The Greatest Goal Makers in the Premier League revealed and is Fabregas yet to add to his tally?

A few years ago, in another time and on another site, I wrote a blog about the Premier League’s greatest goal makers, inspired at the time by a list of the top 20 assist makers in the first 19 years of the league posted by a tabloid radio station. Why? Because it is not just the number of assists which tells the real story, because if you have played in midfield in a top side for years, you will clock up assists by default. Yes Lampard, Gerrard and Scholes, I am talking about you guys. No, it is the ratio of assists to matches which should be the true measure of greatness. I am not, I might add, questioning Lampard’s goal ratio by any means.

It has to be the ratio of assists to matches that identifies the true creative geniuses of the modern game. It will surprise no one that David Beckham departed these shores with an incredible number of assists and no one has a better ratio at 0.57 assist per match. However, I am delighted to report that Thierry Henry and Cesc Fabregas have similar incredible ratios. Both players creating goals for their team mates at the rate of 0.56% per game. Cesc Fabregas sits just outside the top 10 with 119 assists, and of course, there is some speculation that he might return to the EPL and further enhance his figures!! I take my hat off to Henry though. To create so much for Arsenal team-mates while shattering all goal scoring records simultaneously. One would be hard to argue against TH14 being the greatest player of the Premier League era, although many Gooners I know might debate that and suggest a certain Dutchman.

The next best ratios come from that genius, Dennis Bergkamp (0.46) and not surprisingly Ryan Giggs (0.45), but in reality, the 5 we have mentioned, 2 Man United legends (painful to say but true), and our own 3 greats are miles ahead of any other ‘so called’ modern greats. Lampard and Gerrard have ratios of 0.30 and 0.32 and even Andy Cole had a better goal creativity record than the player who many describe as the league’s greatest… Paul ‘oh please retire you are embarrassing’ Scholes. The red-headed dynamo that never learned to tackle has a ratio of 0.27 which might surprise many, but not me. (Pathetic.)

Just to put these pathetic stats into some context for you, the most frustrating Russian in the EPL, yes our very own Andrei Arshavin, has a 35% ratio with 35 assists in 105 matches. Before the last 2 seasons, he had 40% with 32 assist in 79 matches. When I wrote on this in the summer of 2011, Nasri was looking to leave and his ratio stood at 18% and that for a player who wanted to be our creative hub? Not surprisingly, he has never been given the central role he coveted at City and still only has 35 assist in 141 Premiership games. No wonder Mancini never quite builds the side around him. As an interesting aside, Santi Cazorla, effectively a season apart Nasri’s replacement, has a hugely impressive 14 in 35 EPL appearances, a 0.4% ratio.

Now, we don’t know if our diminutive Spaniard will continue at the same rate, but there is an argument to say he will only improve in the second season as many imports to the EPL do. What I can tell you is that there are only 9 players in the history of the Premier League with a ratio of assisting higher than Santi’s 0.4%. One of them, by the way, is a current Premier League Manager.

Pretty interesting so far, but here are the facts below courtesy of premiersoccerstats.com, so feel free to draw your own conclusions and observations and I will make a few myself. This is the top 10 since 1992 and Cesc sits just outside at 12.

In some way, it is depressing as an Arsenal fan today to be reminded just how special Henry, Bergkamp and Fabregas were. Worse still that they all played together at one point. So if you are sitting comfortably or slumped in your chair, I am going to make it worse now:

If we take 100 assists in the EPL as a significant contribution, how quickly did the giants of the league reach that landmark?

Still with me? 3 of the fastest 5 in the history of the EPL to reach 100 assist for team mates did it for our club. More depressed?

Who then managed to reach this landmark at the youngest age?

Well know there’s a surprise!

So let me pull this together from my own perspective and give it some relevance for today.

Cesc Fabregas loves Arsenal, even if he loves his home town club slightly more.

Cesc Fabregas, I would suggest, probably loves Arsenal more than a few players who play for us now.

Cesc Fabregas is one of only 3 players to have created goals at a rate of better than one every other match, along with Beckham and Henry.

Cesc Fabregas was the youngest player in the history of the EPL to reach 100 assists.

Cesc Fabregas was the 3rd fastest player to reach 100 assists after only Beckham and Henry.

Now I am not going to get into the debate about whether he went on strike in 2010/11 or if he was injured, because unlike so many on social media who seen to know, I do not. All I will say is that, if at any point there is a chance we could sign Cesc Fabregas back, as certain tabloids have rumoured we just might, at least this one Gooner will be happy. Whether it is this summer or in the next few seasons.

I gather many fans have decided he has wronged the club and would not welcome the return of the prodigal son, and I would ask you to read the above again and think again.

Sol Campbell lied to Wenger when he entered the last year of his contract, declining to sign an extension as he wanted to play abroad. Of course, Sol had form for this, as we all know, but as Wenger later commented, the last time he checked Portsmouth, it was still in the UK! I only add this as no one seemed to objected when Campbell returned to the club.

Just a few home truths and interesting facts thrown in with my personal feelings, but hey, it’s my blog. Shoot me down!