What is the definition of a truly comprehensive attacking player?
In the modern era, having a thunderous shot or the ability to thread a silky pass is no longer enough. The beautiful game has evolved into a game of numbers. Ultimately, the “output” – the raw data of goals scored and assists provided – is the metric by which greatness is measured.
Any club fortunate enough to possess such a player in their squad effectively holds a cheat code. They possess a perfect conductor, a talisman capable of single-handedly dragging a team to silverware and glory.
Below is the definitive list of the 5 players with the highest total goal contributions (goals plus assists) in a single 38-game Premier League season.
5. Mohamed Salah (2017/18) – 42 Contributions (32 Goals + 10 Assists)
In the summer of 2017, Liverpool took what many pundits considered a gamble. They spent nearly €40 million to bring Mohamed Salah over from AS Roma. To the skeptical English press, Salah was remembered only as the winger who had failed to make the grade at Chelsea years prior – a player cast aside for being too lightweight for the Premier League.
However, no one at the time could have predicted that this transfer was the laying of the foundation for a Liverpool dynasty.
Upon his return to English soil, Salah played with a point to prove. He didn’t just perform; he exploded: featurin in roughly all 38 matches, displaying a level of consistency that was frightening.
He finished the campaign with 32 goals, shattering the 38-game season scoring record previously held by Cristiano Ronaldo (31 goals in 2007/08) and Luis Suárez. But Salah wasn’t just a poacher; he was a creator, chipping in with 10 assists to help his teammates find the net.
While Liverpool only finished 4th, the 2017/18 campaign is now viewed as “Year Zero” of the Jurgen Klopp revolution. It was the season Salah proved he wasn’t a Chelsea flop, but a Premier League legend in the making.
4. Luis Suárez (2013/14) – 43 Contributions (31 Goals + 12 Assists)
If you want to define “unplayable”, look no further than Luis Suárez in the 2013/14 season. What makes his statistics even more terrifying is the handicap he started with.
Following the infamous incident where he bit Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanović in April 2013, the Football Association (FA) handed Suárez a 10-match ban. This suspension bled into the new season, meaning Suárez sat out the first five games of the 2013/14 campaign.
Despite giving every other striker in the league a five-game head start, Suárez was lightyears ahead of the competition. Upon his return, he played with a manic intensity. He registered a goal contribution rate of 1.3 per game – a statistic that defies logic.
His performance against Norwich City alone – scoring four goals of varying types, including a 40-yard volley – remains one of the greatest individual performances in Anfield history.
It remains one of football’s great tragedies that this individual brilliance did not result in a title. Liverpool’s infamous slip-ups in the final sprint of the season (the “Crystanbul” collapse and the loss to Chelsea) meant they finished runners-up.
Suárez left for Barcelona after this season, leaving fans to wonder what might have been if he had played those first five games.
3. Thierry Henry (2002/03) – 44 Contributions (24 Goals + 20 Assists)
To this day, Thierry Henry’s 2002/03 campaign remains the gold standard for creative forwards. He is the only player to ever record at least 20 goals and 20 assists in a Premier League season.
Henry was not just a striker; he was a playmaker wearing the number 14 shirt. His ability to drift wide, collect the ball, and dissect defenses with a pass was just as lethal as his finishing.
However, this season is also remembered for its bitter irony. Despite Henry’s individual dominance, Arsène Wenger’s Arsenal fell short in the title race. They finished on 78 points compared to Manchester United’s 83.
Furthermore, despite his 24 goals, Henry missed out on the Golden Boot by a single goal to Man United’s Ruud van Nistelrooy. It was a season of unmatched individual brilliance tinged with the disappointment of coming second best to Sir Alex Ferguson’s machine.
2. Erling Haaland (2022/23) – 44 Contributions (36 Goals + 8 Assists)
When Erling Haaland arrived in England, the question wasn’t “will he score?” but “can he do it on a rainy night in Stoke?”. The doubters were silenced almost immediately.
It is difficult to recall exactly how many records the Norwegian cyborg smashed in his debut season. Most goals in a single season (36), most hat-tricks in a single season (6) and the fewest matches needed to reach 20 goals (14).
Haaland didn’t just break goalscoring records; his all-around contribution equaled Thierry Henry’s 20-year-old record for total goal involvements (44). While critics initially claimed he didn’t touch the ball enough to be a “complete” player, his 8 assists proved he could link up play when it mattered most.
Unlike many others on this list, Haaland’s goals resulted in the ultimate prize. With such a premium goal-scoring machine, Man City marched to the Premier League title and eventually a historic Treble.
1. Mohamed Salah (2024/25) – 47 Contributions (29 Goals + 18 Assists)
We thought Erling Haaland’s record was untouchable. We thought the game had peaked. Yet, that record stood for only two seasons. Once again, the man to rewrite the history books was the Egyptian King, Mohamed Salah.
Yes, this is the second time Salah appears on this prestigious list, cementing his status as perhaps the greatest winger in Premier League history.
In the 2024/25 season, under the new management of Arne Slot, Salah evolved yet again. At an age where most wingers begin to decline, Salah found a new gear. He combined the finishing instinct of a number 9 with the vision of a number 10.
With 29 goals and a staggering 18 assists, he shattered the 44-goal contribution ceiling that had held firm for decades. His destructive form was the catalyst for Liverpool winning the Premier League title in Slot’s debut season.
In truth, the only thing that could briefly slow Salah down wasn’t a defender, but the holy month of Ramadan. Other than that, he was simply inevitable.
