There have been plenty of top quality strikers in the Premier League. Alan Shearer, Teddy Sheringham and Andy Cole to name a few. But what about those who’ve struggled? The players who’ve been signed or come through academy systems that haven’t cut the mustard at the highest level.
We’ve picked out ten strikers who have the worst goalscoring record of any in the 25 years of Premier League history.
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Jeremie Aliadiere (Arsenal, West Ham, Middlesbrough)
Games: 94
Goals: 8
Goals per 90 mins: 0.13
Aliadiere was burdened with significant pressure at the start of his career, scoring four goals in six League Cup games for Arsenal as a teenager and a healthy background in France. However, his stock fell pretty quickly after leaving Highbury. His stints at West Ham and Middlesbrough bought just eight goals in nine seasons in the Premier League.
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Ronny Rosenthal (Liverpool, Tottenham)
Games: 118
Goals: 10
Goals per 90 mins: 0.13
Rosenthal started off in prolific fashion for Liverpool, scoring a perfect hat-trick in his first start for the Reds and seven in his first eight games as they won the league. He was pretty useful at Spurs too as a utility player and in Watford’s promotion campaign in 1997/98, but none of this is remembered, as his most memorable moment came when he missed a wide-open goal.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiVq5-u7MH0
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Carl Leaburn (Wimbledon)
Games: 56
Goals: 4
Goals per 90 mins: 0.12
Leaburn was a cult hero at Charlton, so much so that he even had t-shirts made in his honour saying, “I saw Carl Leaburn score.” His selflessness and cult hero status often deflecting from his complete inability to find the back of the net. He left for Wimbledon in 1998 and his profligacy hardly improved, scoring just four times in 56 games. That doesn’t matter though, as he also made a guest appearance in Eastenders!
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George Boyd (Hull, Burnley)
Games: 101
Goals: 9
Goals per 90 mins: 0.11
Unlike fellow non-league footballers like Jamie Vardy and Charlie Austin, who’ve become excellent Premier League strikers, Boyd’s career took a different direction. He spent three years in the Premier League, for both Burnley and Hull, scoring just nine goals. However, he didn’t come out on the losing side in any of the games he scored in. His goal against Manchester City in a 1-0 win was one of the highlights of his career.
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Daryl Murphy (Sunderland, Newcastle)
Games: 72
Goals: 4
Goals per 90 mins: 0.11
Murphy fits into the criteria of being too good for the Championship, but not good enough for the Premier League. He was a member of Sunderland’s squad of 2005/06 with his only goal rescuing a point for his team. He stayed on after their relegation and returned for another two years, scoring a paltry 3 in 51 games, although his side won every game he scored in.
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Tommy Smith (Watford, Portsmouth, QPR)
Games: 87
Goals: 6
Goals per 90 mins: 0.10
Smith’s first season in the Premier League was back in 1999/2000, which saw Watford finish bottom of the league, with him scoring twice over the course of the season. He returned to the top flight six years later, scoring just once in 32 games before joining the doomed Portsmouth side of 2009/10. He returned again to the Premier League in 2011/12, scoring two goals for QPR before leaving at the end of that season.
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Craig Fagan (Birmingham, Derby, Hull)
Games: 70
Goals: 5
Goals per 90 mins: 0.09
It was a debut season to forget for Fagan, as he was a member of Derby’s terrible side of 2007/08. He didn’t find the back of the net once, but that didn’t stop Hull from making a move for him at the end of the season. The Tigers had just been promoted to the top flight and he scored three goals for them. His three goals led to two points which they would have been relegated without. He scored another two goals in the following season, but was eventually shipped on to play lower league football.
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Richard Cresswell (Sheffield Wednesday, Leicester, Stoke)
Games: 67
Goals: 2
Goals per 90 mins: 0.07
Cresswell scored a bullet header on debut for Sheffield Wednesday against Liverpool and expectations immediately rose. However, his following 26 appearances bought just one goal and he was eventually sold to Leicester. His partnership with Ade Akinbiyi at Filbert Street was one of the worst in Premier League history. He returned a few years later with Stoke, but failed to find the back of the net in 30 appearances for the Potters.
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Jozy Altidore (Hull, Sunderland)
Games: 70
Goals: 2
Goals per 90 mins: 0.05
Altidore had all the attributes to be a successful Premier League striker. He was big, strong and had shown at AZ Alkmaar that he could find the back of the net. However, he was anything but a success in England. His initial loan spell at Hull bought one goal in 28 appearances and he joined Sunderland soon after. He typified their struggles, failing to score, terrible control of the ball and just sheer gloominess.
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Andy Gray (Leeds, Nottingham Forest, Sunderland)
Games: 51
Goals: 1
Goals per 90 mins: 0.03
Andy Gray was the nephew of Leeds legend Eddie, but failed to ignite Premier League crowds, regardless of which team he played for. He spent four seasons playing in the top flight, scoring in just one and that was his only Premier League goal. His worst spell was whilst at Sunderland in the 2005/06 season. His only goal came in a 3-1 home defeat to Charlton.
