5 EPL Strikers With Big Expectations

These English Premier League marksmen are worth your attention during the course of the 2015-16 football season. The season opens August 8th.

1. Christian Benteke, Liverpool: At 6-foot-3, the Belgian international brings pace blended with size, deadly accuracy and finishing skills. As Liverpool begrudgingly sold Raheem Sterling for a paltry $75 million (US), they might’ve upgraded in obtaining Benteke from Aston Villa. Liverpool paid $50 million (US) for the Congo-born striker and still have a huge chunk of change left in their pocket. During his three-year run with the Villians, Benteke scored 49 goals in 100 appearance — making him a lock to score just about every-other match.

2. Radamel Falcao, Chelsea: Chelsea thinks they can coax the Columbian international back to his former goal-poaching ways. Falcao did not impress during his one season at Manchester United where the Red Devils passed on their option to make his loan from Monaco more permanent. Chelsea is making a pretty safe bet as United are a re-building mess. Falcao’s past performances indicate he can get the job done in Europe. In three seasons with Portugal’s FC Porto he notched a massive 72 goals in 87 appearances. He upgraded to Atletico Madrid in 2011 and put 70 goals in his account in just 90 matches. Monaco swooped for the striker in 2013 and while he only made 22 appearance for the French League club, he poured in 13 goals. He fizzled at Old Trafford, scoring just four times in 29 appearances — not all of them starts — for United.

  3. Raheem Sterling, Manchester City: No player will be under more pressure to perform this season than England international Sterling. His departure from Liverpool proved massively controversial especially as there’s no love lost between the cities of Liverpool and Manchester, where City splurged $75 million (US) for the budding superstar. Looking at the goal totals of the players above, it’s hard to understand why City would spend so lavishly on a player who has just 23 goals in 129 appearances, but he’s young, English and a hot commodity, so City must have him.

4. Harry Kane, Tottenham: Kane’s 31-goal efforts attracted interest from a numbers clubs forcing Spurs to spend the summer fending off suitors, including Manchester United. As Spurs prepare to vacate White Hart Lane and head toward a new, ultra-modern encampment, Kane can serve as a core piece for the London side to build around. “Harry can manage this pressure,” manager Mauricio Pochettino told the UK Telegraph. “He is young, but he is very mature. He is in a very good way to become one of the best strikers in the world.”

5. Wayne Rooney, Manchester United: Rooney played in a deeper attacking position last year as Louis Van Gaal tried to hack through a glut of strikers. However, United sent Robin Van Persie packing and Rooney sits poised as an all-out striker again. Rooney (185 career Premier League goals) needs just three tallies to move into second place on the EPL’s all-time goals list behind Alan Shearer’s 260.