Premier League striker power rankings – Palace star on the rise as architect of Man United’s downfall makes surprise entry

The Premier League boasts some of the best strikers in world football, but which stars sit among the elite?

Manchester City superstar Erling Haaland has begun the campaign in blistering fashion, which has become an all-too-regular occurrence ever since his arrival in July 2022.

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Yet there have been a number of other marksmen who have impressed, some of which joined their respective clubs as recently as this summer.

Here, talkSPORT.com has their say on who the top ten strikers in the Premier League are in our power rankings.

It must be noted these rankings will update from week-to-week depending on how they perform, meaning a striker who is ranked second one week could easily fall a few spots should they play poorly in their next game.

These rankings were also based on a combination of five key metrics: goals scored, goals scored per 90 minutes, expected goals (xG), conversion rate as well as shots on target per 90.

Read on to see the latest update of talkSPORT’s Premier League striker power rankings.

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10th – Alexander Isak (Liverpool)

Saturday brought about the moment every Liverpool fan had waited for once Alexander Isak’s signing was confirmed.

The Swede made his first Premier League start for the Reds against Crystal Palace and showed plenty of glimpses of his vast ability.

He even had a golden chance to bring the visitors level at Selhurst Park when he was slipped in by Alexis Mac Allister.

Despite showing off his fleet-footed dribbling skills to keep the ball in a tight space, Isak flashed his shot from the edge of the six-yard box wide

It was a chance the free-scoring Isak from last season would have buried, but instead, this version of the Swede is still yet to reach full match fitness.

9th – Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa)

It took Ollie Watkins until the sixth game of the season, but he’s finally off the mark for Aston Villa.

A long ball floated up from Lucas Digne flew over the head of Fulham defender Joachim Andersen and into the path of Watkins, who happily pounced on the Dane’s mistake and dinked it over Bernd Leno into the empty net.

Watkins then turned provider for Villa’s third of the afternoon.

Digne slipped Watkins in on the left side of the box and the England international duly squared the ball back across goal for Emi Buendia to slam home.

Although Morgan Rogers was credited with the assist, it was Watkins who was the creator-in-chief for Buendia’s goal.

Only five of Watkins’ 16 league goals last season came without the England international scoring in the following match, indicating a trend that when he nets one, another tends to follow in the next game.

Will that remain intact this season?

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Watkins has reached double figures in each of his five seasons at Villa[/caption]

8th – Igor Thiago (Brentford)

Igor Thiago is a fresh entry in the latest edition of our power rankings and deservedly so.

The Brazilian bagged a brace for Brentford in their 3-1 win over Manchester United on Saturday, taking his season tally to four from six games.

His first came via a perfectly-timed run coupled with an inch-perfect pass from Jordan Henderson.

Thiago’s second was slightly more fortuitous as he smashed home a rebound from a few yards out following Altay Bayindir’s initial save on Kevin Schade’s cross.

What has made Thiago’s start to the season impressive is his conversion rate of 40 per cent, a figure higher than the likes of Erling Haaland and Viktor Gyokeres.

He is also out-performing his xG of 2.05, indicating a remarkable finishing ability.

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The Brazilian has already helped Bees fans get over the losses of Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa[/caption]

7th – Wilson Isidor (Sunderland)

After a bright start, Isidor didn’t exactly set the world alight for Sunderland in their narrow win over Nottingham Forest on Saturday.

The Frenchman registered just two shots, both of which were off target.

However, he sits equal-third with Hugo Ekitike for the most shots taken this season, indicating his propensity to, at the very least, try to test the goalkeeper.

Sunderland face Manchester United and Chelsea in two of their next three fixtures.

By then, we should get a better idea of what Isidor is all about as he looks to score a fourth of the season.

Should he do that, he’d eclipse his tally of three goals across the entire 2024/25 Championship season.

6th – Richarlison

Going into Saturday’s clash, Wolves had conceded 12 goals, with only West Ham boasting a leakier defence.

On paper, it looked like a prime opportunity for Richarlison to add to his three goals this season.

Instead, the Brazilian turned in a turgid attacking display.

Against Wolves, Richarlison mustered a solitary shot which wasn’t even on target and finished with an xG of 0.02.

It was emblematic of Tottenham’s offensive struggles against Wolves as they had to be bailed out by a stoppage-time equaliser from Joao Palinha to secure a 1-1 draw.

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Richarlison’s lack of touches inside the box underlined his limp attacking display against Wolves[/caption]

5th – Chris Wood

Granted, Chris Wood failed to find the back of the net against Sunderland.

But it was his overall display for Nottingham Forest that has earned the Kiwi a rise in our power rankings.

It’s almost baffling how Wood didn’t score against Sunderland given he registered six shots and finished with an xG of 0.74.

Although he wasn’t on the scoresheet, the fact Wood was in the right place at the right time, only to misfire at the last hurdle, indicates a positive trend that a goal is imminent.

His tally of 16 shots for the season is also the second-most behind only Erling Haaland, demonstrating his small haul of two goals is not for lack of trying.

4th – Jean-Philippe Mateta (Crystal Palace)

How Jean-Philippe Mateta failed to score against Liverpool is one of life’s great mysteries.

The Frenchman watched his curling effort from the edge of the 18-yard box smack against the post while only Alisson’s outstretched leg denied him in a one-on-one situation.

All up, the Palace frontman had four shots against Liverpool and boasted an xG of 0.92, indicating he could and perhaps should have walked away with a goal.

But another game in which he drew a blank means Mateta now leads the league in terms of xG underperformance, having scored twice against an xG of 3.60.

In short, it means is Mateta isn’t being anywhere near as clinical as he should be.

However, the fact he is second in the league for the most shots on target is enough of a reason to recognise Mateta is a serious problem for any backline.

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Mateta must be wondering when his luck will turn given he’s scored just twice but should have nearly twice as many goals[/caption]

3rd – Hugo Ekitike (Liverpool)

Hugo Ekitike missed Liverpool’s defeat to Crystal Palace due to suspension having collected two yellow cards in a Carabao Cup tie, the second coming after he removed his shirt in celebration.

Ekitike’s absence opened the door for Alexander Isak to make his first start for the Reds and although he didn’t score, the Swede looked dangerous.

Reds boss Arne Slot was understandably frustrated with Ekitike’s conduct in the cup clash and although he’s eligible to return against Chelsea on Saturday, an instant return is no guarantee.

Ekitke’s three goals is still enough for the joint third-most in the league.

However, with Isak working his way to full fitness, the Frenchman cannot let his form or on-field conduct slip if he wants to retain his starting spot.

2nd – Viktor Gyokeres (Arsenal)

Gyokeres has had his fair share of critics since joining Arsenal in the summer.

But the Swede was signed for his goals and he’s provided just that with three to his name.

Against Newcastle on Sunday, Gyokeres proved to be a handful and looked like he’d won a penalty, only for it to be overruled by VAR.

He also fired off six shots, but only one of those was on target.

Although Gyokeres has taken the 10th-most shots this season, he ranks 29th in terms of xG per shot, indicating he’s not exactly in the greatest of positions when it comes to pulling the trigger.

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Deeney hasn’t been one to mince his words on Gyokeres[/caption]

1st – Erling Haaland (Manchester City)

There was no doubt Haaland would be sitting pretty at the top of the list.

The only metric we used to calculate these rankings where Haaland wasn’t at the top of the list was his conversion rate.

But those metrics ultimately matter little when the main currency is goals scored and it is one Haaland is perennially rich in.

So far the Norwegian has eight goals from six games, which means he’s beyond a third of the way to matching his goal tally of 22 from last season, his joint-lowest haul from the last five years.

Given the way he’s started this season, there’s little reason to doubt he won’t surpass the 22-goal mark.