15 Best Strikers in the Premier League [Ranked]

Key Takeaways

• The Premier League features some of the best strikers in the world right now, and players such as Erling Haaland are thriving in domestic and European football.
• Haaland has already broken numerous records in his career, and his goalscoring talents make him the Premier League’s best striker.
• Ollie Watkins is the highest-ranked Englishman in the list after his brilliant exploits for Aston Villa in 2023/24.

Scoring goals is one of the hardest things in football, but it’s also one of the most important. At the end of the day, goals win games, and finding the back of the net in the Premier League is particularly difficult, given strikers are often up against some of the best defenders in the world.

Over the years, though, there have been some brilliant centre-forwards in the English top flight. Alan Shearer, Luis Suarez, and Didier Drogba are just some of the names that come to mind when thinking about the greatest marksmen in the game.

Today, the league is blessed to have arguably the best goalscorer in the world in the form of Erling Haaland playing in the Premier League. But others such as Ollie Watkins and Alexander Isak have proven that they are clinical in front of goal too.

So, who are the 15 finest forwards in the Premier League right now? GIVEMESPORT has ranked the division’s finest sharpshooters.

Ranking factors

• How well they are performing in the 2024/25 season.
• How well they performed during the 2023/24 season.
• Their status compared to other strikers – where do they stand in the pecking order?
• Overall importance to their respective teams – how well do their sides perform with/without them?
• Success – how successful they have been at their current sides, both collectively and individually.
• Injuries – sustained periods on the sidelines were taken into account.

For a player to be included, they must be listed as a centre-forward as their main position on Transfermarkt. Therefore, players such as Son Heung-min and Bryan Mbeumo miss out.

15 Liam Delap

Ipswich Town

It’s been a tough start back in the Premier League for Ipswich Town. The Tractor Boys have picked up just eight points in their opening 11 games and find themselves in the relegation zone. Things could have been much worse, however, if they didn’t have Liam Delap leading the lines. The 21-year-old has taken to life in the top flight like a duck to water.

He’s scoring at a very impressive rate considering this is his first real run in the Premier League. He’s found the back of the net on six occasions in the league already and if Ipswich are going to avoid the drop this season, this young man will likely play a major role in that.

14 Yoane Wissa

Brentford

Ivan Toney’s departure from Brentford for the riches of the Saudi Pro League left Thomas Frank with a huge hole to fill. Although they played without him for a substantial chunk of the 2023-24 term, there were questions about how they would replace their star player and talisman.

Although Bryan Mbeumo has taken on alot of that responsibility from out wide, Yoane Wissa has mainly been deployed through the middle in the current season and to good effect. Seven goals in eight games, along with an assist too, shows that the 28-year-old might be the man to lead them forward in the post-Toney era.

13 Joao Pedro

Brighton

Joao Pedro has been superb since arriving at Brighton in 2023, leading the line effectively while also showcasing excellent interplay. Having registered nine Premier League goals in his first year at the AMEX Stadium, the centre-forward has already scored four in six games for the Seagulls in 2024-25.

He’s only played in half of Brighton’s league games under Fabian Hurzeler this season, but he performs whenever he’s given the chance. His numbers over two years limit how high he can rank, with those above him scoring a little more regularly. But there is certainly lots to like about the 23-year-old, who could develop into quite a player as he matures.

12 Jean-Philippe Mateta

Crystal Palace

Jean-Philippe Mateta has actually been at Crystal Palace since January 2021, but non-Palace fans would be forgiven for thinking he only joined the Eagles last season. Mateta’s first two full seasons at Palace saw him score just seven Premier League goals, but in 2023-24 he bagged a total of 16 top-flight goals, ending the season as one of the division’s most in-form strikers.

That form initially carried into the new term, as the Frenchman scored twice in the first four games of the season. Things have slowed down a little since, though, and he’s scored just one more in the division as Palace have struggled. Still, he’s already shown in the past how good he can be and if Oliver Glasner’s side are to turn things around, he’ll be vital.

11 Danny Welbeck

Brighton & Hove Albion

It really did look like Danny Welbeck’s career would dwindle out with a whimper a few years ago. Injuries had kept him out of action for large portions of time and he couldn’t put together a consistent run with either Arsenal or Watford. Things have turned around at Brighton, though, and the former Manchester United man has been in excellent goalscoring form as of late.

The 33-year-old has rolled back the years so far during the 2024/25 campaign and he’s scored six goals in 12 league appearances so far for the Seagulls. It’s hard to imagine anyone thought Welbeck would be the man capable of leading Brighton’s front line in 2024, but that’s exactly what he’s done so far.

10 Rasmus Hojlund

Manchester United

After enduring a tumultuous start to his Manchester United career, exemplified by his teammates’ lack of creativity, Rasmus Hojlund enjoyed a much more fruitful 2024, scoring all 10 of his Premier League goals after Christmas.

The Dane shouldered much of the goalscoring burden at Old Trafford last season and the arrival of Dutch forward Joshua Zirkzee should have taken some of the pressure off the youngster this time around. Viewed as a solution to the club’s long-standing woes in the striker department, Hojlund could spearhead his side for the next decade, although he hasn’t had too much success in front of goal so far this campaign.

9 Darwin Nunez

Liverpool

Some fans were quick to jump on Darwin Nunez following his transfer from Benfica to Liverpool, and he has certainly been guilty of wasting some big chances. He ended the 2022-23 season with just nine league goals from 29 appearances, hardly what you’d expect after shelling out £85m for his services.

Nunez improved last season as he hit double figures for Premier League goals but, truth be told, the jury is still out on the Uruguayan, who missed a host of chances during last season’s run-in as Liverpool fell out of title contention during the final few weeks of the season. That has seen him drop to the bench during the early days of Arne Slot’s tenure, but anything is possible with a livewire like Nunez.

8 Diogo Jota

Liverpool

While Diogo Jota is capable of playing out on the wing for Liverpool, Arne Slot has used the Portuguese attacker centrally. That’s allowed him to create chaos with runs in behind opposition defences, while he can also drop deeper to link play with his teammates.

So far, it’s a role which he has taken to strongly, with the 27-year-old grabbing a couple of goals and two assists in his opening seven Premier League games for the Reds. He will likely share responsibilities with Nunez throughout the season, simply because of how congested Liverpool’s schedule is this term, but going off the opening games, it’s certainly clear who Slot’s preferred option is.

7 Chris Wood

Nottingham Forest

Chris Wood is not the most glamorous name on this list, but over the years he has proven himself to be a reliable Premier League striker. Wood has played for West Brom, Leicester, Burnley, Newcastle and Nottingham Forest in the English top flight, and has just had his joint-best season for goals in the division.

Wood scored 14 times for Forest during the 2023-24 Premier League campaign, a feat he also managed with Burnley during the 2019-20 campaign. The Englishman may now be 32, but he has never been a player who relied on his pace, and is currently in the form of his life. Forest have far exceeded expectations so far this season and Wood’s eight goals in 12 appearances have been key to that.

6 Nicolas Jackson

Chelsea

Nicolas Jackson was mercilessly mocked for his profligacy in front of goal during his debut season at Chelsea, but what many fans might not realise is just how many goals he scored for the Blues. Jackson scored 17 goals in the 2023-24 season, including a respectable 14 in the Premier League.

With a full season under his belt, the Senegal striker has already made an impression on new manager Enzo Maresca, who continues to start him despite Christopher Nkunku being fully fit. That’s been repaid with seven goals already in 2024-25, while he also has three assists to boot. Possessing a neat touch and good feet too, only wastefulness in front of goal and his reading of the offside line holds him back.

5 Dominic Solanke

Tottenham

After several years of struggling in the top flight, Dominic Solanke finally realised his potential and flourished in the Premier League with Bournemouth. He averaged a goal a game in the top flight during the 2023-24 campaign and it is that record that tempted Tottenham to come in for his services as they finally looked to replace Harry Kane.

Although he hasn’t managed to find the back of the net at the same rate since his move to north London, Solanke has managed to grab four goals in nine league appearances so far. It’s a solid early return and things should only get better as things move forward.

4 Kai Havertz

Arsenal

Kai Havertz might be a controversial inclusion as a striker, but that is where he has played for the majority of 2024, and it is a position he thrived in for Arsenal as they came within whiskers of winning the Premier League title in 2023-24.

The consensus early on last season was that Arsenal would need to sign a big-money striker this summer to give themselves the best chance of winning the league in 2024-25, but Havertz’s performances in that role have seen the Gunners shelve their pursuit of a replacement. While his finishing isn’t always excellent, the German’s link-up play and aerial presence makes him a consistent threat. If he can build on his displays so far, then he will challenge those above him in this list.

3 Ollie Watkins

Aston Villa

Aston Villa went from looking like potential relegation candidates under Steven Gerrard to playing in Europe under Unai Emery. A sensational turnaround, and one that would probably not have happened were it not for the brilliance of Ollie Watkins, who is regarded as one of the best front men in world football.

The English striker took his game to new heights in 2022-23, bagging 15 goals for the Villans and surpassing his previous best for a league campaign. He improved again in 2023-24, scoring 19 Premier League goals as Villa secured qualification for the Champions League. If they want to retain their status as a top four team, it will be on the Englishman’s shoulders.

2 Alexander Isak

Newcastle United

A few eyebrows were raised when Newcastle paid a huge £63m fee for Alexander Isak, but there are not many who are doubting his quality now. The Swedish striker had an excellent first season in the English top flight, notching 10 goals and impressing with his finishing and tidy footwork, and that continued last season.

Injuries held Isak back in his first term with the Magpies, but he was available for the vast majority of the 2023-24 campaign and showed his class with 21 Premier League goals for Eddie Howe’s side. He hasn’t flown out of the blocks in 2024-25, but with many games left to go, you wouldn’t put it past the 25-year-old to have another stunning campaign at St James’ Park.

1 Erling Haaland

Manchester City

He came, he saw, and he conquered. Erling Haaland broke record after record at Red Bull Salzburg and Borussia Dortmund, scoring 86 goals in 89 games for the latter, and he continued to hit landmarks in his debut season in Manchester. Alan Shearer and Andy Cole’s long-standing record for most goals in a single season was blitzed by the Norwegian as he finished the 2022/23 campaign on 36.

Haaland was less impressive in his second season in Manchester but still managed to post incredible numbers, and ended the season as the Golden Boot winner for a second successive year with 27 league goals. He has started the 2024/25 season in frightening form, already finding the back of the net 12 times in just 11 Premier League games, underlining why he is the gold standard for strikers right now.

All statistics courtesy of
Transfermarkt
and correct as of 23/11/24.