Ranking The Best Number Nines In The Premier League Right Now

Manchester United have handed Rasmus Hojlund the number nine shirt for the new season, with the club’s goalscoring hopes pinned on the Denmark international.

Hojlund had an encouraging first season in the Premier League to score 16 goals in all competitions and there’s confidence at Old Trafford that the 21-year-old can continue his development in 2024-25.

The number nine is often bestowed on the player relied upon to guarantee goals, but where does Hojlund rank among the best number nines in the Premier League right now?

We’ve decided to rank the five best players currently wearing the number nine shirt in the Premier League.

5. Rasmus Hojlund – Manchester United

Manchester United’s newest number nine kickstarts our list after a maiden season in the Premier League that should offer encouragement. Hojlund needed until Boxing Day to open his account in league action but a return of five goals in six Champions League group games demonstrated that he can cut it at the top level.

Once his Premier League duck was broken with a late winner against Aston Villa, Hojlund became the youngest player to score in six consecutive Premier League games.

He ended the season with 16 goals in 43 appearances across all competitions and while there’s undoubtedly refinement required, the raw ingredients are there for Hojlund to reach the top.

Rasmus Hojlund has been handed the number 9⃣ shirt for @ManUtd!

Look back at when he scored 7⃣ goals in 6⃣ consecutive appearances last season pic.twitter.com/vM2ZDAqRak

— Premier League (@premierleague) July 24, 2024

He follows in the footsteps of Andy Cole, Dimitar Berbatov and Zlatan Ibrahimovic in wearing the number nine shirt for Manchester United.

4. Gabriel Jesus – Arsenal

Gabriel Jesus is a player who polarises opinion. Jesus’s work in and around the box can border on world-class at his best but the Brazilian has often been accused of lacking the clinical touch required.

After a positive first season in North London that saw Jesus offer Arsenal an all-action outlet, fitness and form issues limited the 27-year-old to just eight goals in all competitions in 2023-24.

@gabrieljesus9 | #UCL pic.twitter.com/yPY5m0PnMG

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) April 12, 2024

There are doubts around Jesus’ future at Arsenal but the Gunners should take caution before offloading a player who has averaged a Premier League goal or assist every 113 minutes since his arrival in English football.

3. Dominic Solanke – Bournemouth

Last season appeared to be the campaign in which Dominic Solanke fulfilled the potential first seen during his exciting emergence through Chelsea’s Cobham ranks. The forward failed to find his feet during spells with the Blues and Liverpool, before a tough time in the top flight with Bournemouth.

However, Solanke put it all together during an exceptional 2023-24 campaign that saw the Cherries’ centre-forward score 19 league goals for Andoni Iraola’s side.

Goals had been the one, albeit crucial, aspect missing from Solanke’s game which has seen the 26-year-old become a Swiss Army Knife of a centre-forward package, with delicate touches and league-leading pressure from the front.

The turn
The finish

See all the angles of the Dominic Solanke goal that sparked @afcbournemouth’s sensational turnaround against Luton! pic.twitter.com/ffrk3xoMpx

— Premier League (@premierleague) March 14, 2024

The challenge now will be proving he can maintain last season’s levels in the Premier League. If he can, another chance at one of the division’s biggest sides could await.

2. Darwin Nunez – Liverpool

Liverpool’s ‘Agent of Chaos’ can frustrate and delight in equal measure, a footballer who you cannot take your eyes off.

Nunez has all the tools to torment teams and so often does with raw pace and power, though there’s a wastefulness to his game that has teammates and fans tearing their hair out. No player in the Premier League under-performed their xG (-7) to a greater extent in 2023-24, but Nunez’s ability to create opportunities for himself as a chance magnet is difficult to ignore.

Last season he was one of a select group of Premier League players to reach 30+ goal involvements in all competitions, scoring 18 times and providing 13 assists – impressive numbers, but ones that could and should have been much higher.

Straight out of the top drawer from @Darwinn99 pic.twitter.com/AIXqdjSH4w

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) November 2, 2023

If he can just put it all together…

1. Erling Haaland – Manchester City

It had to be him, didn’t it?

Consecutive Premier League Golden Boots and a record of 63 goals in 66 league appearances in English football tells the tale of Erling Haaland.

The man is a goal-scoring machine, a regular record-breaker, and arguably the best out-and-out number nine in football right now.

Erling Haaland turns 24 today

His Premier League record is already seriously impressive

66 Appearances
63 Goals
2 Premier League titles
2 Golden Boots
1 Player of the Season
1 Young Player of the Season pic.twitter.com/RMM2nE5sRu

— Premier League (@premierleague) July 21, 2024