Best Value Premiership Strikers

With the January transfer window now upon us, rumours are flying around in abundance as teams seek to strengthen their squads. Inevitably some teams are going to panic buy and waste a lot of money on players who simply aren’t worth their extortionate transfer fees. More often than not, the most money is spent on strikers, as clubs seek to turn their fortunes around with a big-money signing of a proven goal-scorer. With this in mind, it’s time for a bit of nostalgia with a look back to find the best value-for-money strikers in Premier League history. These players turned out to be worth every penny of their transfer fee, all averaging at least 17 Premier League goals per season. For the sake of comparison, transfer fees have been adjusted in line with inflation (adjusted figure in brackets) to illustrate further how much of a waste of money Fernando Torres and Andy Carroll are, just in case anyone has started to feel sorry for them.

Alan Shearer

From: Southampton

To: Blackburn Rovers

Transfer Fee: £3.3m (£5.6m)

Goals: 112

League Goals per Season: 28.00

Shearer’s goal-scoring record speaks for itself. After signing from Southampton for a record-breaking £3.3m in 1992, Shearer had a solid start to his Blackburn career, netting 16 league goals in his first season. The following three seasons, though, were nothing short of spectacular, with Shearer scoring over 30 league goals each season and guiding Blackburn to the Premier League title in the 94-95 season. Although his goals per season ratio is inflated due to three of his four seasons being 42 games long, Shearer’s scoring ability is indisputable and has to be the best value for money striker the Premier League has ever seen.

Thierry Henry

From: Juventus

To: Arsenal

Transfer Fee: £11m (£15.2m)

League Goals: 174

League Goals per Season: 21.75

The supremely talented Frenchman spearheaded Arsenal’s attack for years following Arsene Wenger’s inspired decision to mould the young winger into a striker. Henry quickly became a force to be reckoned with, tormenting Premier League defences for eight seasons with his blistering pace and sublime skill. During his time at Arsenal, Henry won two Premier League titles, three FA Cups, and two Community Shields and captained the side to the Champions League final in 2006. Without a doubt one of the greatest players ever to grace the Premier League and he was snapped up for just £15.2m in today’s money.

Ruud van Nistelrooy

From: PSV

To: Manchester United

Transfer Fee: £19m (£25.1m)

Goals: 95

League Goals per Season: 19.00

Van Nistelrooy epitomises the phrase ‘fox-in-the-box’. Of his 95 league goals for United, 94 were scored from inside the box and he had to wait until his penultimate season at the club to score from range in a 3-1 win against Charlton Athletic in 2005. That said, van Nistelrooy scored his fair share of sensational goals, including the unforgettable goal he scored against Fulham in 2003 – receiving the ball on the halfway line and scything through the Fulham defence to slot past the helpless Maik Taylor in goal.

Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink

From: Atlético  Madrid

To: Chelsea

Transfer Fee: £15m (£20.4m)

Goals: 70

League Goals per Season: 17.50

The Dutch striker had a very modest start to his career, scoring just five goals in three seasons AZ before being released by the club and spending a season playing for non-league side S.F.C. Stormvogels in the Netherlands. Hasselbaink then played for four different clubs in just five seasons after being rescued from non-league obscurity by Portuguese side Campomaiorense in 1995. Though Hasselbaink will always be remembered for his thunderous strikes, his prolific goal-scoring in the Premier League is often forgotten.

Tom Mordey

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