Goals Galore: Four Strikers That Have Been Overperforming During This Season

When mentioning which forward have been the best across the top five leagues in Europe, the usual names are often mentioned. Cristiano Ronaldo stands out in Italy in his first year with Juventus, we have Sergio Aguero and Mohamed Salah in the Premier League, Robert Lewandowski in the Bundesliga, and Lionel Messi in Spain.

However, these are not the only names that are worth mentioning, watching or discussing. There are several players that have been overperforming based on their past numbers. And we are going to highlight four standout performers:

Sebastien Haller and Luka Jovic

When speaking about strikers in the Bundesliga, most of the praises go straight to Luka Jovic. The 21-year-old Serbian, who plays for Eintracht Frankfurt but is currently on loan from Benfica, has 15 goals with five assists in the current term. To make things even better, he has put a staggering 60% of his shots (31/52) on target. He’s been effective on any way you look at it. He averages 97 minutes per goal.

However, Jovic shouldn’t be alone when it comes to praising Frankfurt attackers, as Eintracht have ANOTHER forward among the Top 5 scorers – we are talking about Sebastien Haller. The towering French marksman, 24, has 12 goals and nine assists during the current campaign, averages 166 minutes per goal and has seen 58% of his shots going between the posts (22/38). He’s been impressive of late, though – scoring five in eight appearances across all competitions in 2019.

Fabio Quagliarella

Moving on the Serie A we have someone who has been around the block more than a few times: Fabio Quagliarella. The 36-year-old forward has nine goals in his last nine Serie A appearances, but he has been remarkably consistent during the entire season. And the numbers back that up.

The Sampdoria forward – who has formed a deadly striker partnership with Duvan Zapata – has been tearing the league up, and sits at the top of the goalscoring charts in the Serie A with 19 goals – tied with Cristiano Ronaldo – and six assists. Plus, he scores every 113 minutes per goal – the third-best ratio in the league. Quite an effort considering he’s already 36 and quite past his prime.

Nicolas Pepe

Last but not least, we have Nicolas Pepe. Currently sitting third in the Ligue 1 scoring depth – behind Kylian Mbappe and Edinson Cavani – there’s a solid argument to be made regarding Pepe being the best player in France’s top-flight this season. After all, he’s been absolutely instrumental in Lille’s revival and teams such as Liverpool and Arsenal have been linked with a move for him.

The 23-year-old Ivorian has 16 goals with eight assists, and has put 58% of his shots on target during the current term. He averages 151 minutes per goal, too. In other words, he’s almost guaranteed to score at least once every two games. And based on how good he’s been this season, it wouldn’t he shocking if he ends up playing elsewhere next season. Even if Lille qualify to the Champions League.