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We are moving into the business end of the leagues of the 2017-18 season. This season, so far, has seen some exceptional striking talents across the top 5 leagues. While there are some familiar faces who are topping the chart, there are few strikers whose career did not flourish till the start of this season. Suddenly, they have become prized assets in their team.
Across the top 5 leagues in Europe, teams with the best goalscoring record are at the top of the table in four of the leagues. Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Barcelona, and PSG boast the best goal-scoring record this season. They have dominated the leagues with their goal-scoring prowess.
In this article, we are going to see the best striker in each of the top five leagues this season. We have considered the goals, assists, chances created, the mid-field strength of their team while coming up with this list.
#1 Ligue 1 - Nabil Fekir
Team - Olympique Lyonnais
Appearances - 20
Goals - 16
Assists - 6
Team's current Position in the league - 2
Fekir has played a more significant role for Lyon this season than Neymar has at PSG. While Neymar had assistance from the world-class PSG players, Fekir, almost, single-handedly inspired Lyon to the second position in Ligue 1 with just eight points away from Paris Saint-Germain.
The 24-year old France International has scored 16 goals and provided six assists from his 20 appearances so far in the Ligue 1 games.
Nabil Fekir has been a first team regular for the French club for three seasons now. He has made 139 appearances scoring 53 goals and providing 33 assists. That means he has directly contributed to a goal every 1.6 games which is a remarkable feat in football.
His aptitude, silky touches, and smartness off the ball movement would be perfect for any club who plays attacking football. Valued at around £60 million, Fekir has been targeted by all the top clubs across Europe.
He is a versatile player who has strong abilities in crossing, dribbling, and long-shots. He can also play as a winger as well as an attacking midfielder. He is, by far, the best Ligue 1 striker in the 2017-18 season.
#2 Serie A - Ciro Immobile
Team - Lazio
Appearances - 19
Goals - 20
Assists - 7
Team's position in the League - 3
Ciro Immobile has been in the form of his life. He has scored 20 goals and assisted seven from his 19 Serie A appearances which helped Lazio to hold the third place in the highly competitive Serie A season.
Immobile scored two goals in the Italian Super Cup helping Lazio beat Juventus in August. He also scored another brace against Juventus, as Lazio ended their 15-year wait to beat the Serie A champions in Turin.
He possesses the goal-poaching abilities of a typical striker. He also has the talent to create space for his attacking unit with his aggressive moves in the 6-yard box. His stubbornness to press and chase down the ball when not in possession makes him a priceless asset to any team.
Immobile had difficult three seasons abroad before making a return to Italy. Lazio bought him for just €9.4m from Borussia Dortmund. It turned out to be an outright bargain. In the 55 Serie A games for Lazio so far, the striker has been involved in 53 goals.
Valued at £35 million, the 27-year old Italian Striker is one of the most wanted strikers in the world football at the moment. His value will definitely be tripled in the summer transfer window.
#3 Bundesliga - Robert Lewandowski
Team - Bayern Munich
Appearances - 18
Goals - 18
Assists - 1
Team's position in the League - 1
Lewandowski scored a brace against Werder Bremen, bringing his score to 94 goals in 114 games for Bayern Munich. He has now bettered Robben as the club’s leading foreign-born goalscorer.
Lewandowski has scored 17 goals from his 17 appearances for the Bavarians this season. The Poland International has probably the best finishing ability in the whole of Europe. He is also good at striking goals from distance. Another key strength of Lewy is his ability to hold the ball and doesn't let it slip out of his grasps.
Called as The Pole, the 29-year old striker is in his eighth season in German. He averages 0.68 goals per game which is extraordinary for a striker.
Lewandowski is currently valued at £80 million which is less comparing the frenzied transfers of late. Clubs have to shell out more than £150 million to get this prized asset from Bayern Munich.
#4 La Liga - Luiz Suarez
Team - Barcelona
Appearances - 18
Goals - 16
Assists - 4
Team's position in the League - 1
Luiz Suarez has started the 2017-18 La Liga on a turbulent note. He managed to score just three goals from his initial eight games. His dip in the form made the headlines and there were rumors on Barcelona looking to replace the veteran with another striker. However, Suarez responded his critics in style. In his next 10 games, he scored an astonishing 13 goals. By doing so, he also claimed the player of the month for December month.
Suarez is one of the best strikers in the world for almost half a decade. His ability to provide key passes is like a cherry on top of his wonderful striking ability. His partnership with Messi helped Barcelona to lead Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid by a margin of 11 and 19 points respectively with 17 games in hand.
He renewed his contract in 2016 and is Barcelona bound till 2021. With his astonishing goal scoring abilities, Barcelona will not part ways with him unless until they get an astronomical transfer fee.
#5 Premier League - Harry Kane
Team - Tottenham Hotspur
Appearances - 22
Goals - 21
Assists - 1
Team's position in the League - 5
Harry Kane became the 4th player in the history of the Premier League to score 20-plus goals in three consecutive seasons, last season. He did not stop with that record. He has already scored 21 goals this season with 16 more games remaining.
Kane's goal scoring record in the premier league:
2014/15 -> 21 goals.
2015/16 ->25 goals.
2016/17 ->29 goals
2017/18 -> 21 goals and counting
He will most probably break the 30+ goal record this season if he continues to run in his rich vein of form. The 24-year old superstar has extraordinary finishing ability both through head and legs. He cannot be bogged down by physical style of playing as he is very strong. His goal-scoring record combined with Tottenham's failure to win silverware has put the top clubs on high alert.
However, Kane will not come at a cheaper price. The clubs need to shell out a record £200+ million to persuade Tottenham to get his service.
