Top 5 West Ham Strikers Of The Premier League Era – Including Man City & Man United Hitmen
The Premier League era has had its ups and downs for West Ham United fans – however, it cannot be denied that the Hammers have had brilliant strikers since 1992.
From an Argentinian superstar to a local London lad, we have covered all the bases in this list – but nevertheless, hopefully, it makes you debate our selections.
Among them is a Manchester United fan favourite – can you guess who we’re talking about?
He’s first up on the list and had what can only be described as a stellar career everywhere he played!
Teddy Sheringham
The mercurial Teddy Sheringham played for West Ham during the twilight of his storied career – nevertheless, he still possessed his goalscoring touch.
He played for West Ham while the Hammers were marooned in the Championship, helping them escape England’s second tier during the 2004/05 season.
Outside of West Ham, Sheringham won the lot – at Manchester United, he won three Premier League titles, an FA Cup and the Champions League in 1999.
Tony Cottee
This is something of a ‘nostalgia pick’ – Tony Cottee’s best years were behind him by the time the Premier League era rolled around, but he was still a perfectly capable striker.
As such, we’ll only be factoring in Cottee’s second Irons spell for this list. While it wasn’t a patch on his first stint, his goals tally was still impressive – he scored 28 goals across three Premier League seasons.
Like many West Ham players before and after him (looking at you, Mark Noble), Cottee was criminally overlooked by England’s setup. In total, he received just seven England caps – a massive shame, considering his quality.
Jermain Defoe
Jermain Defoe began his magical career at West Ham United – even as a teenager, the Beckton boy’s quality was on show for all to see.
There have been few strikers in football history with natural finishing ability akin to Defoe. He could score all types of goals – from the spectacular to the serviceable, the diminutive dangerman was a brilliant poacher.
A nomadic striker, Defoe played for a host of other clubs outside of West Ham – including Rangers, Tottenham Hotspur and Sunderland.
Carlos Tevez
The signing of Carlos Tevez was mired in controversy – but we won’t dwell on that here. While West Ham’s acquisition of the player was questionable, there were no questions to be asked regarding the Argentine’s quality.
A hard-working striker with pace and skills to back it up, Tevez was lethal. He helped West Ham escape relegation during the 2006/07 season – despite this, Tevez spent a very short while at the club – less than a full season, making just 26 appearances.
Outside of West Ham, Tevez played for massive clubs such as Manchester United, Manchester City and Juventus.
Paolo Di Canio
Paolo Di Canio was as controversial as he was brilliant. The outspoken Italian rarely minced his words – something that often got him into trouble – but Hammers fans could only admire his wonderful skill as a footballer. Di Canio also enjoyed spells at Celtic and Sheffield Wednesday outside of London.
Primarily a creative forward who preferred to play his teammates in rather than go it alone, Di Canio’s goals tally was nonetheless impressive. In total, he scored 47 league goals in 118 games for the Irons.
He also scored arguably the greatest goal in Premier League history while at West Ham. In a game against London rivals Wimbledon in 2000, Di Canio unleashed a jaw-dropping scissor-kick volley that flew into the back of the net like a bullet shot out of a sniper rifle. Many have tried to replicate it since – the vast majority have failed.