Haaland, Nunez, Jesus and the Premier League’s deadliest summer signings

Robin Bairner

• Updated: 23 May 2023 08:55 CDT
• 3 min read

Centre-forwards naturally gain a great deal of attention. They are the players who become heroes or villains depending on whether or not they can put the ball in the net, and consequently they command enormous sums of money.

Four major Premier League clubs moved in the market to sign No.9s this summer.

Erling Haaland was the most coveted player of the transfer market, with Manchester City ultimately winning the race for the Norway international, who had a €60 million release clause in his Borussia Dortmund contract, making him a veritable bargain.

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Haaland’s arrival at the Etihad Stadium meant there was no longer any room for Gabriel Jesus, who completed a €52m deal to go to Arsenal.

Meanwhile, Liverpool spent €75m up front on Darwin Nunez from Benfica, with a possible €25m to follow in bonuses, while Chelsea moved late in the window to take Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang away from Barcelona. This came after Raheem Sterling was signed by Thomas Tuchel to play as his central attacker.

Each of these players has attracted a great deal of attention for a variety of different reasons. Haaland has been unstoppable, Jesus has gone from being unplayable to mute while Darwin Nunez has simply been unfathomable.

MORE: Darwin who? Benfica a much better team after €100m Nunez sale

The Premier League's deadliest finishers

But which player has been the deadliest in front of goal? FootballTransfers has looked at the chance conversion percentage of players who have had 10 or more chances to score. Only six Premier League players who changed clubs this summer fall into this bracket.

Unsurprisingly, it has proven to be Haaland who has come out on top. The Norway star has taken an incredible 44% of his chances, a record twice as good as anyone else who moved clubs this summer.

What comes next is more unexpected. Taiwo Awoniyi of Nottingham Forest edges ahead of Sterling while Gianluca Scamacca of West Ham is fourth.

Gabriel Jesus and Darwin Nunez prop up the list.

Aubameyang, meanwhile, has one Premier League goal for Chelsea but has not had 10 chances so is not rated.

In the defence of Jesus and Nunez, the sample size of chances they have had is greater, so has less margin for error, but nonetheless this statistic just goes to underline how incredible Haaland is and what a bargain Man City claimed in him.