Best Strikers in English Premier League - Part 2
6. Robin Van Persie (Arsenal):
Arsenal has produced and bought some of the best strikers in Premier League history. Highbury witnessed the era of Ian Wright, Dennis Bergkamp and Thierry Henry who had the league in their feet. All three are now Arsenal legends. Arsenal's move to the new
Emirates Stadium saw the arrival of a new breed of future stars at Arsene Wenger’s disposal.
This includes Robin Van Persie but unfortunately, injuries have limited his appearances for Arsenal in the last two years. Nonetheless, whenever he is on the pitch, Arsenal has every chance to score a goal. He is a deadly finisher and is almost in the same
mould as Thierry Henry.
Van Persie started as a winger when he first joined the club, but just like Henry, Wenger saw some goal scoring potential in the Dutchman also and thus converted him into a lethal finisher. The striker has scored 48 goals in 134 games so far. Following the
signing of Marouane Chamakh and Cesc Fabregas’ presence in the team, it is only a matter of time before the striker stamps his authority in the league provided that he remains fit.
5. Nicolas Anelka (Chelsea):
No striker in the Premier League probably has more travelling experience than Chelsea’s Nicolas Anelka. Once again, it was Arsene Wenger who noticed his potential and bought the Frenchman from Paris-Saint-Germain to Arsenal in 1997. He later sold the player
to Real Madrid for a 2000% profit.
The well travelled Frenchman has played in France, England, Spain and Turkey. After his spells at Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City, the 'Le Sulk' was signed by the then Bolton manager, Sam Allardyce. At Bolton, Anelka resurrected his career as he formed
a formidable partnership there with the ex-Liverpool striker, Hadji Diouf.
Chelsea soon came knocking and bought Anelka. Since his arrival there, the French international has been making all the right noises, wreaking havoc and scoring goals for his team. With his 119 goals in 320 Premier League games, Anelka is the 12th
top scorer in EPL history.
4. Fernando Torres (Liverpool):
Liverpool signed this Spanish international from Athletico Madrid for $32 million and the Spaniard has so far justified his price tag. He came with a reputation of being one of the world’s most exciting youngsters and further cemented it by scoring 3 hat
tricks in his 1st season with the club. He has already notched up 57 goals in his 86 Premier League appearances, just to show how good he really is.
Sadly, his amazing start came to a halt as he was hit with injuries which were a reason of his poor showing in the World Cup. The start of the season also saw his club enter a period of crisis. But now that the crisis is over with new owners coming in, the
club seems to be moving towards its revival. 'El Nino' is still 26 and has a lot of time on his hands. He might prove to be another sought after player in the league in years to come.
3. Wayne Rooney (Manchester United):
Some will consider this position quite harsh and some will say it's too generous. The announcement of Rooney’s contract extension till 2015 is great news for football fans and the league. The England international arrived at club football at the age of just
16 years and for 80 pounds a week.
It was Everton vs Arsenal and the score was 0-0. Wayne Rooney came on for David Weir and in virtually the first touch of his match; he drilled a beauty past David Seaman. More was to come as his performances were noticed by Sir Alex and he was signed in
2004.
Rooney scored a hat trick on his club debut in the Champions League match against Fenerbahce. A miserable World Cup and a poor start to this season made people somewhat forget how instrumental he was last season when he had scored 26 goals in the league.
But, the 24 year old still has a long way to go and him signing a contract extension is definitely a daunting prospect for United’s rivals and a statement of intent from both the player and the club.
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