Premier League striker power rankings – Duo issue timely reminder to Thomas Tuchel amid Erling Haaland’s staggering struggles

Erling Haaland’s worrying form has continued while an England international has issued a timely reminder of his qualities.

This is the latest edition of talkSPORT’s Premier League striker power rankings.

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Each week, talkSPORT.com has their say on who the top ten strikers in the English top flight are.

These rankings will update on a week-to-week basis depending on how they perform, meaning a striker who is ranked second one week could easily fall a few spots should they play poorly in their next game.

These rankings were also based on a combination of five key metrics: goals scored, goals scored per 90 minutes, expected goals (xG), conversion rate as well as shots on target per 90.

Read on to see the latest update of talkSPORT’s Premier League striker power rankings!

10th – Jean-Philippe Mateta (Crystal Palace)

Last ranking: 3rd

Jean-Philippe Mateta loves to miss big chances, but don’t take our word for it though.

The Frenchman has netted eight times this season, which is impressive on its own considering only three players have scored more.

But Mateta boasts an xG of 11.97, meaning he should have 12 goals to his name.

The difference between his actual goals scored and his xG is -3.97, the largest in the Premier League.

Mateta’s latest evidence of missing when he should score cropped up in Palace’s 3-1 loss to Chelsea on Sunday, when he was put through and was one-on-one with Blues goalkeeper Robert Sanchez when the score was 0-0.

With the goal opening up, Mateta fired his effort straight into Sanchez’s feet, sparking groans from the Selhurst Park faithful.

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9th – Evanilson (Bournemouth)

Last ranking: Not ranked

Something has clicked with Evanilson since the start of December.

Before December, the Brazilian had scored just one league goal.

But from December 1 onwards, the Bournemouth ace has looked a different beast, scoring four goals in his last eight league matches.

The latest was in the Cherries’ stunning 3-2 win over Liverpool.

However, Evanilson could and perhaps should have more goals to his name this season given he boasts an xG of 6.55, meaning he is underperforming given he has five goals.

He also has a rather low conversion rate of 11.36 per cent.

The Cherries will need Evanilson to remain in his present form if they are to move further away from danger.

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8th – Matheus Cunha (Manchester United)

Last ranking: Not ranked

When you need an impact off the bench, look no further than Matheus Cunha.

The Manchester United ace was the toast of the town when he drilled home a stunning strike to sink Arsenal in Sunday’s bumper clash.

Cunha’s effort had a xG of 0.039, but he defied the odds to continue Michael Carrick’s unbeaten streak as the Red Devils caretaker boss.

It also meant Cunha now has goal involvements in United’s last two matches having chipped in with an assist for the Red Devils’ 2-0 win over Manchester City.

There’s still plenty of work to do for Cunha if he is to earn a starting berth for United under Carrick given he, to date, has preferred the rapid pace of Bryan Mbeumo up top.

But if Cunha continues to chip in with goals and assists in his cameos, he’ll have every reason to be knocking on Carrick’s door for a spot in the starting line-up.

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7th – Brian Brobbey (Sunderland)

Last ranking: Not ranked

A player’s recent form is a key element of these power rankings, which is why Brian Brobbey is now in the mix.

The Sunderland ace netted his third goal in his last four matches, his latest being a difficult header he made look easy against West Ham.

Nordi Mukiele was released down the right and curled in a cross that Brobbey, who held his run to remain unmarked in the box, expertly guided home.

Brobbey’s five goals this term also represents a serious over-performance on his xG, which sits at 2.26.

What that indicates is Brobbey is rather clinical and that’s backed up by a conversion rate of 29.41 per cent, the second-best among Premier League strikers.

Having played the full match in three of his last four league matches, Brobbey is well and truly Sunderland’s main man.

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6th – Thierno Barry (Everton)

Last ranking: Not ranked

It’s taken a while, but Thierno Barry is finally looking like the player Everton forked out £28million for.

Barry netted the equaliser for the Toffees in their 1-1 draw with Leeds thanks to some brilliant anticipation to nip ahead of Seabstiaan Bornauw and poke the ball home.

It was Barry’s fourth goal in his last five matches, showing the Frenchman is a man in form.

But if there was further evidence needed that Barry looks to have found his feet, it’s that he has now scored five of his last 10 attempts on goal.

It’s an impressive run considering he hadn’t scored from any of his first 15 shots in the league this season.

So yeah, Barry is well and truly on the rise.

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5th – Joao Pedro (Chelsea)

Last ranking: 9th

Joao Pedro is a rather curious case.

Throughout the season, his eight goals have all come in back-to-back games before enduring a barren run.

Luckily for the Brazilian with the timing of our latest rankings, he’s just netted in consecutive matches against Brighton and Crystal Palace.

It’s also important that his latest string of goals have come from starting berths under new Blues boss Liam Rosenior.

It indicates Rosenior’s trust in the Brazilian and he’s evidently reaping the rewards.

Pedro is now just three goals away from his best return yet in a Premier League season and there’s little reason to doubt that won’t happen.

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4th – Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Leeds United)

Last ranking: Not ranked

Leeds United signing Dominic Calvert-Lewin on a free is looking more and more like one of the best transfers this season.

Calvert-Lewin has struck nine times this season for Leeds, which is rather impressive considering he has only scored more than seven goals in a single league campaign just twice previously.

The 28-year-old could and perhaps should have improved the tally to 10 in Leeds’ 1-1 draw with Everton on Monday.

Leeds defender Jayden Bogle fizzed in a low cross from the right, only for Calvert-Lewin – who had worked himself into an excellent position – to clatter his effort from six yards against the post.

It was a chance that had an xG of 0.56, but Calvert-Lewin was left to rue the miss.

Had he buried it, Calvert-Lewin would have had double figures for the first time since the 2020/21 campaign.

Nevertheless, his solid form this season will no doubt have given England boss Thomas Tuchel plenty of food for thought when it comes to his attacking options.

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3rd – Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa)

Last ranking: Not ranked

Thomas Tuchel, are you watching?

That might be the thoughts of every Aston Villa fan after Ollie Watkins netted his eighth goal of the season on Sunday.

As Morgan Rogers kicked the ball out to Lucas Digne on the left, Watkins sensed his opportunity and sprinted in the box untracked to meet the Frenchman’s cross with a powerful header that Newcastle goalkeeper Nick Pope was powerless to keep out.

Watkins’ goal was his fifth in his last six matches, cementing his status as a man in form.

It’s a marked change from when he scored just once in his first 13 league fixtures.

Watkins has also timed his latest goalscoring run to perfection given conversation will soon turn to who will make Tuchel’s England squad.

He won’t unseat Harry Kane as England’s first choice striker, but Watkins is a dependable back-up.

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2nd – Igor Thiago (Brentford)

Last ranking: 1st

Few would have predicted Igor Thiago to be the man behind Erling Haaland in the Premier League golden boot race, but here we are.

The Brazilian has netted an impressive 16 times this term, five of which came in Brentford’s last four games.

He netted a hat-trick away to Everton on January 4 and then followed that up with a brace against Sunderland three days later.

Thiago’s recent strikes ended a barren run of six league matches without a goal as he enjoyed a tremendous start to the new year.

The 24-year-old unfortunately wasn’t his usual self in Brentford’s latest fixture, a 2-0 defeat at home against Nottingham Forest.

Thiago managed just two shots, both of which were off target.

One notable aspect of Thiago’s brilliance is the fact he boasts the sixth-best conversion rate in the league at 29.63 per cent, the highest among all Premier League strikers.

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1st – Erling Haaland (Manchester City)

Last ranking: 2nd

Yes, Erling Haaland is on a staggering run of form.

But it’s not the good kind, as the Norwegian has netted just once in his last six league fixtures.

It pales in comparison to his haul of 19 goals in City’s first 17 games.

Despite his recent misfires, Haaland is still well clear of the chasing pack in the Premier League golden boot race, with Igor Thiago four goals behind.

The City marksman remains one of the most devastating strikers in Europe, let alone the Premier League, so it will take something special to knock him off top spot in our power rankings.