The Premier League’s top 10 goalscorers of 2023: Rashford, Wilson, Haaland…
The 2023-24 Premier League season is underway – but which players have scored the most goals in the competition over the course of the calendar year?
Just seven players have hit double figures so far in 2023, including four English players.
Here’s the full ranking of the Premier League’s top 10 goalscorers since New Year’s Day. One or two names might surprise you.
10. Ivan Toney – 8 goals
Just edging into the top 10 ahead of Gabriel Martinelli due to fewer minutes played, Toney will surely drop out of the top 10 due to his suspension.
The Brentford striker is currently serving an eight-month ban for betting offences and isn’t due back until January 2024. He’ll be a huge miss for Thomas Frank’s Bees, given his 20-goal tally last season – eight of which were scored since the turn of the year.
9. Harvey Barnes – 8 goals
Leicester City were utterly dismal in the latter half of the 2022-23 campaign. The Foxes picked up just 17 points from 21 Premier League games in 2023 and deservedly ended up relegated on the final weekend.
That makes the seven goals scored by Barnes all the more impressive. The writing was on the wall for the 25-year-old’s future ever since their return to the Championship was confirmed and sure enough he departed alongside James Maddison in the summer.
It will be interesting to see how the talented forward performs in a better-organised team. The well-taken goal on his debut for Newcastle United certainly bodes well for his future up on Tyneside.
⚡️ @harveybarnes97 ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/IVJr4s4p21
— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC) August 13, 2023
8. Bukayo Saka – 9 goals
Arsenal were top of the Premier League table on New Year’s Day and remained in pole position for many more months before finally falling behind Manchester City in the run-in.
But it was their issues in defence rather than attack that derailed their title charge in madcap score draws against Liverpool, West Ham and Southampton back in April.
Hale End graduate Saka has completed his rise into one of Arsenal’s best and most consistent players. The England international scored eight league goals for the Gunners in the second half of 2022-23 and picked up where he left off with a goal in Arsenal’s 2-1 opening day victory over Nottingham Forest.
7. Alexander Isak – 10 goals
The Swedish striker struggled with injuries in his debut season with Eddie Howe’s Magpies, but he’s looked an absolutely lethal centre-forward when fit and available in 2023.
Isak led the line brilliantly for Newcastle as they started 2023-24 with a bang, scoring twice in a 5-1 mauling of Aston Villa. He appears to have put his injuries woes behind him and now looks ready to challenge the Premier League’s most proven strikers in the scoring charts.
6. Marcus Rashford – 11 goals
There was a period early in 2023 when it was no exaggeration to say that Rashford was probably world football’s most in-form player.
The Manchester United forward scored 19 goals in 24 appearances in all competitions after returning from the World Cup and notched in seven successive Premier League matches at Old Trafford, matching a record set by Wayne Rooney.
He couldn’t quite maintain those lofty standards all the way to end of the campaign, yet still registered a career-best tally of 30 goals in all competitions (17 in the Premier League).
Rashford cut a frustrated figure up top as Manchester United kicked off 2023-24 with an unconvincing 1-0 win over Wolves. It will be interesting to see if he starts firing again once new boy Rasmus Hojlund comes in and he’s moved back out to the left.
Marcus Rashford has played 16 games since returning from the World Cup.
He's scored in 13 of them 👉😤 pic.twitter.com/VmqGhdSfYE
— B/R Football (@brfootball) February 16, 2023
5. Ollie Watkins – 12 goals
Unlucky to be overlooked by Gareth Southgate for England’s summer outings, Watkins couldn’t conceivably have done much more to earn a call-up in the latter half of 2023.
Arguably Aston Villa’s best player as they finished the 2022-23 campaign in exceptional form, the striker scored 12 goals in 22 appearances in 2023 and became the first player since Sergio Aguero to score in six consecutive away games.
4. Mohamed Salah – 12 goals
Some questioned whether Salah was past his best when he signed a bumper new deal with Liverpool last summer. The Reds’ Egyptian King wasn’t at his very best in 2022 but has silenced his doubters this calendar year.
Only Erling Haaland has registered more goals and assists combined than Salah in 2023 (12 goals, nine assists in 23 Premier League appearances). A record that’s all the more impressive when you that’s for a severely underperforming Liverpool side.
Salah looked miffed when Klopp substituted him in the 1-1 draw at Chelsea on Sunday, denying the forward the chance to score on seven successive opening weekends for Liverpool.
3. Callum Wilson – 13 goals
Few have tipped Newcastle to qualify for the Champions League again this season, but when you consider that they boast two of the Premier League’s most in-form goalscorers – plus another, with Harvey Barnes – it’s not difficult to imagine them upsetting the odds once again.
Wilson can consider himself unfortunate to have only been named on the bench in Newcastle’s opener against Aston Villa after ending last season on such a hot streak. But he came on to score his 13th goal of 2023 and will continue challenging Isak for a starting berth. A nice problem to have for Howe.
2. Harry Kane – 17 goals
The England captain finished runner-up in last season’s Golden Boot race.
The fact that he scored 30 league goals (17 in 2023) in such a sh*tshow of a Tottenham side means that few can begrudge him his move to Bayern Munich. Kane may no longer be around to challenge Haaland for Premier League goals in 2023, but don’t be surprised if he outscores the Norwegian for league goals in 2023.
He’s going to fill his boots in the Bundesliga.
READ: Tottenham’s 10 most expensive sales & how they fared after leaving
1. Erling Haaland – 17 goals
No shocks here. Haaland drew level with Kane for league goals in 2023 with his brace on the opening weekend against Burnley.
Now that Kane’s gone, it would be a surprise if he’s not out on his own in the Golden Boot race this year.
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