive tally of 85 goals in 154 matches for Huddersfield Town led to a high-profile switch to Blackburn Rovers in 2012, where the Scotland international has continued to thrive.
At Ewood Park, Rhodes has found the net a further 73 times - including 21 last season - to prove that he is one of those players who is very much worth his weight in gold at this level. His development may continue elsewhere before the transfer window is out, particularly after making his thoughts known on Rovers' attempt to block a move to Middlesbrough, but wherever he is plying his trade next term the goals are sure to follow.
3. Rudy Gestede
Club: Blackburn Rovers
Age: 26
Goals last season (Championship): 20
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Just 20 months ago - admittedly a long time in the world of football - Gestede cut a frustrated figure at Cardiff City as he struggled to break into the Bluebirds' first team under Malky Mackay. Promotion to the Premier League for the Welsh outfit made matters even worse for the Benin international, who was omitted from matchday squads altogether in his final half-season with the club.
A move to Blackburn followed for a cut-price figure after impressing on loan, but his progress in front of goal since then has been nothing short of incredible. Once a player ridiculed for hiring a running coach to teach him how to time his runs properly, the hard work has paid off in style as Gestede claimed 20 goals of his own last time out. His partnership with Rhodes is deadly at Championship level, yet with both players likely to move on, you wonder just how Rovers will cope.
4. Eoin Doyle
Club: Cardiff City
Age: 27
Goals last season (League One/Championship): 30
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Despite leaving for Cardiff midway through the 2014-15 campaign, Doyle still finished joint-third in the League One goalscoring charts thanks to his impressive pre-Christmas tally. A step-up to the Championship seemed inevitable and, while it did take some time for the 27-year-old to find his groove, he ended the season well.
Four goals in his final three games proved that Doyle certainly has the ability to make an impact in the second tier, particularly in what should be his peak years. With the Bluebirds devoid of any real striking options, bar the talents of an increasingly unsettled Kenwyne Jones, all eyes will be on the former Chesterfield star to pick up from where he left off when things gets back underway in August.
5. Joe Garner
Club: Preston North End
Age: 27
Goals last season (League One): 25
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Garner has been made to wait a little longer than Doyle to have another shot at Championship football, having remained at Preston beyond the winter transfer window to guide his side all the way in the playoffs. The former Watford, Scunthorpe United and Nottingham Forest forward is hardly a stranger to that division, though, having started 68 games before dropping down the divisions.
A return of 16 goals in that time hardly offers a great deal of encouragement, in truth, yet with more experience under his belt and impressive back-to-back goalscoring seasons at League One level with North End, things could be different this time around. If that happens then Simon Grayson's men may very well challenge for a place in the top half of the table, having also recruited another experienced option up top in Jermaine Beckford on a permanent deal.
Daniel Lewis
