Like any asset, a player’s value is measured not just by their price tag but by the returns they generate. In the world of football, there are many returns an asset can produce: defensive actions, distribution, chance creation. But the sexiest — for want of a better word — is goals.
The aim of the game is to score, and doing that consistently is a great way to rake in the big bucks. Clubs shell out big money for Premier League goals, but some get a better return on their investment than others. And so the question has to be asked:
Which Premier League poachers are the best value for money?
The Premier League is chock-full of goalscoring talent. Players like Haaland, Salah, and Son have been consistently finding the back of the net season after season, earning themselves some of the highest-paying contracts in Europe. These are amongst the best assets in world football, and as a result, the market dictates they earn astronomical wages for their services.
But they get enough plaudits. Instead, we’ll be looking for those undervalued assets, who put the ball in the net for pennies on the dime.
Method
After compiling a list of the 86 players with five or more goals last season, we can see who has scored the most for the least in 2023/2024.
wages (annual) ÷ goals = cost per goal (CPG)
Results
Before we get to the top 10 best value goal-netters in the league, some notable results.
The only defender to make this list is Spurs centre-half, Cristian Romero. The World Cup winner netted five times last season, giving him a lofty cost per goal of £1.72 million. This was not the worst, however, with wingers Raheem Sterling and Marcus Rashford both surpassing the £2 million/goal mark. Bernardo Silva joins them to make up the bottom 3, but did so in a title-winning City team that was not struggling for goals, so we’ll give him a pass.
The lofty wages of big-hitters, Erling Haaland and Mo Salah, mean they both rank in the bottom half, at 59th (£722,222/goal) and 70th (£1.01m/goal) respectively.
The only six-figure/week earner to crack the top 20 is Newcastle’s Alexander Isak, whose 21 goals on £120,000/week gave him a cost per goal of under £300,000.
Now, onto the top 10.
10. Nicholas Jackson – £241,428
The Senegalese striker arrived at Stamford Bridge last summer and had an impressive debut season. Though criticised for his lack of clinical finishing, the 23-year-old put up 14 goals, finishing 12th in the Golden Boot race. He did so on a weekly wage of £65,000, meaning he was paid £241,428 per goal.
Jackson has started this season even better, bagging six goals in ten appearances. However, he may struggle to stay in the top 10 for this campaign, after earning a raise to £100,000/week as part of a whopping nine-year extension with the Blues.
9. Oliver McBurnie – £216,666
One of two players on this list no longer plying their trade in the top flight this season is former Sheffield Utd forward, Oliver McBurnie. His fifth and final season with the Blades was a difficult one. Sheffield Utd finished at the bottom of the table, amassing sixteen points over the course of the season.
McBurnie was, however, a bright spark in an unremarkable Sheffield side. He started just 15 times, yet amassed six goals, making him the club’s joint top scorer on a rather modest £25,000/ week. This puts his cost per goal at £216,666. The 28-year-old left the club at the end of the season, now suiting up for Las Palmas in La Liga. He is yet to get off the mark in Spain but has chipped in with three assists.
8. Dominic Solanke – £191,578
Solanke put the league on notice last season. A product of Chelsea’s illustrious Cobham Academy, he struggled to make an impression during his tenure at Liverpool. His transfer to Bournemouth in 2019 began much the same, however, following the club’s relegation, he started showing real promise in front of goal. With an impressive tally of 44 goals over two seasons in the Championship, he returned to the top flight with something to prove. After a quiet first season where Bournemouth avoided the drop, Solanke came into 23/24 without massive expectations. However, he quickly made himself the most important member of the squad, putting up 19 goals for the season.
On a rate of £70,000/week, each goal he bagged cost the Cherries £191,578. Following a superb campaign, he joined Spurs in the summer and after a slow start, seems to be finding his goalscoring form under Postecoglou, with four goals in nine appearances.
7. Cole Palmer – £177,272
The other half of Chelsea’s offensive tandem, Cole Palmer is the highest scorer on this list, despite not playing as a centre forward. Arriving from a stacked Man City team with few opportunities for progression, Palmer’s transition from baby blue to royal was seamless.
His 22 goals on £75,000/week gives him a CPG of £177,272, which does not do justice to his impact. He also recorded 11 assists in the campaign, leading him to a second-place finish on both the goals and assists charts. No surprise then that Chelsea wanted to lock him down at the club. Like Jackson, he was given an extension until 2033, on a well-earned £130,000/week. He has picked up where he left off last season, with 12 goal involvements in 11 appearances so far.
6. Jean-Philippe Mateta – £162,500
One of the surprises of last season was the blossoming of Jean-Philippe Mateta at Crystal Palace. The big Frenchman started the season slowly, but upon the arrival of Ollie Glasner at Selhurst Park, he caught fire. Of his 16 goals last season, 11 came in the last 13 games, with a hat-trick against Villa on the final day capping off an impressive campaign.
On a wage of £50,000, Palace forked out £162,500 for each of Mateta’s goals. It has been a slow start to this season, in comparison, but three goals so far is more than he managed until February last term, and on the same weekly rate, he is a definite contender to climb higher up this list in 24/25.
5. Antoine Semenyo – £130,000
The second Cherry to make the list, Antoine Semenyo broke into the starting lineup after an uneventful first season at the club. His second campaign was far more fruitful. He slotted home eight goals while earning £20,000/week, meaning each goal cost £130,000, an even better return than star striker Solanke.
He may not provide such value this season after being given a significant raise by a Bournemouth team that has been flying as of late. But he’s reached half last season’s tally already and is turning into the archetype of winger bigger clubs will monitor with interest.
4. Simon Adingra – £108,333
We have our only tie on this list at fourth and third, with both players earning £108,333 per goal. Simon Adingra netted six times last campaign for Brighton, while earning £12,500/week.
Operating predominantly on the left, but more than capable on either flank, the 22-year-old continues to improve under Fabian Herzeller. His goalscoring numbers aren’t spectacular, but his ceiling is one of a top player, and with Brighton’s track record of developing young talent, the future is certainly bright for the Ivory Coast international.
3. Yoane Wissa – £108,333
Also coming in at £108,333 per goal is Brentford’s Yoane Wissa, who edges out Adingra for third due to higher output. His 12 goals in the Premier League last season provided great value for the Bees, and cemented Wissa’s place in the starting XI, having been used as a substitute for most of his first two years in England.
Despite a turbulent injury history, a fully fit Wissa is as dangerous in front of goal as they come. With the departure of Ivan Toney, Brentford had a gap to fill in terms of goals, and Wissa is stepping up to the challenge. He ranks 2nd in goals per 90 this season, with seven in eight games, trailing only Haaland. At £25,000/week, he may well be the most underpaid forward in the country.
2. Carlton Morris – £47,272
Though Luton Town’s debut season in the Premier League ended in relegation, they outperformed the expectations put on them and finished 18th, just two wins shy of survival. No small thanks to their frontman, Carlton Morris, who managed 11 goals during the campaign on £10,000/week. That comes to just £47,272 per goal.
Luton had the lowest wage bill in the Prem last season, and the fifth lowest in Europe’s top 5 leagues. It’s no surprise then to see their top scorer so high on the list. Since dropping back down to the Championship, things haven’t been going quite as the club would have hoped, as they sit in 21st at time of writing. Morris has, however, bagged four goals for the Hatters, and they will be hoping his form can get them back to competing at the top of the table.
1. Rodrigo Muniz – £43,333
The best value goal-getter in the league last season was Fulham’s Rodrigo Muniz. Pocketing just £43,333 for each of his nine goals, no one scored more for less. The young Brazilian was an important bench player during Fulham’s 2022 Championship win but was deemed not ready for top-flight football, going to Middlesborough on loan the following campaign. But he got his opportunity last season, and grabbed it with both hands. With injuries keeping new signing Raul Jimenez on the sidelines for much of the campaign, Muniz was the team’s go-to scorer for large parts of the season and provided some stellar performances.
This season, with Raul returning to form, he will struggle to put up similar numbers with less minutes, however, at just £7,500/week, he remains an incredible asset to have on the books.
With the 24/25 season well underway, it will be interesting to see who can break into the list. There will certainly be some who retain their spot in the top 10, but those who earned new contracts may well drop out. My pick to watch for is Ipswich Town’s new star man, Liam Delap, who already has 6 goals on £20,000/week. If he can maintain this form, he will certainly be right up there with the best this season.
Though not a perfect formula for player value, this cost-per-goal metric can give us some insight into the best-value attacking assets in the league. With the highest wage bills of any league in world football, Premier League clubs have had to get used to forking out massive sums to attract enough talent to compete. But finding undervalued gems is key to gaining an edge, and this exercise has shown you don’t need to pay an arm and a leg for someone to put the ball in the net.