da jogodeouro： When the Premier League spends more than £1billion in a single transfer window, it’s easy to get confused about how much a footballer is actually worth.
da pixbet： So we at FootballFanCast have been trying to find some logic to the madness, partaking in a bit of number crunching to determine who is the best value-for-money striker in the Premier League by stacking their top flight scoring records up against their transfer fees.
Before we get started, it’s important to outline the ground rules. First and foremost, this list only includes out-and-out strikers (so Alexis Sanchez, Roberto Firmino and Heung-min Son all miss out) who have scored at least ten Premier League goals for their current club (therefore, no Christian Benteke).
Secondly, simply because it’s impossible to divide by zero, free transfers and academy products (Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Harry Kane and Saido Berahino most notably) have all been excluded from this list.
Finally, it’s worth reiterating once again that we’re only including Premier League goals and that all transfer fees have been taken from TransferMarkt.com.
With the house-keeping out of the way, it’s time tor reveal the Premier League’s ten best value-for-money strikers…
10. LEONARDO ULLOA
Keeping you in the top flight before helping you win the Premier League title is one heck of a return for an £8.6million striker. Ulloa’s gone on to bag 17 league strikes for Leicester City – costing them just under £506k per goal.
9. SERGIO AGUERO
Many initially baulked at Manchester City’s £34million investment in Sergio Aguero but he’s certainly paid it back, firing them to two Premier League titles with 107 goals in 154 top flight outings. That works out at £318k per goal.
8. PETER CROUCH
He may be way beyond his peak (and far down the pecking order) at 35 years of age, but Stoke City have certainly got their money’s worth from Peter Crouch. He’s cost the Potters £303k per goal, a steal considering the fortunes Premier League survival annually brings in at the Bet365 Stadium.
7. DANIEL STURRIDGE
When fully fit, Daniel Sturridge nearly always finds the net, to the extent that Liverpool’s £12.75million spend on the England international now seems like peanuts. The Reds have ended up paying around £296k per goal.
6. DIAFRA SAKHO
He may not be in the West Ham faithful’s good books at the moment but Sakho boasts a very healthy return for the East London club. Arriving from Metz for just £4.25million, the Hammers have paid just £283k per goal.
5. JERMAIN DEFOE
Having been swapped for Jozy Altidore, there’s no official fee for Jermain Defoe’s 2015 move to Sunderland. Therefore, we’re going with the veteran striker’s market value at the time, £5.1million, as a measure against his return of 23 Premier League strikes for the Black Cats. That averages out at £222k per goal.
4. OLIVIER GIROUD
This one should silence the Wenger Out brigade. Having purchased him for £10.2million, including add-ons, Olivier Giroud has set Arsenal back just £179k per goal, making him the Premier League’s fourth-best value-for-money front-man.
3. WAYNE ROONEY
Longevity’s worked in Wayne Rooney’s favour on this one, although Sir Alex Ferguson deserves the highest praise possible for the investment he made back in 2004. Over the course of twelve years, Rooney has cost Manchester United £176k per goal.
2. JAMIE VARDY
Picked up for a mere £1million back when Leicester City were in the Championship, former non-leaguer Jamie Vardy has cost the Midlands outfit just £32k per top flight strike. He also got them promoted to the Premier League and fired them to the title.
1. TROY DEENEY
Watford paid Walsall just £616k to sign Troy Deeney back in 2010 and he’s certainly repaid that modest fee. Having netted 20 times since their promotion to the Premier League in 2014, Deeney tops this list with an average cost of £31k per goal. Shrewd business indeed.