Every Premier League club's starting striker ranked from 'Not Good Enough' to 'World Class' | OneFootball

Highlights

The Premier League has long been home to some of the best strikers in world football. Thierry Henry, Didier Drogba, Wayne Rooney, Sergio Aguero, Alan Shearer. The list is endless.

And despite having recently lost one of the best number nines when Harry Kane left Tottenham to join Bayern Munich, there are plenty of other top class finishers in the league right now. Erling Haaland continues to lead the line superbly for Manchester City, building on his record-breaking 2022/23 season in league, while Darwin Nunez continues to show glimpses of why Liverpool shelled out £85m for him.

However, there are also some others who just aren't up to the required level for English top-flight football, with some frontmen pretty unreliable when presented with a chance. Not all of them are as bad as the others, but many are nowhere near the level of the best of the best.

So, the team at GIVEMESPORT have taken a look at every starting striker for Premier League clubs, sorting them into five tiers using Tiermaker. We've considered how well each player has performed so far this season in front of goal and also their past performancs too, and have placed the main man at every team into one of the following categories: 'World Class', 'Elite Frontman', 'Great Striker', 'Decent Option', and 'Not Good Enough'.

We know this list is highly subjective, so be sure to let us know what changes you would make in our social media comments. But, for now, let's get into our rankings.

World Class

Erling Haaland, Son Heung-Min

What more can you say about Haaland that hasn't already been said? The quickest player to 50 Premier League goals, second in the 2023 Ballon d'Or, a treble in his first season at Manchester City. The Norwegian could score goals in his sleep if he wanted to. You can make the argument that he is already the best in his position out there, and in a few more years, it's not likely to be a compelling debate anymore.

As for Son Heung-Min, he has spent years being the Robin to Harry Kane's Batman. However, now leading the line as captain, the South Korean star has been reinvigorated. He's added a new dynamic to Spurs' attack, and after a sub-par 2022/23 season, he looks back to his best, with eight league goals already for Ange Postecoglou. Alongside James Maddison, there are signs of promising things to come down in North London.

Elite Frontman

Gabriel Jesus, Alexander Isak, Ivan Toney, Ollie Watkins

In Gabriel Jesus, Arsenal has found someone who knows what it takes to be successful. Having spent over four years working alongside Pep Guardiola, the Brazilian demonstrated that he has what it takes to be a leading man in England. What he lacks in comparison to Haaland and Son is his consistency in front of goal and his availability. His backup, Eddie Nketiah, has more goals than him in the league so far in the 2023/24 season. This has led to speculation that Arsenal may look to bring in another focal point in January.

One man they are rumored to be looking at is Ivan Toney. Despite not featuring at all this season as a result of his betting suspension, the Englishman is still being touted for a big move. His 20-goal tally in the Premier League last season is incredibly impressive, given that he wasn't at one of the division's biggest clubs. It's for that reason that people still believe he can deliver, even if they haven't been able to see evidence in months.

In his absence, Ollie Watkins has stepped up to become the leading Englishman in the Premier League. Since Unai Emery took over at Villa Park, Watkins has managed 37 goal contributions in 46 games. He has firmly positioned himself as Kane's backup in the England squad and is a man on fire.

Meanwhile, Alexander Isak continues to go from strength to strength at Newcastle, unseating a proven Premier League veteran in Callum Wilson. The Swede has been a key part of the revolution occurring at St James' Park, and with seven goals already in the league, the 24-year-old could propel them back to Champions League football next season.

For these four players, there is a good chance they can become elite or even world-class in the future. They're just not there yet. Taiwo Awoniyi is the oldest of the quartet but is still just 26 years old. He had a magnificent start to the season for Nottingham Forest, looking like a threat in every game. However, his momentum was derailed after picking up an injury that manager Steve Cooper claimed would keep him out for a long time.

Nunez and Rasmus Hojlund both joined their respective teams for substantial transfer fees. As of yet, neither of them has really hit their stride, but there have been moments of brilliance too. Nunez's double against Newcastle secured a dramatic victory, and he scored an unbelievable goal against Bournemouth in the Carabao Cup. Meanwhile, Hojlund has scored five Champions League goals in 2023. If they can develop composure alongside their clear physical attributes, these two could be battling for Golden Boots in years to come.

Another player who will want to be in that conversation is Evan Ferguson. Brighton's academy star burst onto the scene in 2022 and hasn't looked back. His game time has been managed smartly, allowing him to get the most out of his game when called upon. He signed a new long-term deal at the Seagulls in November, but that won't stop big clubs from sniffing around.

Nicolas Jackson, Matheus Cunha, Michail Antonio, Cameron Archer, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Lyle Foster, Dominic Solanke

There is a notable split in this tier. Some of the names mentioned are youngsters without much Premier League experience, and could therefore go on to reach greater heights in the future. The others are seasoned pros who are capable when called upon but not always dependable, meaning they are limited with how high they can rank.

In Nicolas Jackson, Cameron Archer, and Lyle Foster's case, these are young players with a lot of pressure on their shoulders. Jackson is being tasked with leading the line for a Chelsea team that is trying to figure out their identity under Mauricio Pochettino. The latter pair are challenged with leading two newly promoted sides to survival, despite them only having a combined 27 Premier League appearances between them.

Michail Antonio, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, and Dominic Solanke are at the other end of the scale. With years of playing in England's top flight, these three men know what it takes to be effective. Yet, for different reasons, they aren't always reliable. Antonio is not the out-and-out goalscorer that West Ham have at times required, despite being their all-time Premier League scorer. For Calvert-Lewin, his injury record has meant he hasn't been available when his side needs him most. Solanke, despite currently having arguably his best season in the division with six league goals so far, drops into this tier because of his inconsistency in the past, with him failing to live up to expectations that were set for him back in 2016 when he was named in the best U18 XI. His efforts this season see him avoid the bottom tier, but could we really put him any higher?

Cunha sits in the middle of this bunch. He doesn't have the same experiences as the latter three but possesses more than the first. He also isn't an out-and-out striker, but he is a very capable footballer who can cause problems for many opponents.

Not Good Enough

Odsonne Édouard, Raul Jimenez, Carlton Morris

We're being harsh on all these players here, seeing as they are all leading strikers for Premier League clubs, but they just don't stack up with the rest of the players in this league. Mexican forward Raul Jimenez was one of the most dangerous men in the entire league when he first arrived at Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2018. However, the marksman has now lost the edge he once had and is struggling to fill the void that Aleksandar Mitrovic left at Craven Cottage, even ending up in the worst new signings XI for the summer of 2023.

Carlton Morris was always going to struggle in a Luton side that many were amazed to see in the Premier League. It's good to see him get his moment, but the Hatters need more than his three goals if they are going to avoid the drop this season. On the other hand, Eduoard is now in his third season at Crystal Palace, yet he averages a goal once in every four league games for the Eagles. Considering that his highest tally in a league season for the Selhurst Park outfit is just six league goals, Palace could certainly improve in this area of the pitch.