FPL tips: Soucek leads list of shot hogs searching for goals

Leeds United v West Ham United – Premier League – Elland Road
(Image credit: Zac Goodwin)

If you’re looking to find the next Michail Antonio before your rivals do, considering players with the most shots since their last goal could give you an edge.

The following table analyses just that, including only players who have already scored this season.

Could one of these options be gearing up for a purple patch?

A graphic showing players with the most shots since their last goal in the Premier League this season

FPL bosses with Tomas Soucek on the team sheet will hope so – the West Ham man has had 11 shots since his last goal, which came against Newcastle in gameweek one.

With 10 goals last season, his subsequent goal drought will have come as a minor disappointment to his owners, but he has shown intent since, with 105 Threat since his last successful effort.

At £5.9m he certainly isn’t taking up too much in the way of funds, but managers will want to see one or two of those luckless shots go in soon.

Leicester’s Youri Tielemans has also managed 11 shots since his last goal, which he scored in GW2 against Soucek’s West Ham.

The Foxes midfielder has added two assists since then but no goals – with just six goals last season and a price point of £6.4m however, Soucek has a better recent record and is the cheaper option too.

Leicester City’s Youri Tielemans (right) shoots towards goal during the Premier League match at Selhurst Park, London. Picture date: Sunday October 3, 2021

(John Walton/PA)

Three defenders make our list of shot hogs – with six points the going rate for a defender getting on the scoresheet, Marcos Alonso, Aymeric Laporte and Shane Duffy could be worth their weight in goals.

Alonso leads the list of defenders, with 10 shots since his goal in GW1 – the Spaniard managed seven goals in the 2017-18 season, showing he has form.

And while he didn’t net against Tottenham during Chelsea’s 3-0 win in GW5, he did register a Threat score of 73 – don’t be surprised to see him hit the net now and then if he wins his place back from Ben Chilwell.

Elsewhere, Manchester City’s Laporte has managed eight shots since his goal against Norwich in GW2 of the season, while Brighton’s Duffy has chanced his arm seven times since his last goal.

Laporte doesn’t have a particularly strong record in front of goal, with three goals in the 2018-19 season his best in the PL.

Meanwhile, Duffy managed a combined 110 Threat in the first two gameweeks of the season, a phenomenal score for a defender – at £4.3m it wouldn’t take many goals to make him good value.

The list is mainly made up of shot-happy midfielders however, and three misfiring Manchester players in particular caught our eye.

Manchester United’s Mason Greenwood (right) celebrates scoring their side’s first goal of the game with team-mate Bruno Fernandes during the Premier League match at Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton. Picture date: Sunday August 29, 2021

(Nick Potts/PA)

Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes and Mason Greenwood have registered 10 and nine shots respectively since their last goal, with Greenwood scoring three in the first three games of the season, and Fernandes netting four in four.

The pair both rank in the top 10 midfielders for Threat this season, but Greenwood is around £4m cheaper than his colleague, and might be a better option for that reason.

Not far from Old Trafford, Jack Grealish is struggling to make an impact in front of goal for his new club.

The Manchester City midfielder got in on the act during the champions’ 5-0 rout of Norwich City, but has misfired with seven shots since.

Nine City midfielders have scored at least one in the league so far this season, four of them cheaper than the £7.9m Grealish – can the new arrival separate himself from the crowd?