Ollie Watkins

[Risso]

I kind of feel like if Watkins seriously upped his finishing rate in such a manner as would make a difference, he'd be considered world class, in the £80-100m bracket. Granted, Osimhen is more £120-150m, but it's rareified territory.

Yes but that's "if my auntie had bollocks...." territory.

[Monty]

It is now I think. He's improved a lot over a year with Emery but I think we just need to accept that he has these barn door and banjo spells in him.

Still, for a guaranteed upgrade? I don't think there's anyone we could realistically get, actually. Look at Man Utd's struggling to get one - there's no glut of top class, well-rounded centre forwards right now.

[Drummond]

Normally there would be loads of suggestions to my question, but the only one is Isak. Or Toney, who can't play anyway.

I think that sums it up really, he may miss a few but he's invaluable to us.

[Risso]

Normally there would be loads of suggestions to my question, but the only one is Isak. Or Toney, who can't play anyway.

I think that sums it up really, he may miss a few but he's invaluable to us.

Well you limited it to Premier League strikers. I think you can add Wilson to that. In terms of forwards rather than out and out number 9s, then you could include Son and Rashford. But players don't have to come from the Premier League, Martin O'Neill isn't manager any more.

[Monty]

Wilson doesn't offer the rest of Watkins' game.

[Percy McCarthy]

I still think Tammy is better. I know he’s injured obvs.

Mind you, that run Ollie had second half of last season had me questioning my view.

[paul_e]

Jimmy Greaves always used to say that his 25 goals a season were the result of about 100 shots

On average for premier league strikers it's more like 140 or more (based on a conversion rate of around 17-18%).

[Monty]

Dunno pal, I've just watched Tammy spend a year making Ollie look like Gerd Müller.

[Drummond]

Normally there would be loads of suggestions to my question, but the only one is Isak. Or Toney, who can't play anyway.

I think that sums it up really, he may miss a few but he's invaluable to us.

Well you limited it to Premier League strikers. I think you can add Wilson to that. In terms of forwards rather than out and out number 9s, then you could include Son and Rashford. But players don't have to come from the Premier League, Martin O'Neill isn't manager any more.

I did, and for good reason; that's the league we're in and the strikers he can be compared with who are playing against a similar standard.

[Risso]

Normally there would be loads of suggestions to my question, but the only one is Isak. Or Toney, who can't play anyway.

I think that sums it up really, he may miss a few but he's invaluable to us.

Well you limited it to Premier League strikers. I think you can add Wilson to that. In terms of forwards rather than out and out number 9s, then you could include Son and Rashford. But players don't have to come from the Premier League, Martin O'Neill isn't manager any more.

I did, and for good reason; that's the league we're in and the strikers he can be compared with who are playing against a similar standard.

Yes but it's not where you're forced to shop for upgrades.

[paul_e]

Dunno pal, I've just watched Tammy spend a year making Ollie look like Gerd Müller.

Tammy blows hot and cold just as much as Watkins does, Watkins is far more use to a team when he's 'cold' though because unlike the majority of strikers the pressure of not scoring doesn't seem to have such a detrimental effect on his all round game.

[Drummond]

Normally there would be loads of suggestions to my question, but the only one is Isak. Or Toney, who can't play anyway.

I think that sums it up really, he may miss a few but he's invaluable to us.

Well you limited it to Premier League strikers. I think you can add Wilson to that. In terms of forwards rather than out and out number 9s, then you could include Son and Rashford. But players don't have to come from the Premier League, Martin O'Neill isn't manager any more.

I did, and for good reason; that's the league we're in and the strikers he can be compared with who are playing against a similar standard.

Yes but it's not where you're forced to shop for upgrades.

Ok, so for arguments sake, we're talking here about Man City, Man Utd, Tottenham and Newcastle being the only clubs with a potentially better striker in this country then all the other clubs in the Premier League must want to sign the upgrades? And then add in the other clubs with Champions League football etc and it makes it very hard.

It's just not that easy to upgrade him.

[Risso]

I think Liverpool have got better strikers than Watkins. That Salah bloke looks quite handy.

[Drummond]

Yep, I mentioned him earlier and forgot to put 'The Mighty Reds YNWA' on the list.

Pick holes in the list, but that's including everyone people have suggested, and I'd argue against most of them. I'd rather Watkins than Rashford, Son, Isak.

[algy]

I dunno, maybe I'm tainted by liking Ollie as a person anyway, but to me he seems to be a fairly reliable 1-in-3 type striker.  I mean, he scored 15 league goals last season, which'd put him in the top 10 goalscorers every season bar 2 for the past 30 years.  Which isn't that bad.

There's also this myth that you can actual get 20 goal a season strikers fairly easily.  When in reality how many strikers actual score 20+ goals for more than a single season in their entire career?  I make it as 19 since 1992/93 (as that's an easy place to start):

- Les Ferdinand (92/93, 94/95, 95/96)
- Alan Shearer (93/94, 94/95, 95/96, 96/97, 99/00, 01/02, 03/04)
- Matt Le Tissier (89/90*, 93/94, 94/95)
- Ian Wright (91/92*, 93/94, 96/97)
- Robbie Fowler (94/95, 95/96)
- Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink (00/01, 01/02)
- Thierry Henry (01/02, 02/03, 03/04, 04/05, 05/06)
- Ruud Van Nistelrooy (01/02, 02/03, 03/04, 05/06)
- Didier Drogba (06/07, 09/10)
- Wayne Rooney (09/10, 11/12)
- Carlos Tevez (09/10, 10/11)
- Robin Van Persie (11/12, 12/13)
- Sergio Aguero (11/12, 14/15, 15/16, 16/17, 17/18, 18/19)
- Luis Suarez (12/13, 13/14)
- Harry Kane (14/15, 15/16, 16/17 17/18, 20/21, 22/23)
- Diego Costa (14/15, 17/18)
- Jamie Vardy (15/16, 17/18, 19/20)
- Mo Salah (17/18, 18/19, 20/21, 21/22)
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (18/19, 19/20)

* happened before 92/93, but IMO they still count ... I'm just not looking at players whose final 20+ season was more than 30 years ago.

I dunno, 19 players in 30 years.  It feels like maybe they're not all that common.  Even with the above, 20 goals a season seems to generally be something that happens once or twice in a player's career - there's a few exceptions to that, but not loads (4 players with 3 seasons, 6 with 4+ seasons).  And say at 27 Jamie Vardy had only hit 20+ once, so I sort of think it's not completely impossible to imagine that Ollie Watkins might still score 20 goals this season, or next, or the season after that.