A crazy season in the Premier League has resulted in tons of goals. However whilst some strikers have more than delivered, others have faltered and fallen short of expectations. As we approach the halfway mark of the season its time to rate each teams star striker from one to ten.
Arsenal – Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. 4/10
The Gabonese striker has looked a shadow of his former self this season, in the league, he has only managed a measly three goals. Having not missed a single minute of league football this season, his goal every four hundred and twenty-nine minutes is far from what is to be expected of the club captain. Whilst he has been pushed out to the left side, this has not been compensated for with assists, having only managed one this season. Far bigger things will be expected from the Gabonese international in the second half of the season, especially after his bumper new contract.
Aston Villa – Ollie Watkins. 6/10
Grabbing a six out of ten, summer signing Ollie Watkins has so far met the standards expected of him. Though he has seen a drop-off in recent months, this can largely be attributed to simple individual errors as shown by his 10 big chances missed according to Sofascore.
Brighton – Neal Maupay. 5/10
If this was a rating based purely on start to the season Maupay could expect a far better score, having managed three goals in his first three games. Now though five months in with a clearer picture, Maupay has struggled to push on from his strong start, managing only two goals since October.
Burnley – Chris Wood. 3/10
Starting every game so far in the season, scoring half your team’s goals, not a bad start to the season right? Well, that’s not quite how it works in Chris Wood’s case, as though he has scored three of Burnley’s nine it has been far from a class year for Wood. There will need to be a marked increase from both club and player, as they look to avoid the drop.
Chelsea – Timo Werner. 5/10
A real mixed start to the season for Werner, the German international has failed to stake his claim as an irreplaceable player in the Chelsea team. Managing just four goals in seventeen games, this is slightly compensated by his four assists. The biggest criticism is his eight missed big chances, something that is particularly underwhelming after his fifty million pound move from RB Leipzig.
Crystal Palace – Christian Benteke. 5/10
Grabbing three goals in thirteen games, Benteke has aimed this season to prove he can still offer something to a Premier League unit. His return for this season has already equalled his total for the last two seasons, and he has started to fit back into Roy Hodgson’s plans regularly.
Everton – Dominic Calvert-Lewin. 9/10
The Englishman has become completely irreplaceable in the Everton side, scoring eleven goals in his sixteen starts. Really seeming to mature as a player, his versatility has increased massively scoring four with his head. His connection with new signing James Rodriguez has been lighting up Goodison Park all season long. If he continues this form he looks a sure thing to be in Gareth Southgate’s squad for the Euro’s.
Fulham – Aleksander Mitrovic. 2/10
After scoring twenty-six and becoming The Championship’s top goal scorer last season, there were huge expectations for the Serbian on his return to the Prem. Unfortunately, this pressure hasn’t produced diamonds this time, with only two goals to his name Mitrovic has looked a shell of the player he was last year.
Editors Picks
Leeds – Patrick Bamford. 8/10
Among the leagues top goal-scorers this season Bamford is playing like a player with a point to prove. Already hitting eleven goals this season, he has been the focal point of Leeds attack this season, scoring over a third of the clubs thirty goals. However, one point to bring some alarm is the twelve big chances he has missed alongside Chris Wood the most in the league.
Leicester – Jamie Vardy. 9/10
Jamie Vardy has once again shown this season that you cannot write him off. Scoring an impressive eleven goals, he has been a benchmark of consistency and once again amongst the very best strikers in the division. The Leicester striker currently has the best goals to minute rate in the whole league for his position, and has also managed to already match his assist total of five from last season.
Liverpool – Roberto Firmino. 6/10
In a season where his position in the starting eleven was rumoured to be coming under threat, Firmino has responded by putting them rumours to rest and excelling in his role as a playmaking striker. Producing a key pass every game, and with three assists and five goals to his name, it looks like his place is safe from Diogo Jota for now.
Manchester City – Gabriel Jesus. 5/10
With Aguero’s injury issues it seemed this would be the perfect time for Jesus to cement himself as City’s star striker, however, this hasn’t come to be. Struggling for goals with only two to his name he has never really hit the levels expected when he signed from Palmerias. Some of this can be accepted by how he has suffered from COVID-19 during this period.
Manchester United – Anthony Martial. 4/10
Despite Manchester United being the league’s second top-scoring team, Anthony Martial has failed to really implement himself as part of this success. Even though he has had on occasion shone, particularly against Leeds where he was brilliant, he has remained inconsistent as a striker. With only two goals, three assists and being outscored by back up striker Edinson Cavani, more is expected of the French international.
Newcastle United – Callum Wilson. 6/10
Arriving from Bournemouth as The Magpies biggest summer buy, Wilson has been one of the few bright spots of a middling Steve Bruce Newcastle side. Sitting in fifteenth at the time of writing, Callum Wilson is a large part of the Tyneside club being that high. Scoring eight goals this season, Wilson has shown that Newcastle can make a successful marquee signing, especially when compared to last season’s big buy Joelinton.
Sheffield United – David McGoldrick. 4/10
Sitting on four goals McGoldrick has done very little to convince any Blades fans that their stint in the Premier League will last past this season. Despite scoring all four of his goals against the ‘Big Six’ all of these games resulted in losses, it instead might have been preferred if these goals could have come in winnable fixtures against similar level sides.
Southampton – Danny Ings. 7/10
Scoring seven goals in thirteen games, Danny Ings has been a star in a Southampton team that looks determined to bring European football back to the St Mary’s. Sitting in seventh at the time of writing the plan seems to be working, and Ings may well have found himself with a slightly higher rating if not for an injury disrupting his season.
Tottenham Hotspur – Harry Kane. 10/10
With both eleven goals and eleven assists, Harry Kane has proven to be not only the best striker in the league but possibly the best striker in the world. His link-up with Heung-Min Son has brought about so much of Tottenham’s success this season, as the two of them have become the Prem’s second most successful partnership of all time. Leading the league on assists and two goals behind top goalscorer Mohammed Salah, there is the very real possibility Kane tops both these charts at the end of the season.
West Brom – Callum Robinson. 2/10
Simply put with Robinson leading the line there will be little to stop West Brom from going back down to The Championship. Whilst far from the only problem in the West Brom team, by only scoring in one of his sixteen games all season, he certainly is one of them.
West Ham – Michail Antonio. 5/10
Far from the worst of the strikers in the division, Hammers fans will still be hoping for a little more from the thirty-year-old. Despite scoring three goals in nine games, he has been outscored by midfielders Tomas Soucek and Jarrod Bowen. Fingers crossed he can kick it into next gear in the second half of the season, especially with fellow striker Sebastian Haller leaving for Ajax.
Wolves – Raul Jimenez. 6/10
One of the hardest players to rank, Jimenez remains on the injury shelf since his horrific skull fracture earlier in the season. Despite assurances, he will return to the field later this season, for now, it has been a decent season for Jimenez. Scoring four goals in ten games the Mexican striker remains Wolves top scorer at the time of writing, and there will be hopes this tally can increase if he returns this season.
Best of the Rest.
- Alexander Lacazette – Started to really improve in the new year, currently on seven goals. 7/10
- Ashley Barnes – One goal simply is not enough for an experienced Premier League striker. 2/10
- Tammy Abraham/Oliver Giroud – Both of these have popped up with enough goals to give Lampard headaches when picking his team. 6/10
- Sergio Aguero. Injury issues have limited him to just five games, looked well off the pace in all of them. 3/10
- Che Adams – Four goals and four assists, forming a brilliant partnership with Ings. A marked improvement from last year, but looked lost at times when Ings was out injured. 6/10
Enjoyed this article? Why not check out more on our page, or follow us on Twitter and Instagram @WDSportz_
