NMA Reader Poll: Best EPL Striker 2019-20

The Premier League has always showcased rising star strikers, and the 2019-20 season has been no different.

Everybody loves to watch those lethal forwards who consistently smash the ball into the back of the net. Creating those iconic moments in the history books truly is a timeless art form, and it is one of the reasons why we call this the beautiful game.

Let’s take a look at our contenders for best striker of the 2019-20 Premier League campaign so far:

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Jamie Vardy (Leicester)

Photo by Leila Coker/ MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images

The Vardy effect still has not faded away; the 33-year-old sitting on top of the scoring charts with 19 goals and 4 assists to his name, including an eight-match streak from October 19 to December 8 during which he put 11 in the net.

He has the highest shots on target in the league. Almost 60% of his shots have been on the mark this season, of which 54% have hit the back of the net, also a league-high conversion rate.

Despite scoring only twice since the turn of the year, his goals have propelled Leicester into the Champions League places. When the league (hopefully) restarts in June, it won’t take long for him to score the five goals needed to match his tally of 24 that he scored in the Foxes’ title-winning campaign. The former Sheffield Wednesday forward also looks set to be the 12th-quickest man to reach 100 Premier League goals mark.

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Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Arsenal)

Photo by David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images

Where would Arsenal be this season without their captain, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang? Despite talks of his potential exit from the Emirates, the Gabon international has made a massive impact for the Gunners who sit ninth in the league table.

He has scored an impressive 17 goals, putting him in contention for the golden boot, which he shared last year alongside Mo Salah and Sadio Mane at 22 goals, plus he added nine assists to his name.

And Arsenal depend on him; the 30-year-old forward is contributed 45% of the Gunners’ 39 league goals in 26 matches. He has earned 16 points just by himself, otherwise the Gunners’ would have been in the relegation scrap. Aubameyang is the only player from the entire squad to be in the double-figure numbers, showing just how heavily Arsenal rely on him to carry the club on his shoulders.

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Sergio Aguero (Manchester City)

Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images

For almost a decade now, Sergio Aguero has been City’s way to score goals, and this season hasn’t been much different. The Argentine is the joint-third highest scorer in the league with 16 goals and three assists in 22 matches of which he started only 17.

The Citizens’ striker has broken Thierry Henry’s record for highest-scoring foreigner in the Premier League, having now scored 177 goals – from 255 league games – to overtake the former Gunner’s mark of 175.

At the same time, Aguero also broke Alan Shearer’s record for most hat-tricks in Premier League history in a 6-1 demolition of Aston Villa in January this year. 31-year-old striker has now registered 12 hat-tricks in the English top-flight and there are more to come for sure.

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Danny Ings (Southampton)

Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images

Ings has been remarkable for Southampton during the 2019-20 campaign with a record of 15 goals in 29 Premier League appearances, six of which have come from the substitutes’ bench. The numbers are especially impressive considering that he represent a bottom half team where he alone has earned 13 of a meager 34 points, without which the Saints would be at the foot of the table.

The 27-year-old has scored against the likes of Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea and Arsenal this term, while being in a team where he has 11 more goals than any other player. Only Jamie Vardy, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Sergio Aguero and Mo Salah have netted more times in the Premier League, and they all have much better support.

The former Liverpool striker is the only force keeping his club above the bottom three; surely Ings would have contended for the England squad in Euro 2020 if not for the pandemic situation.

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Honorable Mentions: Marcus Rashford (Man United), Raul Jimenez (Wolves), Roberto Firmino (Liverpool).

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What do you think of our selections? What do you think is important in a modern striker now? What element do you look for in a forward to call him the best? What is your preference and favorite striker this season? Please let us know in the comments below!

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1. Jamie Vardy (Leicester) 19 goals, 4 assists

2. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Arsenal) 17 goals, 1 assist

3. Sergio Aguero (Man City) 16 goals, 3 assists

4. Mo Salah (Liverpool) 16 goals, 6 assists

5. Danny Ings (Southampton) 15 goals, 1 assist

6. Sadio Mane (Liverpool) 14 goals, 7 assists

7. Marcus Rashford (Man Utd) 14 goals, 4 assists

8. Raul Jimenez (Wolves) 13 goals, 6 assists

9. Tammy Abraham (Chelsea) 13 goals, 3 assists

10. Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Everton) 13 goals, 1 assist

Source: Squawka

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Statistics quoted are from the official premier league website and Squawka.

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