Who is the Premier League's best striker?

Sergio Aguero, Jamie Vardy or Anthony Martial? Who is the best?

Who has been the best striker in the Premier League this season?

It's a question debated by football fans across the land. Leicester City's breakout star Jamie Vardy could point to his goal-haul. But so, too, could Everton's Romelu Lukaku, who is also top of the scoring charts with 15 strikes.

How about Watford's Odion Ighalo, the top scorer in England in 2015, who has made the step up from the Championship look easy with 14 goals so far?

Arsenal fans would no doubt trumpet the qualities of Alexis Sanchez and Olivier Giroud, while their north London rivals would insist Harry Kane's relentless goal-scoring for Tottenham sets him apart.

Then there's Diego Costa at Chelsea, Anthony Martial and Wayne Rooney at Manchester United and a certain Sergio Aguero at Manchester City. Not to mention Liverpool's main man, the currently injured Daniel Sturridge.

It seems the only fair way to rank the league's strikers is to look purely at the stats. Here they are…

Goals

Premier League goals

Player	Team	Goals
Jamie Vardy	Leicester City	15
Romelu Lukaku	Everton	15
Odion Ighalo	Watford	14
Harry Kane	Tottenham	11
Olivier Giroud	Arsenal	10

Jamie Vardy and Romelu Lukaku lead the way when it comes to the scoring charts with 15 apiece. They're closely followed Odion Ighalo (14), with north London pair Harry Kane (11) and Olivier Giroud (10) not far behind.

Romelu Lukaku has scored 15 league goals this season

Mins/Goal 

Minutes played per Premier League goal (min 2 goals)

Player	Team	Mins/Goal
Kelechi Iheanacho	Man City	83.0
Callum Wilson	Bournemouth	108.6
Sergio Aguero	Man City	111.4
Jamie Vardy	Leicester City	116.9
Romelu Lukaku	Everton	117.6

Kelechi Iheanacho has made his brief Premier League appearances for Manchester City count this season, scoring twice despite playing just 166 minutes in 2015/16 so far. His team-mate Sergio Aguero has scored consistently throughout the campaign.

Big Chances scored/missed 

Percentage of big chances scored (min 3 big chances)

Player	Team	Big chances scored
Troy Deeney	Watford	80%
Bojan Krkic	Stoke City	71%
Anthony Martial	Manchester United	71%
Diego Costa	Chelsea	62%
Harry Kane	Tottenham	60%

Troy Deeney may only have scored six goals so far this season but when it comes to regularly tucking away clear chances, he's been the best in the Premier League in 2015/16. Opta defines a clear chances as 'a situation where a player should reasonably be expected to score usually in a one-on-one scenario or from very close range'.

Clear chances - A definition

Opta defines a clear chance as a situation where a player should reasonably be expected to score, usually in a one-on-one scenario or from very close range.

Deeney has had five such openings and found the net on four occasions - a conversion rate of 80 per cent. Stoke City's Bojan and Manchester United's Anthony Martial (71 per cent) have also been effective. However, Bournemouth's Callum Wilson had scored two and missed none of his big chances before his injury. 

Callum Wilson netted five times before being injured in September

Shot conversion rate 

Shot conversion rate in Premier League (min 3 goals)

Player	Team	Shot conversion rate
Callum Wilson	Bournemouth	62.50%
Saido Berahino	West Brom	30.00%
Romelu Lukaku	Everton	28.85%
Jamie Vardy	Leicester City	26.79%
Jordan Ayew	Aston Villa	26.32%

Who is the most clinical striker in the Premier League? We looked at forwards who have scored three or more times this season and found Wilson has the best shot conversion rate. The Cherries striker found the net with 62.5 per cent of his shots before being sidelined with injury in September. West Brom's Saido Berahino has seen his game time limited so far this term but has found the net with three of his 10 shots to date. 

Shooting accuracy

Shooting accuracy in Premier League (min 15 shots)

Player	Team	Shooting accuracy
Mame Biram Diouf	Stoke City	86.67%
Jermain Defoe	Sunderland	70.83%
Jordan Ayew	Aston Villa	68.42%
Harry Kane	Tottenham	61.54%
Andy Carroll	West Ham	61.11%

Hitting the target is Mame Biram Diouf's forte - the Stoke forward has worked the 'keeper with 86.67 per cent of his shots this season. Of players to have had at least 15 shots this season, that puts him top of the pile, followed by Sunderland's Jermain Defoe (70.83 per cent) and Aston Villa's Jordan Ayew (68.42 per cent).

Assists

Assists in Premier League

Player	Team	Assists
Romelu Lukaku	Everton	5
Troy Deeney	Watford	5
Arouna Kone	Everton	4
Jamie Vardy	Leicester	3
Roberto Firmino	Liverpool	3

A striker's role isn't purely about scoring goals for themselves, though. They also have to provide openings for team-mates - and when it comes to assists Lukaku and Deeney lead the way, teeing up five goals so far this term.

Big chances created

Troy Deeney has created more clear-cut chances than any other forward

Big chances created in Premier League

Player	Team	Big chances created
Troy Deeney	Watford	8
Alexis Sanchez	Arsenal	5
Anthony Martial	Manchester United	5
Arouna Kone	Everton	4
Jamie Vardy	Leicester City	4
Romelu Lukaku	Everton	4

As well as leading the assists rankings, Deeney has also created more clear-cut chances for his team-mates than any other forward in the Premier League term. On eight occasions, the Watford ace has presented a colleague with a big chance. Martial and Arsenal's Alexis Sanchez have also performed well in this department, creating five major opportunities.

Penalties won

Penalties won in Premier League

Player	Team	Penalties won
Jamie Vardy	Leicester City	5
Odion Ighalo	Watford	2
Harry Kane	Tottenham	2

Vardy has drawn the most fouls in the penalty area among Premier League forwards this season. The Foxes ace has been felled in the box a remarkable five times already this term. No other forward has won a penalty more than twice.