9 modern Premier League players with surprisingly good goal records: Maupay, Rondon…
Chelsea, Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest have all been able to call upon the services of Premier League goalscorers who perhaps did not get the credit their records deserved.
We have a massive soft spot for strikers who, despite having limitations with other parts of their game, still have that knack of knowing how to hit the back of the net, sometimes more so than more illustrious names.
We’ve taken a look at nine forwards who have a goalscoring record in the Premier League since 2014-15 which may take you by surprise.
Chris Wood
Finally receiving his flowers after a prolific 2024-25 season with Nottingham Forest, Wood has a better Premier League goal record than some huge names.
The New Zealander’s 88 goals for Burnley, Newcastle and Forest beats the tallies of Erling Haaland, Roberto Firmino, Bruno Fernandes and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang among others.
There aren’t many more popular Premier League players than Wood, who shows there is still a place for big target men in the modern game.
Willian
Under-appreciated at Chelsea and a punchline at Arsenal, Willian has more Premier League appearances than any other Brazilian.
His goal record isn’t bad either; the winger has chipped in with 43 goals for the aforementioned pair and Fulham over the past decade.
Countless managers have appreciated the work-rate and intelligence of Willian and his Premier League stats speak for themselves.
Tomas Soucek
A Fantasy Football staple in 2020-21, Soucek scored 10 Premier League goals as West Ham surprised everybody by finishing sixth under David Moyes.
While the Hammers haven’t scaled those heights since, the Czech Republic captain has remained an important member of the team.
Coupled with his work-rate and prowess at set-pieces, Soucek’s total of 35 goals includes several winners and point-saving strikes. A true West Ham cult hero.
Neal Maupay
Overshadowed by his wind-up antics and dismal record at Everton is the fact Maupay has 33 Premier League goals in 158 appearances.
Roughly one in five, mainly with Brighton and Brentford.
Not enough to launch him into Ballon d’Or territory, but around eight a season alongside his tireless work outside the box.
You may not be too impressed, but it’s still a better record than you might expect.
READ: 8 of Neal Maupay’s greatest sh*thouse moments: Leaving Everton, darts, cry-baby…
Joshua King
A record of 53 goals in 193 appearances is decent for a forward playing in a bottom-half team, but look a little closer and the stats show just how threatening King was when deployed as a central striker rather than on the wing.
Forty-three of those goals were scored when the Norway international played through the middle, with his most notable streak coming in 2016-17, ending the campaign with 16 Premier League goals – 13 of which came in 26 matches as a central striker.
The arrival of Jermain Defoe for the following season saw King shunted from his favoured role, and he made his frustrations clear.
“I don’t like to make excuses,” King told Norwegian newspaper VG.
“But I have to say I was surprised when I returned in pre-season and was moved into a deeper position having done so well the year before.” Quite.
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Ayoze Perez
Perez has 45 goals in 223 appearances for Newcastle and Leicester and we’re struggling to remember any of them.
One of those players that managers loved, the forward never seemed to pull up any trees but kept scoring with semi-regularity.
He was even a member of Spain’s Euro 2024-winning squad, somehow. The type of player we had in mind when compiling this piece.
Jordan Ayew
You can never fault Ayew’s endeavour, but a dead-eyed hotshot he is not. He averaged just 3.5 Premier League goals a season at Crystal Palace, only once scoring more than four.
Still, the Ghanaian’s total of 42 goals is more than big names like Kai Havertz, Jack Grealish and Mesut Ozil.
Salomon Rondon
One of the best workhorse strikers of his generation, Rondon was a dream team-mate as he brought others into play with his intelligent work up top.
Rafa Benitez loved the Venezuelan, building his Newcastle attack around Rondon’s aforementioned qualities and being rewarded with 11 goals.
Also a favourite at West Brom and Everton, Rondon scored 36 Premier League goals across six seasons – not tons, but still more than you’d think.
Charlie Austin
Similar to Maupay, Austin did a lot of good work off the ball but still chipped in with a respectable 34 goals at QPR, Burnley and Southampton.
The Poole-born striker scored 18 of those in 2014-15 in a vain effort to keep QPR up, but injuries prevented Austin from adding even more than he ended up managing.