The Premier League has featured some of the best strikers to play the game, but when it comes to price tags, very few at the top end can be considered a success.
The £54million Arsenal are expected to pay Sporting for Viktor Gyokeres would put him 11th in the all-time list, according to Transfermarkt.
So we’ve taken the pleasure of ranking the top 10 from worst to best based on their performances.
10. Romelu Lukaku (£98 million)
It is an easy choice for last place – and it is actually the most expensive player on this list.
Romelu Lukaku has racked up hundreds of millions worth of transfer fees in his career and £98million of that came when he left Inter to join Chelsea in 2021.
The deal made some sense at the time; Chelsea were in need of a No.9 and Lukaku had just powered Inter to their first Scudetto in over a decade.
But his second stint at Stamford Bridge would quickly unravel.
Manager Thomas Tuchel opted for a system that did not play to Lukaku’s strengths, and he was only too happy to let everyone know he was not best pleased.
In an interview with Sky Italia, Lukaku tore into Tuchel, criticising him for the tactics and expressing a wish to return to Inter “in the near future.”
He was subsequently dropped and only after a public apology was he allowed to return to the team.
But, just a year after they signed him, Chelsea allowed Lukaku to go on loan to Inter. He was only finally off the books in 2024 when Napoli took the plunge, handing Chelsea a hefty loss.
9. Rasmus Hojlund (£72million)
‘The Danish Haaland’ was the hope of Manchester United fans when the club splashed out £72million on Hojlund in 2023.
The hopes were misguided; while Haaland has bagged 124 goals in 146 games for Manchester City, Hojlund has not even reached 30.
His first season was blighted by a series of minor injuries, keeping him out of 11 games in total, so he was given the benefit of the doubt when he scored just 10 Premier League goals.
But any doubt was erased by a dismal 2024-25 campaign.
Despite playing 32 times, Hojlund scored just four league goals, putting him joint fourth on the club’s top scorer list and level with Marcus Rashford who spent half a year on loan.
United are reportedly looking to offload the 22-year-old this summer. They won’t be getting £72million for him.
8. Alvaro Morata (£70 million)
Morata’s tour of top European clubs saw him stop at Chelsea in 2017, joining from Real Madrid for a club-record fee.
His first season in England was a little under par with 11 goals in 31 appearances, but he managed just 16 games in the 2018-19 season, scoring only five goals in that time.
Chelsea did at least have success in Europe at that time, winning the Europa League, but Morata played only four times during that run.
The London club sent him out on loan to Atletico Madrid in 2019 with the Spaniard leaving permanently a year later.
7. Kai Havertz (£65million)
Even at the time of the move, there was confusion as to what Mikel Arteta and Arsenal saw in Havertz that warranted £65million.
And those doubts have materialised into a player who does not have a natural position in the side.
A lack of striking options has seen him deployed as No. 9, but the German lacks the finishing instincts of a great striker.
On more than one occasion, Havertz has been guilty of looking for an extra pass rather than taking the shot on.
The 26-year-old ended the season on nine goals and three assists from 23 league appearances, but Gyokeres’ impending arrival makes it hard to see where he fits in next year.
6. Darwin Nunez (£85million)
Nunez has become the enigma of the Premier League because no one can seem to tell if he is good or not.
At his best, the Uruguayan is an instinctual striker and one capable of scoring some excellent goals, but give him more time to think and more often than not, he fluffs his lines.
In 30 league games for the champions last year, Nunez scored just five times and became a bit part player as the year went on.
Liverpool now look ready to cut their losses and sell the 26-year-old for a cut price this summer.
5. Dominic Solanke (£65million)
It is hard to judge Solanke’s time at Spurs after an injury-interrupted first campaign.
Joining off the back of 21 goals for Bournemouth, that number fell to 16 in all competitions with Spurs.
But he would not be the only Tottenham player to underwhelm last season and Thomas Frank has experience of getting the best out of players.
Solanke will be expected to put in an improved showing next season.
4. Romelu Lukaku (£75million)
Considering how badly his time at Chelsea went, Lukaku’s spell at Manchester United was not that bad.
His 16 league goals put him sixth in the top scorers charts as United finished second, something Jose Mourinho described as one of the best achievements of his career.
But Mourinho was sacked the following December and Lukaku could not find that scoring form again.
Just 12 goals came in that season’s Premier League and he had soon fallen out with the club hierarchy, suggesting he, friend Paul Pogba and Alexis Sanchez had been made scapegoats.
United, though, were happy to let him leave, especially when Inter offered £60-odd million for him.
QUIZ: Can you name Man Utd’s 25 most expensive signings in history?
3. Kai Havertz (£75million)
If you offered Chelsea the chance to win a second Champions League and all it would cost was £75million, they would have snapped your hand off.
Reducing Havertz’s time at Chelsea to just that one winning goal in the 2021 Champions League final is a bit reductive
But, away from that night in Porto, Havertz found goals at a premium and scored just 19 in his 91 league appearances.
But any disappointment in that record was made up for in 2023 when Arsenal opted to spend £65million on the German.
2. Omar Marmoush (£59million)
We are only half a season into Marmoush’s City career, but he has already shown what he can do.
His striker against Bournemouth picked up the Goal of the Season award, but away from individual moments of brilliance, Marmoush has fitted nicely into Pep Gauridla’s team, often playing alongside Haaland and not a direct replacement.
The true test is still to come as City’s plight gave Marmoash an almost free hit.
If City are in the title charge next season, it will be up to the Egyptian to see if he can rise to the test.
1. Alexander Isak (£63million)
A rare example of undeniable success in this list comes in the form of Isak, who has become one of the best and most sought-after strikers in the world.
A solid start of 10 goals in 27 appearances in his first season was improved to 25 in 40 in his second year as the Swede became the key attacking threat for Newcastle.
Last season, he was in the running for the Golden Boot but could not match the pace of Mohammed Salah.
Regardless, Newcastle reached the Champions League, a key objective in their quest to keep Isak and if the club have serious title ambitions, you suspect the 25-year-old will be crucial to that.
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