Will the rise of headed goals continue in the Premier League this season?

Following a summer dominated by enthralling international football at Euro 2024, focus is now turning back to the new Premier League season which starts on August 16th, and here at Rezzil, one thing we are particularly interested to see this season is how many headed goals will be scored in the top-flight. 

One of the main features of our award-winning Rezzil Player game – available for download here – is helping players practice and improve their heading technique, and based on the statistics from last season, we are seeing more goals than ever being scored via this method in the Premier League. 

Throughout the 2023/24 campaign, a total of 203 headers were scored in England’s top division – only the second time in two decades that the 200 mark has been surpassed. Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins, Nottingham Forest’s Chris Wood and West Ham’s Jarrod Bowen led the way for the most headed goals scored throughout the season, each scoring five. 

In total, headed goals contributed 16.3% of overall goals netted last season. That tally of 203 was up 22% on 2022/23, where 166 headed goals were scored in total, and a huge 47% up when compared to the 2019/20 campaign, where there were just 138 headed goals scored throughout the whole season. 

Image: premierleague.com

What is most impressive about last season’s tally is the quality of finishing in the air, which was of an exceptionally high standard.

Conversion rates rose drastically, jumping from a four-season average of 11.19% to 13.47% in 2023/24. This was highlighted most prominently by Luton’s Elijah Adebayo, who scored four goals from his 10 attempted headers (40% conversion rate), and Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay, who bagged three headers from just nine attempts (33.3% conversion rate). 

Image: premierleague.com

Interestingly, despite the rise in headed goals last season, the stats actually show that there were fewer crosses into the box. Back in the 2003/04 season, we saw an average of 42 crosses per match, though that figure has declined every year since, with the average-per-game almost halving in 2023/24 to 23.5. However, during the 2003/04 season, only 168 headed goals were scored in total, which suggests that the finishing has improved drastically over the years and further highlights the importance of players putting extensive time, effort and resource into practicing headers on a weekly basis. 

The rise of the traditional target man was another factor in us seeing an increased number of aerial finishes last season. The arrival of Erling Haaland on English shores two years ago has provided Manchester City with even more firepower in the final third, with the Norwegian scoring 63 goals across two seasons, 11 of which have been headers. 

Elsewhere, Chris Wood enjoyed his most successful campaign in five years for Nottingham Forest last term as he bagged 14 times, with five coming from the air, whilst Kai Havertz was entrusted to lead Arsenal’s front-line for large periods and returned his best tally since moving to the Premier League in 2020 by scoring 13 goals – three of which were headers. 

The reemergence of teams operating with a “big man” up front has undoubtedly contributed towards the rise in headed goals being scored in the top-flight, and next season we could well be primed for the trend to continue. With so much emphasis on keeping possession and playing out from the back in the modern game these days, the art of scoring a good header has at times been overlooked. Last season’s stats are a reminder of just how important this facet of the game is, though, and how much emphasis players and clubs alike should put on perfecting it. 

Looking to improve your heading technique? Do so by downloading Rezzil Player here.