Premier League: The 10 best finishers so far this season based on stats | OneFootball

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When somebody thinks of elite finishers in football today, there is a good chance that Manchester City’s Erling Haaland is the first name that springs to mind. He might only be 23, but the Norwegian already has a reputation as one of the best goalscorers in football.

Tall, powerful, good with both feet - there are many qualities that make him the incredible striker that he is. And he has started this season as well as he finished last year’s record-breaking campaign, already notching six goals from four league matches.

Not many would question his status as the best finisher in football today. But, having ranked the 10 worst finishers in the Premier League so far this season, we’ve had a look on FBref to see who the 10 best finishers have been so far this season, ranking them by the difference between their total goals scored and overall expected goals.

And to our surprise, Haaland isn’t number one, despite leading the goalscoring charts in the division. In fact, there are four other men ahead of him who have been even more lethal when given the chance. Let’s have a look at who makes up the list then.

10 Michail Antonio (West Ham)

He might be the oldest man on this list at 33, but Antonio is still getting on the end of chances and increasing his career goals tally. Having scored just five times in the league last season in what was a disappointing campaign for the Irons, he already has two goals from the first four games of the season, with David Moyes’ squad in form once again. If he can keep up his current average of 0.4 goals per shot taken, then he will definitely be the man to help keep West Ham in the top half of the table.

9 Rodri (Manchester City)

Rodri isn’t the first person you think of when putting together a list of clinical finishers. The Spaniard is much more well-known for his incredible passing and his ruthless tackling, but here he is nonetheless. He has shown an ability to score key goals, as he managed in the Champions League final against Inter Milan, but he has continued that hot streak at the start of the 23/24 Premier League season.

Goals against new boys Burnley and Sheffield United mean that he is behind only Haaland in the scoring charts for City, and he continues to get into shooting positions, averaging 2.35 shots per match. If he can add consistent goals to his game, on top of everything else, then there won’t be many who disagree that he is the most complete Premier League midfielder.

8 Lyle Foster (Burnley)

Burnley might not have had the best of starts upon their return to the English top flight, but one man who has performed admirably in their opening three fixtures has been Foster. The 23-year-old already has two goals to his name which came in a 3-1 loss to Aston Villa and a 5-2 loss to Tottenham, despite not amassing a total of one expected goal from all his efforts combined. Averaging 0.4 goals per shot currently, Vincent Kompany will be hoping that Foster’s ruthlessness in front of goal can help his team retain their Premier League status this season.

7 Taiwo Awoniyi (Nottingham Forest)

Everything just seems to be clicking for Forest’s number nine at the moment. Awoniyi ended last season strongly, scoring important goals which ultimately kept Forest in the Premier League for another year. The Reds have bolstered their squad with a few new faces, but he is one man who does not have to worry about losing his spot right now. With three goals from Forest’s first four matches, only three men are ahead of Awoniyi in the scoring charts. Chelsea reportedly enquired about the striker in the final days of the transfer window, and given the data above and the Blues' own struggles in front of goal, you can see why they turned to the Forest man. If he keeps his rate up, Forest will cruise to Premier League survival, and Awoniyi will surpass his tally of 10 from last season.

6 Cristian Romero (Tottenham Hotspur)

Look, Romero probably is not the sixth-best finisher in the league, but the stats he’s putting up are impressive. The centre-back has two goals already this season from just three shots in total, an average of 0.67 goals per shot. Ange Postecoglou’s squad is on fire right now, and the Argentine has been a big part of that success, Maybe, given his numbers and Richarlison’s own bad luck in front of goal right now, a position change wouldn’t be the worst idea…

5 Erling Haaland (Manchester City)

This man is undoubtedly the best striker in the world presently, and in a league of his own when it comes to scoring goals. Which is why it is so impressive to see Haaland so far down this list. Yes, he is the top scorer in the league by two right now, but he only exceeds his expected goals by 1.4.

Haaland has already taken 18 shots this season, the highest out of anybody in this top 10. Only half of those efforts have been on target, though, demonstrating that it is still possible for him to get even better. A scary prospect indeed. If he manages to get even more accurate with his shooting this season, there is every chance that he smashes his own record for most goals in a single league season. Especially given the number of high-quality chances Pep Guardiola’s side create every game.

4 Solly March (Brighton & Hove Albion)

March could potentially be the most underrated player in this truly remarkable Brighton team. A consistent starter for the Seagulls for a decade now, he upped his game last season under Roberto De Zerbi, scoring seven goals and providing seven assists. He helped his team finish 6th last season, and if continues to score goals at the rate he is currently managing, then Brighton could do even better this time around.

Three goals have fallen the way of March in Brighton’s opening four matches, with the winger continuing to get into good positions, averaging 3.25 shots every match. His current tally is twice as good as his expected one, and De Zerbi and Brighton fans will be desperate to keep it that way.

3 Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton Wanderers)

The top three in this list all record the same difference between total goals and expected goals, so we’ve ranked them by total goals scored so far. So, finishing with a bronze medal, we have Hwang Hee-chan.

Wolves could be in big trouble this season, with several key players from last year moving on during the summer transfer window. If they want to have any hope of retaining their Premier League status this season, they will need key players to step up and guide them to safety, and Hwang could be a difference maker. The 27-year-old has two goals so far from just 140 minutes of football, having only racked up 0.4 expected goals in that time. They didn’t mean anything, though, with both of them coming in losses to Brighton and Crystal Palace. However, with an average of a goal every three shots, he could finish this season with a respectable tally if Gary O’Neil starts him more often.

2 Son Heung-min (Tottenham Hotspur)

The other Tottenham man on this list might not fit the typical description of a lethal finisher, but this man certainly does. Son has established himself as one of the best forwards in the Premier League over the years, with a knack for scoring a few goals and assisting Harry Kane regularly too. With the Englishman now at Bayern Munich, though, it has been Son who is stealing all of the spotlight.

After a disappointing 2022/23 season, the 31-year-old is back among the goals, with all three this season coming in Spurs’ 5-2 victory against Burnley. Despite all his efforts being from one game, the new Tottenham captain has only amassed 1.4 expected goals from his first four matches. Son’s clinical finishing will be vital as Spurs look to secure Champions League football this year. If his form drops off, then Postecoglou’s side will struggle to qualify ahead of the other teams competing for those four spots.

1 Evan Ferguson (Brighton & Hove Albion)

He was always going to be on this list, but not many would have thought he would come out on top. What a sensation Ferguson has been since arriving at Brighton, though. After a decent breakthrough season last year which saw the Irishman bag six goals from 19 appearances, he has gotten off to a flyer this year, scoring four goals in four games. Yes, three of those were a hat-trick against Newcastle, but that only makes it more impressive.

The 18-year-old is averaging more than five shots a game and is impressively top in this list when it comes to shot on target percentage as well. He looks nailed on to be Brighton’s next big sale, and if he continues to score at the rate he is managing right now, then he will be the most expensive of the lot.