The fastest players to 50 Premier League goals+assists: Cole Palmer 4th…
Chelsea’s Cole Palmer has hit the milestone of 50 Premier League goals and assists in fewer games than Premier League legends including Thierry Henry, Sergio Aguero and Ruud Van Nistelrooy.
The 22-year-old has been nothing short of a phenomenon since leaving Manchester City for Chelsea last summer, joining an exclusive club of some of the Premier League’s greatest-ever signings.
Here are the five players who have reached the milestone of 50 Premier League goal contributions (goals plus assists) in the fewest games at one club.
5. Alan Shearer – 53 games
The all-time Premier League goalscorer made his Blackburn Rovers debut on the opening weekend of the newly-rebranded top flight back in 1992, signposting his ascent to greatness with two wondergoals away to Crystal Palace.
He didn’t really let up there, going on to score 16 goals in his first 21 Premier League appearances for freshly-promoted Blackburn. Unfortunately his progress was stunted by a cruciate ligament injury, which kept him sidelined for six months, but he largely picked up where he left off in his second season at Ewood Park.
Shearer’s fiftieth Premier League goal contribution arrived in his 53rd appearance in the competition, getting there with a brace in a 2-0 victory over the champions Manchester United towards the end of the 1993-94 campaign.
Like the man who tops this list, he dealt mostly in goals rather than assists – 44 goals and six assists at the time.
4. Cole Palmer – 48 games
Jamie Carragher called Palmer the best player in the Premier League over the past 18 months, since he signed for Chelsea, and there’s certainly a case to be made for that.
Having notched just one assist and zero goals for Manchester City in 19 Premier League appearances for the club – most of which were admittedly brief cameos – many questioned Chelsea’s decision to spend £40million on the youngster’s signature.
But with 33 goals and 17 assists in his first 48 league outings for Chelsea, that’s proven a masterstroke. Undoubtedly one of the greatest bargain buys of recent times.
It certainly helps that he’s got ice in his veins from the penalty spot.
READ: The 5 players with the best 100% penalty record in the Premier League: Palmer moves top…
3. Mohamed Salah – 46 games
Liverpool’s Egyptian King is now into his eighth season at the club and he continues to be outrageously brilliant.
But there’s an argument that he was never better than his iconic 2017-18 debut season on Merseyside. At least that’s what the numbers say, with a then-record 32 goals and a further 10 assists in the Premier League.
Salah then needed just 10 more games in his second season to reach the milestone of 50 goal contributions (39 goals, 11 assists).
Quite the turnaround after notching just two goals and one assist in 13 Premier League games for Chelsea. The inverse Palmer.
2. Andy Cole – 43 games
A force of nature in his first full season, Cole notched a ridiculous tally of 34 goals and 10 assists in 40 Premier League appearances for newly-promoted Newcastle United in 1993-94.
It was almost inevitable that it would take him just three more games to notch another six goal contributions at the start of his second season on Tyneside.
And not a single penalty, either. No wonder the Geordies were absolutely heartbroken when he was sold.
READ NEXT: The 10 players with the most goals + assists in Premier League history: Salah catching Henry…
TRY A QUIZ: Can you name the 36 players with 50+ Premier League goals and assists?
1. Erling Haaland – 39 games
Of course it’s that man. Harry Kane has recently broken his record to become the fastest player to notch 50 goals in a major European league since 2000.
But Haaland’s 48 games to reach 50 Premier League goals stands as a record we’re unlikely to ever see beaten. Include assists in the half-century milestone and it’s 39 matches.
Ridiculous.