Strikers. Centre-forwards. The Classic ‘Number 9’. Call them what you want. They are there to score goals and are the focal point of every football team. No two are the same. Some are big and burly. Some may score with their head, while some may dazzle with their feet. From Peter Crouch to Jermaine Defoe, there is a front-man for every team and playing to his strengths will often prove the key to success.
The Premier League returned with a bang as an astonishing 31 goals were scored across ten games. There was debut delight for some while others will have to deal with the heart-break of defeat. We’ll be looking at some of the stars eager to write their names in the record books as the Race for the Golden Boot gathers pace.
Alexandre Lacazette
Three-time winners Arsenal kicked off the 2017/18 edition with a mouth-watering Friday night fixture against the 2015/16 Champions Leicester City at the Emirates Stadium. Arsene Wenger was keen to get off to a positive start and silence all his early doubters. It took Alexandre Lacazette less than 2 minutes into his Premier League debut to make his mark as he headed Arsenal in front and despite the next 88 mins being the nerviest of opening day encounters, Arsenal eventually came away with a deserved 4-3 victory. Lacazette scored 91 league goals in his past four seasons in France and Gunners fans can certainly look forward to more dazzling displays in the coming months.
Wayne Rooney
No stranger to English Football, Wayne Rooney made his long-awaited return to Goodison Park on Saturday. He repaid Ronald Koeman’s faith in him with a goal on his second debut for the Toffees in a 1-0 win. 13 years after he acrimoniously left the club for Manchester United, where he became their all-time leading goal scorer - surpassing Sir Bobby Charlton in the process, his goal for Everton against Stoke City was his 199th in his glittering Premier League career. He looks right back at home already and I strongly believe we could see a rejuvenated Rooney turn it up in his twilight years when many thought that the fire and flair that once made him great were far beyond him, but what Saturday proved is that Wayne still has the odd match-winner left in him.
Steve Mounie
Another player that took his Premier League bow this past weekend but may not have been known to many was the former Montpellier front-man Steve Mounie. The 22-year-old Beninese footballer had a breakthrough campaign in 2016/17 scoring 14 times in 35 appearances for La Paillade. Huddersfield manager David Wagner snapped him up for a club record fee and he turned in a stellar display on debut as they thrashed Crystal Palace 3-0 to go top of the table, Mounie on the scoresheet twice. The Terriers proving that their bite was just as big as their bark and if they are to push on and survive the dogfight that is the Premier League, they will be relying on his goals and will hope he continues to perform on a consistent basis.
Romelu Lukaku
One of the stars of last season, Romelu Lukaku, scored 25 goals yet still managed to miss out on the top prize. He completed his big-money move to Manchester United in the summer and had to wait until the final game of the weekend to let loose. West Ham United must be sick of the sight of him. He scored a brace on Sunday – his 10th and 11th goals against the Hammers in just his 13th appearance against them- to lead Mourinho’s men to a hugely convincing 4-0 win which sees them sit at the summit of the table after the first week. United have splashed the cash on a proven Premier League goal-scorer and Lukaku has started brilliantly in filling the huge void that was left by Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Alvaro Morata
The Blues may not have gotten their title defence off to the best possible start as they were humbled at home by Burnley but one man who managed to make the headlines for the right reasons in that 3-2 defeat for Chelsea was new signing Alvaro Morata who came off the bench to notch a goal and assist on his Premier League debut. The 24-year-old Spaniard has linked up with his former manager from Juventus in Antonio Conte. This is a man who clearly trusts him and after his cameo on the weekend, it is apparent why. It appears that he has taken no time at all to settle into life in England. If Chelsea are to get their season back on the right track they will need Morata to kick-on in his career and prove that he has what it takes to lead the line.
Harry Kane
Last but not least is Tottenham Hotspur’s main man. The league’s top-scorer for the past two seasons, Harry Kane has long shaken the tag of being a ‘one-season-wonder’ and will be looking to make it a hat-trick of Golden Boot wins in 2017/18 as he enters his fourth year at the club. It is hard to believe that a player who scored 29 goals in 30 games last season is still yet to score a Premier League goal in the month of August. This staggering statistic continued at Newcastle on Sunday when he failed to find the net in a 2-0 win. He may be a slow starter but one thing is for certain, Harry Kane will score goals - he currently sits on 99 for Spurs in all competitions in just 165 appearances. There is no doubt that he will reach triple figures sooner rather than later and while an August goal may continue to evade him, fans can expect a sweet September and season ahead from England’s Golden Boy.