The 2022/23 league seasons are all rapidly coming to a close, so the discussions around European football are increasingly focused on the upcoming 2023 summer transfer window that opens up in a month.
No position is more coveted on the open market than striker. Every top club needing a No. 9 is ready to pay a premium for the right player who can transform their domestic or Champions League title hopes.
Let’s rank the top 10 strikers who could be available on the 2023 summer transfer market, mixing established names with exciting up-and-coming stars.
10. Álvaro Morata, Atlético Madrid
Álvaro Morata is one of the most underappreciated players in world football. The Atlético Madrid man is an excellent all-around player. There’s a reason why so many acclaimed managers have coveted Morata over the years. He is willing to put in the dirty work to make his teammates better, which often means running at defenders or providing assists over lurking in the box to poach goals.
Even so, Morata has still scored 13 goals for an Atléti side that seems to be on the cusp of usurping rivals Real Madrid to finish second in LaLiga. The Spanish international should stay in the Spanish capital, but if Atléti are not able to meet his demands, he could be a shrewd signing for another club. Morata has proven he can fit with any other forward, including legends of the game like Cristiano Ronaldo, Carlos Tevez, and Antoine Griezmann. They’ve all appreciated working with him.
9. Elye Wahi, Montpellier
There are so many talented forwards worth watching in Ligue 1, but make sure not to let Elye Wahi fly under the radar. The 20-year-old Montpellier man is the latest sensation, earning looks from clubs like Premier League rivals Arsenal and Tottenham.
Montpellier have produced some talented No. 9’s over the years, most notably former Dortmund star Lucas Barrios and the ageless Olivier Giroud. Wahi may have more upside than both of those guys, because, at the age of 20, he is already at 17 goals and 5 assists in the 2022/23 season.
Last season, Wahi had 10 goals to lead Montpellier. Giroud and Andy Delort are the only players for La Pallaide to lead the team in scoring in back-to-back seasons since the turn of the century. That puts Wahi in good company before he has even turned 21 years old.
8. Folarin Balogun, Reims
Arsenal loanee Folarin Balogun will be one of the hottest names on the transfer market after leading the line for one of Europe’s most exciting teams, Will Still-led Reims.
Junya Ito, Yehvann Diouf, and others deserve credit for big-time breakout seasons, too, but Balogun has deserved all the praise he’s been getting as the main star for the Red and Whites.
Balogun has been almost impossible to stop in transition, showing top-class finishing skills and a brilliant first touch. The 21-year-old has notched 20 goals this season with an impressive 1.5 fouls drawn and 1.0 key passes per game. He plays with the swagger of a future superstar.
7. Marcus Thuram, Borussia Mönchengladbach
Marcus Thuram’s form has tailed off amidst some head-scratchingly poor football from Borussia Mönchengladbach, who are moving on from a respected manager for a second straight season. There’s something off about how Gladbach have constructed their squad from a front-office perspective, which is a shame because players like Thuram are quality.
A bargain as a free-agent signing, Thuram has been one of the best all-around center-forwards in European football over the past few seasons, proving he can cut the mustard against top clubs like Bayern München and even Real Madrid in the Champions League.
Still only 25 years old, the former Guingamp standout has scored 13 goals with 6 assists in the 2022/23 Bundesliga season. This has been his best campaign from a creative standpoint, but you wonder if he could accomplish more on a team with better players around him. Thuram is so good at combination play.
6. Rasmus Højlund, Atalanta
Serie A’s most exciting young talent at striker, Rasmus Højlund has carved out a clear role in a side that contains Ademola Lookman, Jérémie Boga, Duván Zapata, and Luis Muriel.
His numbers per 90 are encouraging. The 20-year-old Danish international is averaging 0.54 goal contributions, 1.2 key passes, and 1.5 successful take-ons per 90. Højlund is a special athlete with stunning skills on the ball. Atalanta have been carefully managing his progression, but he looks like a future star who could take a major leap in 2023/24.
It may be better for Højlund to stay with La Dea for another season, but he is definitely a player the elite clubs have on their radar.
5. Jonathan David, Lille
Jonathan David has long been a top talent in European football, but everyone has been waiting for him to truly find his best level. He looked to be on track for that in the first half of the 2021/22 season, getting off to a torrid start as a goal-scorer. However, his play tailed off badly in the second half of the season as Lille imploded, with David’s lacking all-around game likely playing a role in his reliance on the structure feeding him.
Immediately in the 2022/23 season, David looked like a completely different No. 9, getting far more involved on the ball and creating clear-cut chances for teammates. Like any top-class striker, he was able to do less with more on the ball.
David has continued that with no leveling off. He is shining for a Lille side that is fifth in the Ligue 1 table, showing real growth as a player and leader. The 23-year-old has 22 goals and 4 assists, averaging a whopping 1.4 key passes per game. He is now ready for a major transfer.
4. Dušan Vlahović, Juventus
It is sad seeing some of the narratives about Dušan Vlahović, with some so-called experts who never watch Serie A even trying to claim that he was never good to begin with.
But if you actually watch Juventus matches, you can see the moments of world-class quality Vlahović can provide that so few strikers in Europe can. His technical level is stunning. Vlahović can pull off shots that most other strikers can only dream of, and his combination of play is top-notch. The Serbian international has challenged himself physically this season, too.
Despite all this, he has been discarded and treated poorly by the worst manager of any top club, Max Allegri. The Juventus coach has demoralized his squad, to the point where some of the club’s biggest stars are contemplating leaving, including, unsurprisingly, Vlahović.
A great buy-low candidate, Vlahović can prove the world wrong if he lands with a side and a manager that can reignite his confidence. Because that is the main thing lacking for Vlahović – not quality.
3. Randal Kolo Muani, Eintracht Frankfurt
How funny is it that established strikers are praised endlessly for their all-around skill sets, whereas an up-and-comer for a team without agenda-driven “analysts” populating Twitter, Eintracht Frankfurt, is criticized as being less valuable for his unselfish playing style.
Randal Kolo Muani has been one of the best players in European football for the 2022/23 season, point blank. You can look across Europe at any league or any team, and you will not find another striker who has provided as much comprehensive play when looking at his chance-creation, goal-scoring, dribbling, and even ball-winning.
The 24-year-old has 14 goals and 11 assists on an Eintracht side that would honestly be a disaster without him, given how many structural issues and underperforming players there are in the squad. Kolo Muani is also averaging a combined 4.4 fouls drawn and dribbles completed per game.
Eintracht will ask for a king’s ransom on the transfer market, making Kolo Muani a risk. But for a team that can afford to spend, it is a risk worth taking. His intensity, end product, skill on the ball, and underrated positioning are all worth praising.
2. Harry Kane, Tottenham
Harry Kane is nearing the age of 30, but that is the only thing that can dock his value in the slightest. Erling Haaland has been scoring the most goals on an unfairly-loaded Manchester City side, but when you look at what Kane has had to do to carry Tottenham this season as a scorer and creator, he just might be the best 9 in the world.
If Randal Kolo Muani has provided the most comprehensive play, Kane has provided the most decisive play when solely looking at his quality in the final third. Kane’s playmaking, finishing, and overall technical level are nearly flawless. When you watch him play, you can hardly pick out a mistake in what he does on or off the ball.
Kane is worth the cost for any team that needs a striker. The difficult part is getting Tottenham to agree to a transfer at all, because Kane means everything to this club.
1. Victor Osimhen, Napoli
There is only one striker potentially available on the transfer market who can usurp Harry Kane in terms of transfer value, and that is the 24-year-old Victor Osimhen, fresh off securing the Serie A title for Napoli.
Osimhen is a former Lille 9, too, and he was a very good striker for Les Dogues. However, Osimhen has reached an entirely different level for the Partenopei, putting it all together in 2022/23 when he was given the chance to combine with another world-class player in new left winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
There is no doubt that on a team loaded with talent, Osimhen is indispensable. The Nigerian international is a prolific scorer with 23 goals, creating scoring opportunities from nothing with his intelligent movement both in and out of the box. Osimhen wreaks havoc and creates fear in the heart of any backline. He has also improved his all-around game in 2022/23.
Napoli should do everything they can to resist losing Osimhen, but if someone is willing to pay well over 100 million euros, they will be landing one of the best overall players in the world for the next five years to come – and likely more.
The managing editor of The Trivela Effect, Kevin has 15 years of experience in digital media. He has been an editor for NFL Spin Zone, Daily DDT for pro wrestling, Autzen Zoo covering the Oregon Ducks, Musket Fire covering the New England Patriots, The Real Champs covering Real Madrid, Old Juve covering Juventus, Rush The Kop covering Liverpool, and Release The Knappen covering Schalke. His work has been featured in ESPN, Bleacher Report, Yahoo! Sports, NBC Sports, and other outlets. You can contact him at the site’s official Twitter handle @TrivelaEffect or via the site’s official email thetrivelaeffect@gmail.com.