The best seasons for under-21 forwards in Premier League history
Cole Palmer celebrated his 22nd birthday this week and he did so after yet another goal.
Turning 22 on Monday, Palmer scored his 21st Premier League goal of the season a day earlier, opening the scoring as Chelsea beat West Ham 5-0 on Sunday. It was a massive win for the Blues, keeping their European hope alive.
Palmer will definitely be among the favourites to win PFA Young Player of the Year for the Premier League this season, though he has some fierce competition. But just how does Palmer’s season match up to some of the best young players in Premier League history?
We asked Opta for the best single-season returns for goals and assists in Premier League history for players aged under 22.
10. Bukayo Saka (2022/23)
- Total involvements: 25
- Goals: 14
- Assists: 11
The PFA Young Player of the Year winner for last season, Bukayo Saka had fierce competition from Erling Haaland, but when it comes to under-21s he stood clear. The Englishman was integral to Arsenal’s Premier League title challenge and was one of just two players to score 10+ goals and provide 10+ assists in the Premier League, joined by Mohamed Salah. Saka scored 14 goals in total for Arsenal in the Premier League, with five of those being game-winning. He also provided 11 assists from 75 chances created, with only three players providing more assists in the Premier League.
9. Dele Alli (2016/17)
- Total involvements: 25
- Goals: 18
- Assists: 7
Dele Alli is one of five players to win the PFA Young Player of the Year award in consecutive seasons, and his second campaign was definitely the better. Tottenham finished second in the Premier League in 2016/17, a year on from their third-placed heartbreak as the world celebrated Leicester winning the title. In 2016/17, Tottenham scored 86 goals, more than any other team in the Premier League. Alli was directly involved in 25 of them. In that season, only four players were directly involved in more goals than Alli, who was also sixth in the Golden Boot charts. But it’s worth noting that his 18-goal tally was only bettered by five forwards in Harry Kane, Romelu Lukaku, Alexis Sanchez, Sergio Aguero and Diego Costa.
8. Harry Kane (2014/15)
- Total involvements: 25
- Goals: 21
- Assists: 4
Talking of Harry Kane, the Englishman enjoyed his real breakthrough season in 2014/15, scoring 21 goals in 34 games after being trusted to lead the line for Tottenham by Mauricio Pochettino. Of course, Kane was just a one-season wonder and definitely didn’t build on this campaign, nor did he hit the 20-mark in six more Premier League seasons and the 30-mark twice. This was where it all began for the fresh-faced Kane, who finished second in the Golden Boot rankings five goals behind Sergio Aguero. He even added four assists.
7. Wayne Rooney (2006/07)
- Total involvements: 25
- Goals: 14
- Assists: 11
Wayne Rooney will definitely be remembered more for his goals, but in 2006/07 his work was more evenly-split. The Englishman racked up 11 assists in the Premier League, joint-top in the competition alongside Cesc Fabregas. On paper his 14 goals don’t look too impressive, but only three players did score more than Rooney in a low-scoring Premier League campaign. What mattered most for Rooney was that his 25 goal involvements — joint-most in the league alongside Cristiano Ronaldo — helped Manchester United win the Premier League title.
6. Wayne Rooney (2005/06)
- Total involvements: 25
- Goals: 16
- Assists: 9
One of two men to appear on this list twice, Rooney actually had back-to-back seasons with 25+ goal involvements before the age of 22. A year earlier he couldn’t lead Man Utd to the title, but Rooney was still fantastic. This time around, 16 goals for Rooney was only bettered by three players, while just two provided more assists. And let’s not forget, Rooney started this season as a teenager and played just 26 matches. He was carrying the hopes of a nation on his shoulders and hearts were in mouths when he went down injured late in the season ahead of the World Cup.
5. Michael Owen (1997/98)
- Total involvements: 28
- Goals: 18
- Assists: 10
A future Ballon d’Or winner, Michael Owen broke into the Liverpool first team at the start of the 1997/98 Premier League season and had a first full campaign to remember. Starting the season as an 18-year-old, owing scored 18 goals in the Premier League, a tally he would only better twice for the rest of an injury-hit career, enough to grab a share of the Golden Boot. But on top of those 18 goals were 10 assists, with only two players providing more in the Premier League that season. In fact, Dennis Bergkamp was the only other player to reach 10+ goals and 10+ assists in the Premier League in 1997/98.
4. Cole Palmer (2022/23)
- Total involvements: 30
- Goals: 21
- Assists: 9
The man of the moment. A lot of eyebrows were raised when Chelsea paid £40m to Manchester City for Cole Palmer. But now that’s looking to be a bargain. The Englishman has been the shining star of a struggling Chelsea team, even when you consider their late run of form. Palmer scored 21 goals before his 22nd birthday, with only Erling Haaland managing more. He has also provided nine assists, with five players registering more so far. But when you combine the two, it’s just Ollie Watkins (31) with more goals and assists in the Premier League this season.
- Read more: The best Premier League wingers in 2024
3. Robbie Fowler (1994/95)
- Total involvements: 31
- Goals: 25
- Assists: 6
When the 1994/95 Premier League season started, Robbie Fowler was just 19. But he was mixing with the best. Although he provided six assists, Fowler was very much about the goals in the early stage of his career and this was his second-best campaign in Premier League football for goals. Of course, Fowler was helped by the fact that this was a 42-game season, but that doesn’t take away from the achievement at his age. Only Alan Shearer (34) scored more goals than Fowler’s 25 in the Premier League in 1994/95, with the Liverpool man netting more than the likes of Les Ferdinand, Andrew Cole, Stan Collymore and Jurgen Klinsmann.
2. Robbie Fowler (1995/96)
- Total involvements: 33
- Goals: 28
- Assists: 5
One year later, Fowler did even better. The assists dropped by one, but Fowler scored three more goals to be directly involved in 33 goals in the Premier League, spending most of the 1995/96 season aged 20. To make this stat even more impressive, this was the first season in which the Premier League was reduced to 20 teams, meaning Fowler had four fewer matches to better his tally. Once again, Shearer was the only player to score more than Fowler, but this time the gap was cut to just three goals at 31 to 28.
1. Chris Sutton (1993/94)
- Total involvements: 36
- Goals: 25
- Assists: 11
It’s now been 30 years since the best-ever under-21 season was posted by a young Chris Sutton in his final year at Norwich. One year later, Sutton would win the Premier League title with Blackburn Rovers, but in 1993/94 Sutton laid down the groundwork — and earned himself the move. Goalscoring was perhaps at its best in these days of the Premier League, with Cole and Shearer both scoring 30+ goals. They were the only two players to net more than Sutton’s 25. Sutton was also one of four players to score 10+ goals and provide 10+ assists in the league in 1993/94, alongside Cole, Eric Cantona and Brian Deane.
