I didn't realise that strikers are finished at 28,when did that happen?
His best season was last season?
So if he drops down a league,is he still over the hill or does he get one more season as his last?
Did I say finished?
If you look at forwards they will have about 4 or 5 years at their peak and that is generally between the ages of 23/24 to 28/29. Some peak earlier and also decline earlier. What the post peak player looks like depends on a multiple factors and how much of a post peak career they have also varies. However at 28/29 he isn't going to improve and he will go into decline at some point during the next few seasons and that decline could be quite sharp.
Dropping down a level helps and that is one of the main arguments for keeping him but the following season if we are promoted we are one season further away from his peak years and we are asking him to step back up a level I suspect that won't go well.
Best season? The one at Southampton before he picked up his knee ligament injury aged 24 but his best season after that last year.
We bought him for £14m with a question mark over his long term fitness last season at least put that to bed but regrettably he is running out of career and won't recapture the form of 4/5 seasons ago.
I agree with Jacko if we were a Premier League club and we spent £24m on him I wouldn't be happy. We spent £10m less a year ago but gave him a 4 year contract which was a little foolhardy but year one of that gamble worked out okay. Although how well the subsequent years work out remains to be seen.