Chris Sutton Ranked His Top 6 SPFL Strikers Ever

Now frequently seen working as a football pundit, Chris Sutton enjoyed a playing career that spanned almost two decades before moving into his current ventures. A defender in his youth, Sutton transitioned into a striker with his first club, Norwich City, being able to utilise his height as a forward with great success.

Gathering interest with his form in three years at Carrow Road, Sutton signed for Blackburn Rovers in 1994 and in his debut season, forming a lethal strike partnership with Alan Shearer, won the Premier League. Sutton spent four further years in Lancashire, leaving for Chelsea only after Blackburn were relegated in 1999.

Despite a hefty price tag, or perhaps because of it, Sutton did not play as expected in London, struggling for form at Stamford Bridge and ultimately spending just one year with the Blues. Sutton signed for Celtic at the turn of the century, where he would swiftly rediscover his finishing touch.

For four of his six years in Glasgow, Sutton played alongside the legendary Henrik Larsson, widely regarded as one of the greatest players to grace the Scottish Premiership. Sutton, during his time at Celtic Park, won four Scottish Premier League titles and four domestic cups, whilst also reaching the UEFA Cup final in 2003.

Sutton, who retired a year after departing Celtic, has shared a number of opinions such as when, as per 67 Hail Hail, he revealed which players, not including himself, he felt were the best strikers in the history of the Scottish top flight.

Number 5 – Mark Viduka

Sutton spoke with Rangers icon Kris Boyd on this topic and both agreed that Henrik Larsson, Sutton’s former Celtic strike partner, could not be included in their lists, as they unanimously felt that he was the greatest in Premiership history. With that in mind, Sutton first put forward the name Mark Viduka, best remembered by most English fans for his four-year stint with Leeds United.

Prior to joining Leeds in 2000, the Australian international spent almost two years playing for Celtic, who themselves signed Viduka from Dinamo Zagreb. A young unknown at the time, Viduka hit the ground running at Celtic Park, establishing a reputation as not only a goalscorer, but a brilliant hold-up player who could link play between his teammates.

Viduka’s time in Scotland was brief, though he played a big role in Celtic’s Scottish League Cup win in the 1999/2000 season. Still, the striker did enough to be considered by Sutton as one of the Scottish top flight’s all-time greats.

Number 4 – Kyogo Furahashi

Next on Sutton’s list was the latest player of his five to play in the Scottish Premiership. Kyogo Furahashi was signed from Vissel Kobe in 2021 as one of Ange Postecoglou’s first additions in his reign as Celtic manager. The Japanese international had an immediate impact for the Hoops, quickly becoming the club’s star forward.

Kyogo was at his best in the 2022/23 campaign, netting over 30 goals in all competitions as he helped Celtic win a second successive domestic treble of trophies. Furahashi won nine pieces of silverware during his stint at Parkhead, including the 2024/25 Premiership and League Cup, given that the forward spent the first half of that season in Glasgow.

Now 30 years old, Kyogo returned to the UK in 2025 after a brief stint with Stade Rennais and is plying his trade for Birmingham City in the Championship at the time of writing. His form across four years in Scotland ensured that he would be remembered as one of the division’s most lethal number nines.

Number 3 – Marco Negri

Despite being unable to prevent relegation from Serie A in the 1996/97 season, Marco Negri’s form with Perugia was enough for Walter Smith to bring the Italian to Ibrox. The Italian enjoyed a stellar debut campaign with Rangers, even if the season saw Rangers win no trophies.

Misfortune struck soon after for Negri who, in the aftermath of an eye injury, started to struggle with further setbacks. The Italian’s minutes dwindled as he battled for fitness and ultimately, by the time Negri returned to Italy after Rangers sold him to Bologna in 2001, he had made just a handful of appearances for the Glaswegians.

Sutton recognised just how much quality Negri possessed, even with the problems he faced with injuries, naming him in his list of the absolute best.

Number 2 – Michael Mols

The second of two Rangers players to feature on Sutton’s list, Michael Mols was similar to Negri in that injury hampered what he could have accomplished in the Premiership. Mols moved to Ibrox in 1999 after a prolific three years with Utrecht in his native country of the Netherlands.

Mols enjoyed a fast start to life at Rangers, replicating his brilliant scoring form upon joining until suffering a serious knee injury just months after arriving in Glasgow. Mols, rather amazingly, managed to fully recover, rediscovering his touch by the 2002/03 season, in which he helped Rangers win a Premiership title.

In a five-year tenure, Mols’ time with Rangers was certainly not a failure, as is evident by Sutton’s ranking of the Dutchman. Had he stayed healthy, however, then perhaps Mols would be held in an even higher regard.

Number 1 – John Hartson

In first place, Sutton and Boyd were in agreement when they named John Hartson as the best striker to ever play in the Scottish Premiership. A Welsh international from 1995 to 2005, Hartson spent time with Luton Town, Arsenal, West Ham, Wimbledon and Coventry City before he moved to Scotland in 2001.

Hartson would enjoy five prolific years with Celtic, quickly becoming one of the Premiership’s stand-out players. A physical striker, Hartson was, as Sutton himself described, “a brilliant finisher,” a nightmare for opposing defenders when at his best. The Welshman was a mainstay as, in his time at the club, Celtic won three league titles and three domestic cups.

In 2006, Hartson returned to English football, having cemented his status, at least in the opinion of Sutton and Boyd, as one of the most-lethal forwards to ever play top flight football in Scotland.