Most of the Premier League‘s strikers have a bit of making up to do in Fantasy Premier League after their performances last season.
Of the 20 top-performing players in FPL in 2021-22, only two (two!) were forwards: Harry Kane (who was 7th in the rankings) and Cristiano Ronaldo (19th). That number extends to three if you add Diogo Jota to the list – the Portuguese was registered as a midfielder last term but is down as a forward for 2022-23.
Consistency appeared to be an alien concept to most attackers with goals and points tending to come in explosive bursts rather than over a more prolonged period. That could all change in 2022-23 with a number of clubs acquiring new strikers during the summer months.
The Premier League champions and runners-up have each added exciting young sharp-shooters to their squads, with Erling Haaland joining Manchester City and Darwin Nunez moving to Liverpool.
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Haaland’s arrival at City paved the way for Gabriel Jesus to reunite with Mikel Arteta at Arsenal, while West Ham have reduced their dependence on Michail Antonio by splashing out on Sassuolo’s Gianluca Scamacca. Newly-promoted Nottingham Forest, meanwhile, have turned to Taiwo Awoniyi to fire them to safety.
So, with the forward department being given a welcome refresh for the upcoming campaign, here are seven to target with your transfers:
Erling Haaland (Man City)
It took Erling Haaland all of 12 minutes to open his Manchester City account, stretching one of his long legs to its limit to divert Jack Grealish’s cut-back into an empty net against Bayern Munich. Too much emphasis is placed on pre-season – particularly this year, it seems – but that felt like an ominous sign of things to come: English football, you have been warned.
The obvious downside to signing Haaland in FPL over the likes of Harry Kane is that he is an unknown quantity in the Premier League. In recent seasons, expensive strikers recruited from the Bundesliga haven’t always lived up to expectations, Timo Werner and Sebastian Haller to name a couple. But Haaland tends to adapt remarkably quickly to new surroundings and could get off to a flyer given City’s early run of fixtures.
Price: £11.5m Points in 2021-22: N/A
Harry Kane (Spurs)
What a difference 12 months makes. This time last year, Harry Kane was angling for a move to Manchester City and coming to terms with the disappointment of England’s Euro 2020 final defeat; this year he is happy and settled at Spurs with a full, uninterrupted pre-season under his belt. And he looks incredibly sharp as a result.
That point is pertinent given Kane took an eternity to get going in 2021-22. The England skipper scored just once in his opening 12 appearances but was transformed after Antonio Conte’s arrival, eventually ending up as the leading points-scorer among forwards in FPL. Despite Haaland’s arrival, don’t back against Kane reclaiming that title.
Price: £11.5m Points in 2021-22: 192
Darwin Nunez (Liverpool)
Not only is Darwin Nunez the most expensive signing made by a Premier Lague club this summer, but he is also one of the more intriguing recruits too. The 23-year-old has only one very good season in the Portuguese Primeira Liga behind him and it will be interesting to see how quickly he can make the step up to a more competitive division.
A four-goal haul against RB Leipzig following a couple of scoreless matches will have done his confidence the world of good and Jurgen Klopp has attempted to downplay expectations by insisting he needs time to adapt. There is no great need to rush in to buy him for Gameweek 1, but if Nunez settles quickly he could be a bargain at £9m.
Price: £9.0m Points in 2021-22: N/A
Gabriel Jesus (Arsenal)
Gabriel Jesus ended last season in a rich vein of form by scoring six goals in his final seven appearances in a Manchester City shirt and he has looked the part for new club Arsenal in pre-season too, netting four times in as many matches. FPL managers have been taking note; Jesus is currently the most selected player in the game.
After years of playing a backup role to Sergio Aguero and then being shunted out to the right wing, Jesus will finally get the chance to spearhead a Premier League attack on a consistent basis. At City there were doubts over Jesus’ ruthlessness but he should get plenty of chances to score playing in front of Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Martinelli.
Price: £8.0m Points in 2021-22: 120
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Kai Havertz (Chelsea)
Romelu Lukaku was championed as the missing piece of the jigsaw when he joined from Inter last summer, but Chelsea have generally looked at their free-flowing best under Thomas Tuchel when playing without a recognised striker. Lukaku’s subsequent return to Milan should result in Kai Havertz playing through the middle more frequently.
The German’s goal tally across two campaigns at Stamford Bridge isn’t exactly formidable, standing at 23 from 92 appearances. However, more consistent game-time in his favoured position could result in more consistent displays and greater output this season.
Price: £8.0m Points in 2021-22: 112
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Callum Wilson (Newcastle)
Newcastle have been frustrated in their pursuit of centre-forward targets and, as has been reported by i, retain an interest in Chelsea’s Armando Broja. The Magpies could certainly benefit from adding more depth to their attack, but at least they have a proven Premier League performer in place in Callum Wilson.
Injuries restricted Wilson to 16 league starts and 18 appearances in total in 2021-22, but he still scored eight times including a double on the final day against Burnley. The Magpies ended the campaign with a flourish and if they can pick up from where they left off, Wilson will have a crucial part to play.
Price: £7.5m Points in 2021-22: 75
Aleksandar Mitrovic (Fulham)
In normal circumstances, FPL managers would be going out of their way to add a £6.5m striker with a record of 43 goals in 44 games the previous season to their Gameweek 1 squads. As it stands, though, Aleksandar Mitrovic is owned by less than 10 per cent of managers.
The Serbian’s previous struggles in the top-flight explain why some are erring on the side of caution, but Mitrovic has a far more important role for Marco Silva’s Fulham than he did for Scott Parker’s team that was relegated in 2021. Perhaps this will finally be the year that Mitrovic replicates his Championship form in the big leagues.
Price: £6.5m Points in 2021-22: N/A
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