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#3 Josip Ilicic (Atalanta)
A quintessential late-bloomer, Josip Ilicic has recently attained the status of an elite striker. Following successive underwhelming spells with Palermo and Fiorentina, the Slovenian was snapped up by Atalanta in 2017, for a nominal fee of €5.5m.
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At the Gewiss Stadium, Ilicic proved to be a player reborn as the veteran striker hit the ground running in no time. Primarily deployed on the right flank during his Palermo days, Gian Piero Gasperini chose to station Ilicic in a more central position. In this newly found system, the 33-year-old striker flourished thoroughly, laying out scoring opportunities on a consistent basis.
Nicknamed Il Professore due to his style of play and ability to think on the feet, Ilicic has taken his game to new heights in the past two seasons. Despite playing just 1,530 Serie A minutes last season, he managed to directly contribute to 15 goals in the league.
Moreover, the Slovenian international laid out a whopping 61 chances for his teammates in the same season. With his superior technical abilities, Ilicic is easily one of the best creative strikers of the present time.
#2 Harry Kane (Tottenham)
The first entry on the list who dons the number 10 in reality, Harry Kane is a striker that can walk into the first team of any top European team. In fact, the Englishman has been a highly sought-after target for multiple Premier League teams this summer. Manchester City reportedly have had two bids, in excess of the €100m mark, rejected by Tottenham Hotspur.
From the looks of it, Kane will be spending the 2021-22 season at Spurs, marking his 17th year with the club. After a chaotic managerial conundrum, Tottenham fans would welcome any sort of stability with open arms. As an added bonus, the footballing world will get to see at least one more year of the ever-brilliant Kane-Son duo.
The 28-year-old striker shined in an otherwise lackluster Mourinho side, scoring 23 times and providing a league-best 14 assists en route to his third Premier League Golden Boot. Mourinho's conservative approach allowed Kane to operate in a much deeper role and, as a result, bolstered his creative output.
Subsequently, Kane managed to produce 44 successful layoffs in 35 league games. Notably, the Spurs captain also created 49 chances for his teammates and initiated 291 forward passes in the league last season.
Despite his obvious talents, the English striker is yet to win any major silverware in his professional career.
#1 Iago Aspas (Celta Vigo)
Pipping Kane for first place is veteran striker Iago Aspas. The Spaniard has arguably had the most impact at a club amongst all the players on this list. A Celta Vigo player through and through, Aspas departed the club in 2013 in search of greater opportunities. However, he failed miserably during his two years at Liverpool and was forced to make an abrupt homecoming to Spain.
Following a Europa League-winning season with Sevilla, the prodigal striker returned to his boyhood club for a cut-price rate of €5.3m. At 28, Aspas rediscovered his form and ignited the Estadio Municipal de Balaídos from the moment of his landing. Since 2015, the prolific striker has racked up a total of 116 goals and 42 assists across all competitions for the Sky Blues.
In all times of crisis, Aspas has acted as the knight in shining armor for his club, saving them from relegation on multiple occasions. Even in what could be considered an off-colour 2020-21 season, the Spaniard managed to notch up 14 goals and 15 assists in La Liga.
He even created a record 62 chances among the top strikers in Europe's best leagues, along with nine attempted through balls. With an additional 43 successful layoffs last season, Aspas has truly proven he can be an efficient playmaker despite playing as a striker for his club.
Also read: 5 full-backs with the best crossing ability in the world right now
