Every Premier League club’s main goal threat ranked by their likelihood to miss a sitter

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Over the years, the Premier League has been renowned for its iconic number nines and lethal forwards. 

We’ve seen goal machines such as Thierry Henry, Alan Shearer and Andy Cole terrorize defences up and down the league and rack up some impressive stats in the process.

However, as is the case throughout the footballing world, for every Sergio Aguero there is a striker who just can’t hit the proverbial barn door to save his life.

At Squawka, we have compiled a list of every Premier League team’s main goal threat and ranked them by their conversion rate when it comes to big chances since the start of last season –  the overall league average turning out as 43.41%.

As defined by Opta, a big chance is “a situation where a player should reasonably be expected to score usually in a one-on-one scenario or from very close range.”

So, read on to find out who, from the start of the 2017/18 campaign, has been an assassin in front of goal along with who seriously needs to invest in a new pair of shooting boots.

1. Chris Wood

(Photo by Nathan Stirk/Getty Images)

Club(s): Burnley

Big chances: 13

Big chances scored: 9

Big chances missed: 4

Big chance conversion rate: 69.23%

First on our list, and coming in with the surprise crown for the Premier League’s most lethal striker, is Burnley’s Chris Wood. Since making a move to Turf Moor from Leeds United in August 2017, the New Zealand international has scored an impressive 10 goals in 26 games, despite suffering the odd injury problem.

What is even more impressive is that Wood has only missed four of the 13 big chances he has had since joining the Clarets.

2. Jamie Vardy

Club(s): Leicester City

Big chances: 22

Big chances scored: 15

Big chances missed: 7

Big chance conversion rate: 68.18%

Coming second-to-last in the ‘couldn’t hit a barn door’ award is Leicester and England’s enigmatic star, Jamie Vardy. The Sheffield-born striker has had one hell of a career, going from non-league to England international and Premier League winner in less than a decade.

And one of the main reasons for that is painstakingly clear here – Vardy has bagged 15 of his 22 big chances since the start of last season, bringing his conversion rate to 68.18%.

3. Glenn Murray

Club(s): Brighton and Hove Albion

Big chances: 21

Big chances scored: 12

Big chances missed: 9

Big chance conversion rate: 57.14%

At 34-years-old, veteran striker Glenn Murray’s form in the Premier League for Brighton has been quite remarkable.

Murray bagged an impressive 12 goals in 35 games last season as the Seagulls secured their Premier League status and bagged another in their 3-2 win over Manchester United recently. His 57.14% big chance conversion rate shows that he is able to draw on all of his experience to keep delivering the goods at the highest level.

4. Steve Mounie

Club(s): Huddersfield Town

Big chances: 7

Big chances scored: 4

Big chances missed: 3

Big chance conversion rate: 57.14%

Next up on this list is Huddersfield’s Beninese striker, Steve Mounie.

Given Huddersfield’s tendency, and need, to defend deep in most Premier League games, it is hardly surprising to see that Mounie has only had seven big chances since the start of last season. However, the ex-Montpellier striker has been very clinical when those chances have come his way, converting four of them.

5. Sergio Aguero

Club(s): Manchester City

Big chances: 30

Big chances scored: 16

Big chances missed: 14

Big chance conversion rate: 53.33%

The biggest name on this list so far, and arguably at all, is Sergio Aguero.

The Manchester City and Argentina striker has had an unbelievable career in the Premier League and his 53.33% big chance conversion rate is all the more impressive when you consider that he has had 30 of them since the start of last season.

6. Harry Kane

Club(s): Tottenham Hotspur

Big chances: 41

Big chances scored: 21

Big chances missed: 20

Big chance conversion rate: 51.22%

World Cup Golden Boot winner Harry Kane comes in as the 12th most likely to miss a big chance out of the Premier League’s top goal threats.

Once dubbed a ‘one-season-wonder’, Kane has scored 31 league goals since the start of last season and is hotly tipped to win a third Premier League Golden Boot this time round.

7. Romelu Lukaku

Club(s): Manchester United

Big chances: 24

Big chances scored: 12 

Big chances missed: 12

Big chance conversion rate: 50.00%

Jose Mourinho has often been criticised for his negative tactics during his Manchester United tenure, and it really shows here with Romelu Lukaku – the likes of Harry Kane and Mohamed Salah have had over 40 big chances since the start of last season compared to Lukaku’s 24.

However, the Belgian striker has been pretty clinical, scoring with 50% of those chances – almost seven percent higher than the league average.

8. Mohamed Salah

Club(s): Liverpool

Big chances: 47

Big chances scored: 21 

Big chances missed: 26

Big chance conversion rate: 44.68%

Given Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool’s all-action brand of football, it is no shock to see that Mohamed Salah has had the most big chances on this list with 47.

He is the first on the list to have missed more than he has scored, but that still didn’t stop the Egyptian forward netting 32 goals in 36 Premier League games last season as he raced to the Golden Boot.

9. Marko Arnautovic

Club(s): West Ham United

Big chances: 14

Big chances scored: 6  

Big chances missed: 8

Big chance conversion rate: 42.86%

Coming in at number 9 is West Ham’s mercurial winger, Marko Arnautovic.

The Austrian initially struggled upon his move to the London Stadium from Stoke until ex-Hammers boss David Moyes finally got a tune out of him – six from 14 big chances is a respectable conversion rate, even if it is just below the league average.

10. Alexandre Lacazette

Club(s): Arsenal

Big chances: 23

Big chances scored: 9 

Big chances missed: 14

Big chance conversion rate: 39.13%

Alexandre Lacazette hasn’t exactly pulled up many trees since joining Arsenal from Lyon at the start of last season.

He has only converted 39.13% of his big chances but showed signs of promise toward the end of the campaign and in this pre-season and will surely add to his 14 league goals for Arsenal throughout this season.

11. Alvaro Morata

Club(s): Chelsea

Big chances: 27

Big chances scored: 10 

Big chances missed: 17

Big chance conversion rate: 37.04%

Coming in at number 7 is the most wasteful of any of the ‘Big Six’ forwards on this list, Alvaro Morata.

The Spaniard got off to a strong start to life at Stamford Bridge last season but faded very quickly, finishing the season with 11 Premier League goals. He currently sits on a 37.04% big chance conversion rate after bagging a goal against Arsenal recently.

12. Charlie Austin 

(Photo by Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)

Club(s): Southampton

Big chances: 14

Big chances scored: 5 

Big chances missed: 9

Big chance conversion rate: 35.71%

We’re well past the halfway point now and are heading toward the realm of wasteful forward men with sixth on our list, Charlie Austin.

In fairness to the Southampton striker, he has suffered a lot of injury problems during his time with Southampton and his 14 goals in 47 league games on the south coast is a much better reflection of his talent than his five big chances scored from 14 since the start of last season.

13. Andre Gray

(Photo by Paul Harding/Getty Images)

Club(s): Watford

Big chances: 14

Big chances scored: 5 

Big chances missed: 9

Big chance conversion rate: 35.71%

It remains to be seen whether Andre Gray is the perennial Championship striker.

Gray scored for fun in England’s second tier but, since making his Premier League debut with Burnley in 2016, he has only managed 15 goals in 65 games in the Premier League – he only managed five from 31 games in his debut season with Watford and has a 35.71% big chance conversion rate in that time.

14. Richarlison

Club(s): Everton/Watford

Big chances: 19

Big chances scored: 6 

Big chances missed: 13

Big chance conversion rate: 31.58%

After exploding onto the English scene with Watford, scoring five goals in his first 12 league games, Richarlison’s form took a sharp downturn and the Brazilian struggled to recapture his spark for the Hornets.

That explains his 31.58% big chance conversion rate. However, the Brazilian youth international is making great strides to improve that statistic since joining Everton, scoring three goals in his first two games.

15. Callum Wilson

Club(s): Bournemouth

Big chances: 16

Big chances scored: 5 

Big chances missed: 11

Big chance conversion rate: 31.25%

Although he is the third most wasteful forward on this list, Callum Wilson is another one that could be cut some extra slack due to his terrible struggles with injury.

Despite struggling with constant niggles and injuries, Wilson has still managed 10 goals since the start of last season and his 31.25% big chance conversion rate represents a battle to get match-fit rather than a lack of quality in front of goal.

16. Salomon Rondon

(Photo credit JUAN MABROMATA/AFP/Getty Images)

Club(s): Newcastle United/West Brom

Big chances: 12

Big chances scored: 3 

Big chances missed: 9

Big chance conversion rate: 25%

The second most wasteful forward on this list is Newcastle United’s Venezuelan striker, Salomon Rondon.

Rondon, who is currently on loan from West Brom, has never scored more than nine league goals in one season since arriving in England in 2015 and is known as more of a target man than an out-and-out goalscorer – reflected in his 25% big chance conversion rate.

17. Christian Benteke

Club(s): Crystal Palace

Big chances: 23

Big chances scored: 3

Big chances missed: 20

Big chance conversion rate: 13.04%

Yes, you guessed it. Coming in as the most wasteful first-choice attacker in the Premier League since the start of last season, with a woeful 13.04% big chance conversion rate is Crystal Palace’s big Belgian, Christian Benteke.

Benteke has had more big chances (23) than any forward outside the Premier League’s big six, yet he has only converted three of them. The fact that he has only managed 27 goals in 97 league games since leaving Aston Villa in 2015 really highlights the absolute loss of confidence the 32-time Belgium international has gone through.

 

 

The post Every Premier League club’s main goal threat ranked by their likelihood to miss a sitter appeared first on Squawka News.



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