Following the news of Sergio Aguero’s imminent departure from Manchester City, it has got former Liverpool centre back Jamie Carragher thinking about the top 10 strikers to have ever played in the Premier League.
Aguero will go down as one of the greatest ever players in the Premier League era – as he gets ready to depart the Etihad Stadium as the club’s all-time top scorer with a remarkable 257 goals in 384 matches.
Carragher has come up against some of the world’s best strikers in the Premier League having racked up a staggering 737 games for Liverpool between 1996 and 2013.
Jamie Carragher has placed Mohamed Salah above Harry Kane in his top 10 strikers list even though he admits the Liverpool star has ‘never been a typical No 9’
Kane places 10th in the former Liverpool centre back’s list while Salah is four ahead in sixth
And now the former England international has given his opinion, via the Telegraph, on the Premier League’s greatest ever 10 strikers based on three strict criteria – how many goals they have scored, the number of trophies won, and finally the timing of goals and how valuable they are to a successful trophy quest.
In at No 10, comes Tottenham talisman Harry Kane due to his volume of goals with 175 to his name already despite his lack of silverware in north London.
Carragher argues Kane, injury permitting, could eclipse Alan Shearer’s Premier League goal-scoring record (260) and could surpass Wayne Rooney’s England tally (53).
In at ninth comes former Manchester United and Aston Villa striker Dwight Yorke, while Carragher’s former team-mate Luis Suarez places eighth and Andy Cole in seventh.
Just ahead of them is Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah – and this is where the debate gets interesting.
In Carragher’s column in the Telegraph, he admits: ‘Salah stands out on this list because, unlike everyone else on it, he is not and never has been a typical No 9.
‘Deep strikers such as Eric Cantona and Dennis Bergkamp were not part of my consideration because of that, but Salah has to be an exception because his primary purpose during his Anfield career has been to score, and his statistics have been off the scale since he joined Liverpool.’
Salah has scored an incredible 119 goals in 192 matches for the Reds, winning either the Golden Boot, the Champions League or the Premier League in each of his three seasons on Merseyside.
Eric Cantona and Dennis Bergkamp were excluded as they played as ‘deep strikers’
Carragher then named United great and former England team-mate Rooney at fifth on his list after becoming the Red Devils’ and England’s leading ever goalscorer while winning five Premier League titles and the Champions League in 2008.
Chelsea legend Didier Drogba comes in at fourth with Carragher labelling him the ‘ultimate big-game player who always ‘delivered at the critical moments, securing major honours’ for the Blues.
Shearer takes third spot for guiding Blackburn to their fairytale Premier League triumph in 1995 before going onto Newcastle – where he would become the Premier League’s top ever scorer with 260 goals.
Carragher said: ‘Shearer’s 260 Premier League goals – including three Golden Boots – remain the benchmark for future generations. It may never be beaten.’
Wayne Rooney came in at fifth thanks to his goalscoring heroics for United and England
Alan Shearer takes third spot with his Premier League goalscoring record (260) still intact
But he argued he missed out on the top two because of a shortage of trophies, with departing City legend Aguero taking second spot.
Carragher has chosen Aguero at second for scoring the ‘most iconic Premier League goal ever’ against QPR in 2012 which delivered City their first-ever title and helped change the shape of the top-flight forever.
So far, the Argentine has won four Premier League titles, an FA Cup, and five League Cups during his decade-long stay at the Etihad.
And in at No 1 comes Arsenal icon Thierry Henry – with Carragher insisting there isn’t even any debate over it.
Sergio Aguero departs Manchester City as one of the all-time greats of the Premier League
Carragher claims: ‘There is only one winner in this list. It amazes me that anyone would ever debate it. It is not even close. Henry is not only the greatest Premier League striker, he is the greatest Premier League player.
‘At his peak, he was unstoppable. He won the Golden Boot four times while winning two Premier League titles at Arsenal. In the year of “The Invincibles”, he scored 39 in 51 appearances. Between 2001 and 2006, he scored at least 30 goals in every campaign, and no player has delivered so spectacularly, so often.
‘Henry has more goals per game than anyone else on this list, and he also shares the record number of assists in a season. That shows he was the complete striker, changing modern perceptions of what is expected of a typical No 9.’
Thierry Henry was named as Carragher’s No 1, calling him the ‘greatest Premier League player’