And then there was one.
Thomas Tuchel’s latest squad has starkly highlighted the current scarcity of English centre-forwards, with Harry Kane being the only out-and-out striker among the 25-man selection.
Admittedly, injuries have played a role. Tuchel noted that Ollie Watkins was given a rest to manage a lingering issue, Dominic Solanke has been sidelined since August, and Liam Delap has only just returned to action for Chelsea after two months out.
It’s also worth remembering that some versatile forwards have been included. Marcus Rashford, Jarrod Bowen, Phil Foden, and Anthony Gordon may not be traditional number nines, but they could be deployed through the middle in upcoming matches against Serbia and Albania.
Still, seeing Kane as the sole true striker serves as a stark reminder of how heavily England lean on the 32-year-old as the focal point of their attack. The shortage of alternative options to lead the line is a genuine concern ahead of next summer’s World Cup—and even more so beyond it.
Kane has been prolific for Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga this season. Yet, only eight English strikers have featured in the Premier League this campaign, and 22-year-old Delap is the only one under 26.
Behind Delap, there doesn’t appear to be a new generation waiting in the wings.
England’s Under-21s went to last summer’s European Championship without a recognised striker, and their latest squad includes just one: Manchester City’s Divin Mubama, 21, who has yet to score in the Premier League and is currently on loan at Championship side Stoke.
So, where have all the English number nines gone, and why is the country no longer producing traditional strikers?
Fewer Games, Different Systems
There are some English strikers out there, but the stats are hardly encouraging.
Danny Welbeck, who turns 35 at the end of the month, and 33-year-old Callum Wilson are the only ones to have scored more than one Premier League goal this season.
Among those under Tuchel’s consideration who play abroad, Ivan Toney is the most prolific so far, with 11 goals in 15 games for Saudi Pro League side Al-Ahli, whom he joined in 2024. Tuchel picked the 29-year-old for matches against Andorra and Senegal in June, but Toney only made an 88th-minute substitute appearance in the Senegal friendly and hasn’t been called up since.
This shortage of number nines isn’t due to a sudden drop in numbers—it’s a trend that has been building for some time.
Last season, just three English strikers—Watkins (16), Delap (12), and Welbeck (10)—scored 10 or more Premier League goals, the fewest ever.
That’s a far cry from the first Premier League season in 1992-93, when 20 English strikers reached that mark.
In recent years, what was already a steep decline has fallen off a cliff. Last season, English strikers scored only 67 goals in total, less than half the number in 2020-21.
Kane’s departure from Tottenham to Germany has certainly played a part, but he left for Bayern in 2023, and English strikers still managed 96 goals in 2023-24. If anything, this campaign is shaping up to be even worse.
So far this season, English strikers have scored just 11 goals between them. If they continue at their current rate, they are on course for a meagre total of 38 collectively.
That’s only four more than Andy Cole and Alan Shearer each scored when they topped the Premier League scoring charts 30 years ago. Cole bagged 34 for Newcastle in 1993-94, and Shearer netted the same number for Blackburn the following season—still the record haul for an English striker.
