SOCCER

Who Are the Top 5 Strikers in the Premier League?

Sergio Aguero is averaging nearly one goal per 90 minutes over the past three seasons.

This is our fourth and final piece in a series looking at the English Premier League's top 5 players at each position.

We have previously covered defenders, central midfielders and attacking midfielders/wingers, and now we will finish off the series by taking a look at the top 5 strikers in the England's top league.

5) Romelu Lukaku, Everton

Lukaku has been one of the better strikers in the Premier League for a few years now, scoring at least league 10 goals in each of the past 4 seasons.

In the 2013-14 campaign, Lukaku scored 15 goals, which tied for 9th in the league, and he scored 17 goals, which was 6th best in the league, in the 2012-13 season. Last year was a career-best effort as he finished 4th in the league in goals scored with 18.

Lukaku also does a pretty good job setting up goals via the pass as he has had 21 assists over the past 4 seasons. Last season, he averaged 1.4 key passes per game, a very good number for a striker.

Lukaku is a strong player in the air, averaging 2.5 aerials won per game last season, which was top 10 in the league amongst attacking players. He also has pretty good dribbling abilities with 1.1 successful dribbles per game.

His scoring, passing, dribbling, and aerial ability make him a well-rounded striker and one who deserves a spot on our list.

4) Jamie Vardy, Leicester City

Like seemingly every player on Leicester City, Vardy came out of nowhere last season and had a breakout year. He finished tied for second in the league in goals scored with 24, and he was named to the PFA Team of the Year.



Vardy was also pretty good at setting up his teammates as he had 6 assists and 1.3 key passes per game last season. His passing and goal-scoring abilities made him one of Leicester City’s best players last season.

Vardy’s success with Leicester City carried over to the English national team this year as Vardy has 4 goals for The Three Lions in 7 matches so far in 2016. It further validates the idea that Vardy can score against any level of competition.

As long as Vardy gets good service from his teammates (which shouldn’t be a problem if Riyad Mahrez stays with Leicester), then he will continue to produce.

3) Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Manchester United

Ibrahimovic has been a prolific scorer for the entirety of his career, and even at age of 34, he has yet to start slowing down.

Ibrahimovic scored 38 goals with 13 assists in French Ligue 1 last season as his Paris St-Germain side steamrolled the rest of the league. His 38 goals were the most in the league by a wide margin, and his 13 assists were good enough for second best in the league.

Last season was not a fluke, either.

Ibrahimovic led Ligue 1 in goals scored three of the past four seasons, scoring a total of 113 goals in that span. Of course, PSG has mostly dominated Ligue 1, making it a bit easier for Zlatan to score goals, but his track record is quite impressive nonetheless.

Now with Manchester United, Ibrahimovic will likely get great service from the likes of Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Anthony Martial and Paul Pogba, so he should have no problem scoring goals this season, even if he won't be in as many lopsided games as he grew accustomed to with PSG.

2) Harry Kane, Tottenham

Kane has scored a total of 46 goals in league matches over the past two seasons, as well as 59 goals in all competitions during that time. For two seasons in a row, he has been one of the best strikers in England.

Last season, Kane led the league in goals scored with 25, and two seasons ago he finished tied for second in the league in goals scored with 21. He was named to the PFA Team of the Year both seasons.



At only 23 years old, Kane is a player who will likely dominate the league for years to come. He can win headers, finish clinically and shoot from distance -- which is a great combination of characteristics to have in a striker. Playing for a well-rounded, well-coached Spurs side will only help his numbers.

1) Sergio Aguero, Manchester City

Aguero finished tied for second in the league in goals last season with 24, and he might have won the golden boot had he not missed eight games.

Two years ago, Aguero showed what he is capable of when he is at his best. He netted 26 goals that season, which led the league, and he also tallied 8 assists.

What makes Aguero so dangerous is that he has great finishing and dribbling skills. Aguero has been the most efficient goal scorer in England in each of the past three seasons (highest goals scored per 90 minutes), and he has averaged at least 1.9 successful dribbles per game each of the past four seasons.

Aguero’s efficiency numbers are quite incredible as he has averaged .934 goals per 90 minutes over the past three seasons. Nearly averaging one goal per game is nuts. That kind of production over three consecutive seasons earns Aguero our top ranking among Premier League strikers.