Glenn Murray is under no illusions about what the transfer window means.

Especially when you are a striker.

Albion’s top scorer knows his bosses would buy themselves an upgrade on their 34-year-old frontman if they could get him at the right price.

But he will welcome anyone who can score the goals to help keep the club in the Premier League as business cranks into the life during the course of this month.

Albion are expected to go into the market for a new frontrunner having narrowly missed out on targets at the end of August.

That does not have to mean a direct replacement for Murray.

The belief last summer was that they needed a faster compliment to what they already had.

That probably still holds true, even though they have since adopted a style of play which uses the productive Pascal Gross in behind the centre-forward.

And even though Sam Baldock is now back to fitness.

Murray, heading to the tenth anniversary of his own arrival at the club as a January signing, knows there will be reports and speculation about strikers more than any other position.

And he is ready for what this month will bring.

He said: “It is just the nature of the beast whatever club you are at.

“Even the best in the world have it. Look at Ibrahimovic at Man United and they went and bought Lukaku for so much money.

“It’s just the revolving door and a way that every club in football wants to progress.

“Goals are the way forward. That’s what keeps you in the division.

“That’s what gets you promotion and things so everyone is looking for a better centre-forward or better set of players.”

Or, The Argus suggested to him, a different type of striker.

“Most chairmen, if they could swap the team for 11 better players, they would,” he replied.

“That is the way football clubs want to progress and win things.”

So is Murray expecting a new striker to arrive, The Argus asked.

“From what you say, yes,” he replied with a laugh.

“Anyone the club moves in who can help us move forward would be a welcome addition.

“If somebody comes in and scores a lot of goals and keeps us in the division, then great, if we all work as a team.”

Transfer talk will be plentiful from now until Albion go to Southampton on the final day of the month.

Chief executive Paul Barber recognised that on Monday as he used his notes in the match programme to warn fans not to trust what they read via “anonymous and uninformed sources on social media”.

As with Murray, there was a bit of humour too.

Sometimes that is the best way to approach the madness.

The Argus:

Paul Barber

Barber wrote: “For the record we haven’t signed anybody – yet!”

This in a publication which went on sale all of nine hours or so into the 31-day window.

The first days of January are also a decent time to take stock of league position as the competition takes a break for FA Cup action.

As was the case in September, Albion have a long lead-in to what is looking a very significant fixture against West Brom.

Murray is not totally content with the Seagulls’ haul of five points from four games over a burst of Christmas and New Year fixtures which saw them play three sides struggling for form.

It was a tally which matched that of Bournemouth, the side with whom they drew on New Year’s Day.

Newcastle took seven points from a possible 12 over the same period and Crystal Palace’s late winner at Southampton took them to five.

Other sides did not do so well. Stoke and Swansea each collected four points from the four games, a total matched by West Ham with their trip to Spurs still to come.

Huddersfield and Watford each took three points while West Brom and Southampton only managed two.

Murray said: “In an ideal world we would probably have liked to have gained more points from the last two fixtures.

“I think Chelsea is probably one of those you just draw a line under.

“Playing at Stamford Bridge, it’s one at the start of the season that you think if we get anything it will be a bonus.

“Losing up there wasn’t surprising, not to say that we go up there to lose.

“I think the Newcastle game and the Bournemouth game, we possibly could have got more out of with a little bit of luck.

“But they are two teams at the bottom of the league challenging with us to avoid a possible relegation spot.

“We didn’t let either of them catch us.”

Albion played their four games over a shorter period than most.

They now have to wait until Monday for FA Cup action against Crystal Palace.

Murray said: “We might get a little break.

“It is a bit of a blessing in disguise we have got Palace a couple of days after everybody else on the Monday.

“It gives us a little bit of extra break and I think we need it after this busy Christmas period.”