Ranking the 5 most underrated attackers in Premier League history

#3 Olivier Giroud

The Frenchman was known for scoring eye-catching goals

Olivier Giroud switched to the Premier League in a €12 million transfer to Arsenal in July 2012. He got off to a brilliant start to life in the English top flight, bagging 11 goals and five assists for the Gunners in 34 games in his debut season.

Shortly after passing the 100-goal mark for the Gunners across all competitions, Giroud was sold to Chelsea in January 2018. However, Giroud continued with his decent performances in front of goal.

By the end of his Chelsea spell, the Frenchman had already recorded a tally of 90 goals and 32 assists to his name in 255 Premier League appearances.

Like the other names on the list, Giroud never got the respect he deserved. This is clearly highlighted by the fact that none of the London-based clubs made him an undisputed starter in their teams.

He left the division two months ago to seal a transfer to AC Milan and he's already scored two goals in two Serie A games for the Italian giants.

#2 Jermain Defoe

The attacker was largely used as an impact sub despite his insane numbers

Jermain Defoe holds the record for the most goals scored as a substitute in Premier League history, with a whopping 24 goals scored from the bench. That is a huge testament to just how under-utilised his goalscoring ability was in the English top flight.

23 - Jermain Defoe has scored more goals as a substitute than any other player in Premier League history. Impact. pic.twitter.com/4N7sYaGcxs

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) July 31, 2016

The forward ranks among the top 10 all-time scorers in Premier League history. He recorded an incredible 162 goals to his name across spells with clubs like Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United and Sunderland. How often do you hear his name mentioned among the best attackers the division has witnessed?

#1 Romelu Lukaku

Lukaku endured a torrid spell at Old Trafford

The Belgian was the scapegoat for Manchester United's failings during his time at Old Trafford, with fans calling him all sorts of names and heavily criticizing his first touch. Yet, the striker can brag about scoring 42 goals for the Red Devils in 96 appearances across all competitions during his spell at Old Trafford.

👀 Is Romelu Lukaku the most underrated Premier League striker ever?#MUFC pic.twitter.com/4ubTHmmW5S

— Unibet (@unibet) July 24, 2019

Romelu Lukaku managed to prove them wrong when he left for Inter Milan in 2019. He led the Italian giants to claim the Serie A title last season with 24 goals in 36 games. He returned to the Premier League this summer as Chelsea paid a whopping £97.5 million to lure him to Stamford Bridge.

The Belgian made his first appearance for the Blues in the recent 2-0 victory over Arsenal, scoring the opening goal of the encounter. He is still not getting the kind of plaudits he deserves, despite having scored 116 goals till date in the Premier Lea. It remains to be seen if that will change anytime soon.