Premier League penalty takers 2021/22: Get the edge in FPL this season
Penalties. According to some fans, the fact a player scores goals from the spot is actually a negative and not a skill to be lauded.
Of course, when looking for strikers you want someone who can also get their goals from open play, not just relying on penalties, but scoring spot-kicks doesn’t automatically make someone “Penandes”, “Penaldo” or “Pessi”.
And when it comes to fantasy football, a confident and regular penalty-taker is arguably one of the most important commodities, guaranteeing you regular points as they stick the ball in the onion bag. FanTeam doesn’t discriminate between a penalty goal and one scored from open play and should a striker like Harry Kane fire home from the spot, you’ll bag four points for your team. If a defender scores a penalty, you’ll be rewarded with six points.
So, who are the Premier League’s very best penalty takers? We’ve ranked each of the current top-flight team’s spot-kickers by penalties scored since the start of the 2018/19 campaign to answer that question*.
*For the promoted teams or those with multiple takers since the start of 2018/19, we have included data from outside the English top-flight where necessary. Conversion rate (%) is used as a tie-breaker.
20. West Ham Penalty Kick Taker: Manuel Lanzini
- Penalties scored/taken: 1/1
- Conversion rate: 100%
- FanTeam price: 5.5m
With Mark Noble now becoming a squad player, West Ham have been searching for a new spot-kick taker and this season they may settle for Manuel Lanzini. Noble and Michail Antonio have both missed from the spot while Lanzini scored West Ham’s most recent penalty, his only one in the Premier League over the past three years, so could take the responsibility again.
With Mark Noble now becoming a squad player, West Ham need a new penalty taker. Fellow midfielder Declan Rice seems like the man to take over, though he missed one of his two efforts last season. Jesse Lingard also took two penalties for the Hammers in 2020/21 but has returned to Manchester United following the expiry of his loan.
19. Everton Penalty Kick Taker: Dominic Calvert-Lewin
- Penalties scored/taken: 2/2
- Conversion rate: 100%
- FanTeam price: 8.1m
Dominic Calvert-Lewin has taken the penalty responsibilities for Everton so far this season, scoring both of his efforts from the spot. The Englishman scored penalties against Leeds and Brighton at the start of the season and, when he returns from injury, should be Everton’s main man once again.
18. Leeds Penalty Kick Taker: Patrick Bamford
- Penalties scored/taken: 4/5
- Conversion rate: 80%
- FanTeam price: 7.5m
Patrick Bamford has missed just one of the five league penalties he’s taken since joining Leeds United in 2018, including a perfect record in the Premier League. He shares that record of two from two in the Premier League with Mateusz Klich and Raphinha, with the latter stepping up during Bamford’s current injury. But when he returns we can expect him to retake the responsibilities.
17. Manchester City Penalty Kick Taker: Kevin De Bruyne
- Penalties scored/taken: 4/5
- Conversion rate: 80%
- FanTeam price: 11m
Manchester City have taken 25 penalties since the start of the 2018/19 campaign but have only scored 15 of them, with Pep Guardiola famously struggling to land on a consistent taker. With Sergio Aguero gone, Kevin De Bruyne is the most obvious candidate when fit given he’s missed just one of his five attempts over the past three seasons. That one miss came in a high-pressure moment, though, as City drew 1-1 with Liverpool in November 2020. Luckily, Guardiola’s side went on to press home their advantage at the top of the table during the second half of the season.
16. Burnley Penalty Kick Taker: Ashley Barnes
- Penalties scored/taken: 4/4
- Conversion rate: 100%
- FanTeam price: 5.2m
Burnley don’t often get the chance to take a penalty, having won just eight of them in the league across the past three seasons (the fewest on this list and none this season). But if they do get one, the Clarets should look to Ashley Barnes when fit to take it with the 32-year-old finding the net with each of his four attempts during that time.
15. Crystal Palace Penalty Kick Taker: Wilfried Zaha
- Penalties scored/taken: 4/4
- Conversion rate: 100%
- FanTeam price: 6.9m
Luka Milivojevic was reliable from the spot for Crystal Palace but he has been replaced this season by Wilfried Zaha, who has been equally as prolific. The Ivorian forward has a 100% record since the start of the 2018/19 campaign, scoring four times from the penalty spot including twice against Tottenham and Brighton this season.
14. Newcastle Penalty Kick Taker: Callum Wilson
- Penalties scored/taken: 6/7
- Conversion rate: 86%
- FanTeam price: 7.6m
Callum Wilson has netted six of the seven penalties he’s taken across the last three-and-a-half seasons. However, one of those penalties came while he was still at Bournemouth. If we look solely at his Newcastle record since signing last season, Wilson has taken five and scored five, including one against Norwich City this year.
13. Aston Villa Penalty Kick Taker: Anwar El Ghazi
- Penalties scored/taken: 6/6
- Conversion rate: 100%
- FanTeam price: 5.8m
Like Burnley and West Ham, Aston Villa don’t win many penalties (just 11 during the time period for this list) which is astonishing given just how good Jack Grealish was at drawing fouls. Perhaps it’s something to do with claret and blue? Either way, Anwar El Ghazi has taken six of those 11 and is yet to miss.
12. Wolves Penalty Kick Taker: Raul Jimenez
- Penalties scored/taken: 6/6
- Conversion rate: 100%
- FanTeam price: 7.2m
Wolves are yet to get a penalty this season, but if they do you can bet on Raul Jimenez scoring. The Mexican, now back and finding form following his serious head injury, has scored all six of his penalties since the start of the 2018/19 season.
11. Southampton Penalty Kick Taker: James Ward-Prowse
- Penalties scored/taken: 7/10
- Conversion rate: 70%
- FanTeam price: 6.5m
Given his prowess from set-piece situations, you might expect James Ward-Prowse to be a reliable figure from the spot but that hasn’t really been the case. The England international has hit the net with seven of his 10 penalties over the past three-and-a-half seasons, giving him a conversion rate of just 70%. He has improved since the start of last season, though, netting five of his six efforts.
How to join FanTeam’s Second Chance Premier League 2021/22 Fantasy Football tournament for free:
To sign up, you need to be over 18, Gamble Aware and meet FanTeam’s terms and conditions. Otherwise, just follow these simple steps:
- Click this link to head to FanTeam and sign up
- Join the ‘Second Chance Season Game’ tournament with your free entry ticket
- Create a team and click ‘Enter Tournament’
10. Arsenal Penalty Kick Taker: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
- Penalties scored/taken: 8/11
- Conversion rate: 73%
- FanTeam price: 9.1m
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has often been the crutch Arsenal have leaned upon over the past few years, including from the penalty spot. But things are a rocky right now. The Gabonese striker had scored eight of his nine attempts between 2018/19 and 2020/21, but is zero for two this season. He has also been stripped of the captaincy and may not have much of a future at Arsenal – so his place as penalty taker is currently in doubt.
9. Brighton Penalty Kick Taker: Neal Maupay
- Penalties scored/taken: 8/10
- Conversion rate: 80%
- FanTeam price: 5.9m
Neal Maupay gets into some great positions and, given the amount of chances Brighton create, should score a lot more than he does. But from the spot, he’s not too bad, scoring eight of his 10 spot-kicks since the start of 2018/19 including one this season.
8. Norwich Penalty Kick Taker: Teemu Pukki
- Penalties scored/taken: 9/12
- Conversion rate: 75%
- FanTeam price: 6.1m
Teemu Pukki has been a wonderful source of goals for Norwich over the past few years but from the spot, he’s not as reliable as you might think, missing three of his 12 penalties for the Canaries over the past three league seasons. That said, seven of those attempts came in the Championship last season, with Pukki scoring five, and he is two for two this year.
7. Watford Penalty Kick Taker: Joshua King
- Penalties scored/taken: 9/10
- Conversion rate: 90%
- FanTeam price: 5.8m
Following the departure of Troy Deeney in the summer, Watford needed someone who would be able to step up and score from the spot when required. Ismaila Sarr tried and failed against Manchester United (twice) but Joshua King could be the man. The Norwegian has scored a penalty in Watford’s 4-2 defeat against Leicester in November and has netted nine of his last 10 in the Premier League, though eight came as a Bournemouth player.
6. Tottenham Penalty Kick Taker: Harry Kane
- Penalties scored/taken: 10/10
- Conversion rate: 100%
- FanTeam price: 11.3m
Sure, Harry Kane needed a rebound to find the net in the Euro 2020 semi-final against Denmark but the sheer shock that he even missed the initial effort at all is testament to just how lethal he is from 12 yards.
Over the past three seasons, Kane has taken 10 penalties in the Premier League, finding the net with every single one. An astonishing strike rate, but hardly surprising given he’s arguably the cleanest striker of a ball on the planet right now. If Spurs could just win more penalties in the first place, you can be sure Kane would shoot up this list.
5. Liverpool Penalty Kick Taker: Mohamed Salah
- Penalties scored/taken: 14/14
- Conversion rate: 100%
- FanTeam price: 13.5m
Even Kane cannot compete with the sheer composure of Mohamed Salah, who has scored all 14 of his Premier League penalties over the past three-and-a-half seasons. No player with a 100% success rate has taken more spot-kicks. In fact, you have to go all the way back to October 2017 for Salah’s one and only penalty miss in the league since joining Liverpool, a match the Reds still managed to win 3-0 against Huddersfield Town. One miss from 16 attempts across four seasons is absolutely remarkable and all the more reason to be wary of Liverpool around your own 18-yard box.
4. Chelsea Penalty Kick Taker: Jorginho
- Penalties scored/taken: 15/17
- Conversion rate: 88%
- FanTeam price: 5.6m
Jorginho’s hop, skip and jump failed to fool Jordan Pickford in the Euro 2020 final shootout (though Italy obviously went on to win 3-2) but he has bounced back in fine fashion. The Italian has scored four goals in the Premier League so far this season, all coming from the penalty spot, to take his tally since 2018/19 to 15 from 17. His only misses came last season, against Liverpool and Arsenal.
3. Brentford Penalty Kick Taker: Ivan Toney
- Penalties scored/taken: 15/16
- Conversion rate: 94%
- FanTeam price: 6.3m
Ivan Toney came to the Premier League with an excellent penalty record, netting 13 of his 14 taken between 2018/19 and 2020/21, but the question was: could he do it in the Premier League? As it turns out, yes he can, with Toney boasting a perfect record from the spot in the top flight, netting against Wolves and Everton.
2. Leicester Penalty Kick Taker: Jamie Vardy
- Penalties scored/taken: 16/19
- Conversion rate: 84%
- FanTeam price: 9.5m
There are players with better conversion rates who have only taken a few penalties less than Jamie Vardy but if you want someone who gets plenty of chances from the spot with a good level of reliability to boost your points (at a reasonable price), he’s your man. Only Manchester United (40) have taken more penalties than Leicester City (27) across the last three seasons, so it’s not like Vardy doesn’t get any practice. Sixteen penalty goals from 19 attempts over a three-season period isn’t a record to turn your nose up at and one that could give you the edge over other FanTeam players.
1. Manchester United Penalty Kick Taker: Cristiano Ronaldo
- Penalties scored/taken: 25/29
- Conversion rate: 86%
- FanTeam price: £11.3
But if you want THE man for penalties, a certain Manchester United player is the one for you. And it’s not Bruno Fernandes anymore. The Portuguese midfielder has been demoted to second fiddle behind Cristiano Ronaldo and it’s very easy to see why. Since the start of 2018/19 for both Juventus and Manchester United, Ronaldo has scored 25 of his 29 penalties in the league. This season is has scored two from two, netting penalties against Arsenal and Norwich after Bruno Fernandes’ miss Aston Villa.
