Seeing as a top quality, world class striker is hard to come by these days, I thought I would take a look at the players and top scorers over the last 20 years in the premiership.
Let’s take a look at the top scorers/ Striker spread sporadically since the 03/04 season
Top scorers 2003/04
Henry 30
Alan Shearer 22
Ruud van Nistelrooy 20
Louis Saha 20
Mikail Forssell 17
Michael Owen 16
Nicolas Anelka 16
Juan Pablo Angel 16
Yakubu 16
James Beattie 14
Robbie Keane 14
Robert Pires 14
2009/10
Didier Drogba 29
Wayne Rooney 26
Darren Bent 24
Carlos Tevez 23
Frank Lampard 22
Jermain Defoe18
Fernando Torres18
Cesc Fabregas 15
Emmanuel Adebayor 14
Louis Saha 13
Florent Malouda 12
Dimitar Berbatov12
2013/14
Luis Suárez 31
Daniel Sturridge 22
Yaya Touré 20
Sergio Agüero 17
Wilfried Bony 17
Wayne Rooney 17
Edin Džeko 16
Olivier Giroud 16
Lukaku 15
Robin Van Persie 14
Eden Hazard 14
Loïc Rémy 14
2018/19
Mohamed Salah 22
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang 22
Sadio Mané 22
Sergio Agüero 21
Jamie Vardy 18
Raheem Sterling 17
Harry Kane17
Eden Hazard 16
Callum Wilson 14
Alexandre Lacazette 13
Paul Pogba 13
Raúl Jiménez 13
Gylfi Sigurdsson 13
2023/24 - CURRENT
Mohamed Salah 14
Erling Haaland 14
Son Heung-Min 12
Dominic Solanke 12
Jarrod Bowen 11
Hee-Chan 10
Ollie Watkins 9
Alexander Isak 9
Cole Palmer 8
João Pedro 7
Nicolas Jackson 7
Chris Wood 7
Bryan Mbeumo 7
Obviously some seasons have not been included but it gives an idea off the level of striker, wether they have improved or got worse, spread over the last 20 years.
How do you feel the current crop would get into any of the previous years? Has the level got better or worse?
Strikers- Now and Then (20 years)
posted on 13/1/24
There are certainly a few “elite” level strikers at the top of the 18/19 season. Same every season I suppose.
posted on 13/1/24
Juan Pablo Angel, cracking player!
posted on 13/1/24
Have you got the numbers for last season?
posted on 13/1/24
Tbh other than Mbappe and Haaland the new generations of strikers aren’t yet up to scratch with by of the previous legends.
Players are now more hybrids than specialist overall. The top players can do everything well without being exceptional at a certain skill unless they’re a unicorn.
But we also have to take into account how many forwards strikers have left Europe recently.
posted on 13/1/24
comment by Boris 'Inky’ Gibson (U5901)
posted 38 minutes ago
Have you got the numbers for last season?
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Erling Haaland -- 36
Harry Kane -- 30
Ivan Toney 20
Mohamed Salah 19
Callum Wilson 18
Marcus Rashford 17
Gabriel Martinelli15
Martin Odegaard 15
Ollie Watkins 15
Aleksandar Mitrovic 14
Bukayo Saka 14
Rodrigo 13
posted on 13/1/24
Not a whole lot to suggest that things have really changed. Roughly 3 or 4 players get 20 or more goals while the top 1 or 2 players get around the 30 mark. Haaland broke the record last season but he didn't absolutely smash like some thought (me included) by getting to 40 goals or more, and it's fair to say he's been playing for arguably the best team the PL has ever seen so had a good platform to break it, although he is undeniably one of the best strikers in the world anyway.
posted on 13/1/24
Interns of individual quality, would the current strikers compare to those of the past 10-15 years?
posted on 14/1/24
These days u can get a pen / fk just for falling over with barely any contact. That alone massively boosts players stats.
posted on 15/1/24
As other said same amount of goals scored. There are just more goals scored these days by wide forwards and wingers. If you ask yourself where are all the strikers now, can equally ask yourself where are all the goalscoring wide forwards 15-20 years ago that can match with today.
posted on 15/1/24
Other random thoughts from that list,
Pires did have a season or two being a succesful goalscoring winger. Wonder how his stats would transition if he was around these days, would suit him even more
Fabregas, one reason I find him underrated as the variety of roles he filled in his career. 15 goals in 09/10, people remember him as a deep lying playmaker but this period and at Barcelona he was also adept as a goalscoring midfielder.
Darren Bent 24 goad for Sunderland ffs, great achievement