More goals reportedly formed part of the mandate presented to manager Sam Allardyce at the start of the season.
To address the attacking shortcomings, the club made significant investment in the frontline; two key signings were Enner Valencia and Diafra Sakho for a combined total of around £15 million.
Both made an early impact on the team, and their partnership flourished as the team hovered consistently around the Champions League places.
Sakho scored in his first seven starts for the club, while Valencia announced himself to the league with a blistering 25-yard strike away at Hull.
Injuries, however, have lead to fragmented game-time for the pair and proved disruptive, meaning Sakho has only three goals in ten games, while Valencia just five all season.
Admittedly, there appears to have been a change of style, which has curtailed the team somewhat. It is unclear why formations and line-ups have altered from the early season success, but it can be assumed the shift in direction has come from a manager unhappy with the defensive performances earlier in the year.
Either that, or he was satisfied he had hit his quota to achieve the targets set for him, before reverting to his tried and tested methods.
The season total so far of 42 goals is two more than last season’s return, and eighth best in the league. But the team has scored just 12 goals in the 13 league games this calendar year.
The lack of goals in recent weeks is certainly a concern, but injuries and managerial uncertainty make the situation somewhat understandable.
What shouldn’t be a cause for concern is the striker stats for Sakho and Valencia. Both are playing their first season in the top level of English football, and have shown they can compete with the best
Their partnership has proved it can be fruitful, and there have been plenty of positive signs of their potential.
There can be little doubt this season is an improvement on last, but both strikers, along with the whole club, will have to ensure they step up further in 2015-16 to again move forward.
