No Premier League player has come close to Alan Shearer’s goal tally, and the pundit and former Newcastle striker thinks world-class forwards are hard to come by
Premier League clubs have some of the most expensively-assembled squads in the world, but Alan Shearer believes there are only three strikers in the competition who can be considered “world-class”.
Shearer is the Premier League’s all-time top scorer with 260 goals in the competition. Since Harry Kane left Tottenham for Bayern Munich, no player currently active in the English top flight has more than 200.
Mohamed Salah, who moved up to 176 with his goal in Liverpool’s victory over Ipswich on Saturday, is one of the three identified by Shearer. The others just so happen to be second and third behind the Egyptian in this season’s goal charts.
Erling Haaland, who scored for Manchester City against Chelsea on Satutrday, sits second on that list. Third is Alexander Isak, who bagged a brace for Newcastle at Southampton as he continues to thrive at the stadium Shearer once called home.
“[Isak’s] all-round game is magnificent,” Shearer said on Match of the Day on Saturday. “He is creating so many opportunities, getting shots away. His first touch is fantastic.
“I think there are three world class forwards in the Premier League. Erling Haaland being one. Mohamed Salah being another and Isak the third.”
Isak’s first-half double helped Newcastle come from behind to beat Southampton 3-1, with Sandro Tonali also on target. The Swedish international now has 17 league goals this term, just four shy of his total across all of last season.
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“He took the penalty really well,” Newcastle boss Eddie Howe told BBC Sport when reflecting on Isak’s performance. “He was really good in lots of moments during that first half.
“He was the conduit, he was the guy linking play for us and then on the end of bits and pieces. He’s taken the second goal really well, it was a great move from the team. Delighted with him, delighted for the group. It’s a big win for us.”
The goals at St Mary’s brought Isak level with Haaland this season, only for the Manchester City striker to bag again in his team’s victory over Chelsea. He benefited from the support of new signing Omar Marmoush, who was praised by City boss Pep Guardiola after the win.
“Really good. That connection with other players and incredible movement,” Guardiola said of Marmoush, who was making his debut after a big-money move from Eintracht Frankfurt during the week. “It is the first game and he deals with the change and he makes unbelievable movements.”
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