How about we hype up the return of football with some topical predictive polls? We can then look back on them at the end of the season and remark at how accurate we were.
First, a Premier League shoot-out of sorts. At the time of writing there are a truck load of intriguing new forwards joining English Premier League sides from foreign lands. Forget your Van Persies, Agueros and Carrolls. This is about the exciting new blood. The unproven.
So, the question:
Which of the new EPL strikers will score the most goals next season (all competitions)?There are a few factors to consider, such as how quickly they will settle in and the team-mates that will be supplying them with goalscoring opportunities.
Voting will close before the new season begins. Feel free to comment on your choice in the thread. Below is a brief refresher to help you decide.
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Iago Aspas - LiverpoolAlready netted 3 times in pre-season (with 4 assists), he was Celta Vigo's top scorer last season with 12 goals. Question mark over how much first team action he will see in the face of competition from Sturridge, Suarez (?) and the rumoured Diego Costa.
Alvaro Negredo - Manchester CityKnown as the 'Beast of Vallecas', he scored 70 goals out of 139 appearances for Sevilla. A real threat from set pieces and bound to get plenty of service from the likes of Navas and Silva.
Stevan Jovetic - Manchester CityScored 13 goals in 31 games for Fiorentina last season and has looked promising pre-season for City. The Montenegran is versatile and can play in a number of attacking positions.
Andreas Cornelius - CardiffAt 6'4 this giant physical specimen has alot of promise, and Cardiff splashed out a considerable amount of money on him. He bagged 18 goals in 34 games for FC Copenhagen, making him the top scorer in the Danish Superliga.
Nicklas Helenius - Aston VillaAnother even bigger Dane at 6'5, Helenius will forever be known to Darren Bent as the man that took his no. 9 shirt. To the rest of us though, we see the second top scorer in the Danish Superliga last season with 16, as well as bagging the Player of the Year award. But how much game time will he get now that Benteke is staying?
Gerard Deulofeu - EvertonOn loan from Barcelona, the 19 year old scored 18 goals for Barca B Team last season and has a £30 million buy-out clause. Some say he is the next Messi but will face tough competition from Kone, Jelavic and Anichebe.
Ricky Van Wolfswinkle - NorwichNorwich's record signing, 'Wolfman' scored 15 goals for Sporting Lisbon last season and many are talking him up as being this season's Michu. Are You A Van Wolfswinkle?
Gary Hooper - NorwichA veritable goal machine, netting 31 times for Celtic last season. Wants to fight his way into the English national team. Hails from Essex.
Roberto Soldado - Tottenham HotspurThe former Real Madrid academy graduate is known as a consistent and instinctive penalty box predator, scoring 30 goals in 46 appearances for Valencia last season. The record signing is destined to become the focal point of AVB's new look formation.
Yaya Sanogo - ArsenalFrance Youth International Striker. Probably more one for the future and it remains to be seen how much we will actually see of him in the Arsenal first team this season but he did score 11 goals in 24 appearances for Auxerre.
Jozy Altidore - SunderlandThis brash American has an impressive record with 38 goals in 67 appearances for AZ Alkmaar as well as 17 goals in 60 appearances for the US national team. He also has Premier League experience, having played for Hill in 2009-2010. He only scored 1 goal during that time, but can Di Canio get the best out of him?
Wilfried Bony - SwanseaBagged 31 goals last season for Vitesse Arnhem with a 0.91 goals per 90 minutes average. Looked very sharp against Malmo in the Europa League recently and a promising relationship with Michu beckons.
Dwight Gayle - Crystal PalaceThe 22-year-old known as 'Gayle Force' scored 13 times in 29 games for Peterborough last season before being snapped up by Palace. He has a prolific record having also scored 57 goals for Essex Senior League side Stansted in the 2010-11 season and 42 goals in the Blue Square Bet North the season after for Bishop's Stortford.
Yannick Sagbo - Hull CitySagbo scored 6 goals in Ligue 1 last season for his team, Evian. Steve Bruce has compared him to Christian Benteke, in that while he does not have a prolific record, he has the potential to run riot in the Premier League.
Nicolas Anelka - West Bromwich AlbionNever heard of him.