The tallest strikers in Premier League history - and how they fared | OneFootball

Nottingham Forest have reached an agreement to sign Lorenzo Lucca from Napoli, with the towering target-man heading to the Midlands for a medical.

Sean Dyche will hope the 6ft 7in striker can be a huge help to his side's survival hopes,as Forest close in on landing Lucca on loan.

The Italy international will become one of the tallest players inPremier League history and, certainly, one of the tallest centre-forwards.

Ahead of his arrival, we've looked at the tallest strikers the league has seen - and how they fared.

Peter Crouch - 6ft 7in

Perhaps the player that immediately springs to mind when remembering the league's 'big men'.

Crouch overcame early-career doubts to become one of the most universally appreciated players in thePremier League, with his self-deprecating humour and gift for goals winning fans.

Crouch scored 108 goals and laid on 57 assists in 468Premier League appearances, enjoying memorable spells with Southampton, Liverpool, Portsmouth, Tottenham Hotspur and Stoke City, among others.

Almost half his top-flight goals came via his head, with his 53 headed goals aPremier League record, leading Alan Shearer (46) and Dion Dublin (45) on that metric. He delivered for England, too, scoring 22 times for the Three Lions in just 42 caps.

More than just an aerial presence, Crouch could play. A stunning overhead kick forLiverpool and a sublime touch and volley for Stoke stand out as unforgettable Crouch moments.

Stefan Maierhofer - 6ft 8in

Wolves spent £1.8m to bring Stefan Maierhofer to the Premier League from Rapid Vienna in 2009, as the newly-promoted side sought presence.

The move failed to work out as Maierhofer made just ninePremier League appearances, scoring his only goal on debut in a 3-1 defeat to Blackburn Rovers.

After a series of loan spells, he leftWolves in 2011, later returning to England for a short spell at second-tier Millwall.

Nikola Zigic - 6ft 8in

Birmingham City's capture of Nikola Zigic was considered a coup in 2010. The Serbian striker arrived at St Andrews from Valencia, with a decent goal record for club and country.

Zigic proved a smart signing for Birmingham, even if he was unable to keep the club in thePremier League. The Blues were relegated during his debut season, though Zigic did score the opener at Wembley as Birmingham beat Arsenal in the 2011 League Cup final.

Despite relegation, he stuck with the club for a further four seasons before retirement. Zigic scored 32 goals in 128 games for Birmingham, with his Wembley effort etched into club folklore.

Lacina Traore - 6ft 8in

There was excitement atEverton when Lacina Traore joined on loan from AS Monaco, with the man dubbed the 'Big Tree' having tormented fierce rivals Liverpool while representing former side Anzhi Makhachkala.

Traore marked his debut with a goal in the FA Cup against Swansea City, but disaster soon struck. The January recruit injured his hamstring ahead of a clash against Chelsea and did not return until the final game of the season.

HisPremier League involvement was limited to one minute of action.

Saša Kalajdžić - 6ft 7in

Like many on this list, there were big expectations for a big man when Saša Kalajdžić signed forWolves. The Austrian had been one of the Bundesliga's best goalscorer at Stuttgart, netting 17 goals in all competitions in 2020-21.

Wolves paid around £15m to sign Kalajdžić in 2022, but he endured a nightmare debut after sustaining an ACL injury. Kalajdžić returned in 2023-24 and scored three times in 13 games, before departing for Eintracht Frankfurt on loan.

While in Germany, he suffered another ACL injury, his third such knee issue in just five seasons. Then 28-year-old remains aWolves