Cole Palmer's insane records, Bukayo Saka hits the Jackpot, and a story discovered with SCOUTED stats
Cole Palmer's insane records, Bukayo Saka hits the Jackpot, and a story discovered with SCOUTED stats
Jake has got the bends.
I am extremely hesitant to label myself as a data journalist, but this week’s Monday Night SCOUTED is probably the closest I will get.
There were two monsters displays this weekend that I could not look past. So, I have dived as deep as I can to try to explain just how monstrous they were. My my skin is itchy, my legs are numb and my ears are ringing. But I hope you will agree that it was worth it.
All stats correct as of 30/09/2024 17:00 BST unless otherwise noted.
Four Goals, Cole? Four? That’s Insane
And that might be an understatement.
By now, you have probably heard that Cole Palmer is the first player to score four goals in the first half of a Premier League game. But that is just the shallow end.
This is the second time Palmer has scored four goals in a Premier League game.
Robbie Fowler, Michael Owen and Yakubu Aiyegbeni are the only other players in the competition’s history to score 4+ goals in a Premier League match before their 23rd birthday. Only Palmer and Fowler have done it twice. Across Europe’s Big Five Leagues, the only other under-23 player to do so multiple times in this timeframe is Alberto Gilardino.
In fact, since 1992/93, only 20 players of any age have scored 4+ goals in multiple Big Five European League games. Cristiano Ronaldo holds the record with seven, Messi is next on five. Luis Suárez (3) and Sergio Agüero (3) are the only others to score 4+ in at least three matches. Incredibly, Palmer has as many 4-goal games in Big Five League matches as Erling Haaland.
Let’s descend further.
This is the third time that Palmer has been directly involved in 4+ goals in a Premier League match.
Since 1992/93, only 20 players have been directly involved in 4+ goals in at least three Big Five European League matches. Luis Suárez, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are the only players to reach double figures for 4+ G/A hauls.
The fact that Cole Palmer is on this list after 58 Premier League appearances is insane. The fact that he has only started 38 league games is insane. The fact he is only 22 years old is INSANE.
Since 1992/93, only five players have been directly involved in 4+ goals in at least three Big Five European League matches before turning 23 years old. Palmer has equalled Erling Haaland’s record. With his birthday in May, he has seven months to break it.
But two of Haaland’s under-23 hauls came for Dortmund in the Bundesliga. That means Palmer is the first player in Premier League history to be directly involved in 4+ goals in three different matches before turning 23 years old. Robbie Fowler (2) and Cesc Fàbregas (2) are the only others to do it multiple times.
Hold on, this is already the second time this season that Palmer has been directly involved in four goals in a Premier League game.
Since 1992/93, only three players have dropped multiple 4+ G/A hauls in a single Big Five European League campaign before turning 23 years old: Cesc Fàbregas (2009/10), Kylian Mbappé (2018/19) and now Cole Palmer (2024/25).
The record haul in a single season for a player of any age within this timeframe is four. Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi both did so in 2014/15 before Luis Suárez did so in 2015/16. Palmer has 32 games to try to join the club this season.
If not, he has the next decade… at least.
Quick note on the penalties: Palmer has now scored 10/10 in his Premier League career. The only player to score more with a 100% record intact is Yaya Touré (11/11). Palmer is coming for that record, too.
Everyone that watched Palmer at youth level will tell you that he had generational potential. Even for Manchester City’s senior side he averaged a goal or assist every 175 minutes, scoring in the UEFA Super Cup and Community Shield before completing his move to Chelsea.
His supreme technical ability, ice-cold composure, clarity of thought and unwavering belief in his own ability have been there from the start. And they will send him to the very top. Well, they already have.
Of all players in Premier League history with at least 450 minutes, only Erling Haaland has been directly involved in more goals per 90 than Cole Palmer.
IN. SANE.
This season, Palmer sits alongside Haaland on 10 league goals and assists combined, the first two players in Europe’s Big Five Leagues to reach double figures. With the likes of Lamine Yamal, Michael Olise and Bukayo Saka also in supreme form this season, it seems like the next generation could be defined by the left-footers.
Speaking of Saka…
The Stat Jackpot
This may divide opinion.
For a while, I have been trying to find football’s equivalent to the Double-Double. The closest we get are the naming conventions for multiple goal-hauls: brace, hat-trick, poker, etc. The next best is waiting for a player to score 10 goals and provide 10 assists across an entire season. I want something in-game.
In basketball, five stats can contribute towards a Double-Double: points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocked shots.
Of course, there are so few significant metrics that are likely to enter into double figures within a single football match that the a ‘Double’ of anything is either going to be extremely rare or completely irrelevant. But there is some value (but mostly fun for me) in establishing a few arbitrary stat lines.
For example, on Saturday, we could say that Bukayo Saka hit the Jackpot.
Since the start of the 2017/18 season - when Stathead records for these metrics begin - only five players have attempted 7+ shots, made 7+ key passes, and completed 7+ take-ons in a Big Five European League game.
The first player to do it was Gerard Deulofeu. Funnily enough, this was against Arsenal in a famous comeback (or infamous collapse depending on how you want to look at it) at the start of the 2019/20 season. Josip Iličić then did it two months later before Lionel Messi joined the club in February 2020. Then we had to wait four years for another.
Jamal Musiala did Jamal Musiala things in March 2024, becoming the first player aged 23 or under to appear on the list. The second was Bukayo Saka against Leicester City on Saturday. That makes Arsenal’s No.7 the youngest player on record to hit a Premier League Jackpot. Somehow, he did not finish the game with a goal or assist.
On a personal level, only in last season’s 0-2 defeat against West Ham has Saka attempted more shots in a Premier League game (9). 8 Key Passes is a PR in the competition, with his previous best of 6 coming in February 2022 against Wolves.
As is 8 Take-Ons Completed, previously recording 6 against Newcastle in February 2020 as an 18-year-old before matching that tally at home to Fulham at the start of 2023/24.
But the Jackpot was not Saka’s most monstrous stat.
I have developed more stat lines to keep an eye on in an upcoming newsletter scheduled for Tuesday morning. The first edition will be free to read and then it will continue behind our paywall.
If you have not done so already, it would mean the world if you became a paid subscriber to SCOUTED Notebook.
Remember, SCOUTED50 is coming…
Usually, I would include this final metric in the SCOUTED Stats section. However, with match-records restricted to players under the age of 23, Saka just misses out. But, his status as a player born in 2001 or later makes him relevant for the season.
On Saturday, Saka generated 16 Shot-Creating Actions. Not only is that the most in a single Premier League game this season, it equals the record for SCA in a Premier League match since Stathead started collecting data for this metric in 2017/18. Of the five 16 SCA entries, he is the youngest.
Saka continues to set new benchmarks for his ability. My first Monday Night SCOUTED newsletter focussed on setting targets that would earn the global recognition his talent deserves. He is well on the way to achieving them.
Do not be surprised if he hits the Jackpot once again.
SCOUTED Stats
It’s been a while since we looked at the season leaders. But, with just one more week until another international break, it makes sense to do a review when we have even more time to process the rankings.
So, this week’s SCOUTED Stats section will focus on single-game records in Europe’s Big Five Leagues set by players under the age of 23.
But first…
Last Saturday I noticed that Emile Smith Rowe, Stephy Mavididi and Reiss Nelson were all on the scoresheet. I didn’t think ‘30% of all Premier League goals by English players on Saturday were scored by Hale End graduates’ was that catchy so I omitted it, waiting for a stronger hook of a similar nature. This weekend, I got it.
Of the 15 Premier League goals scored by English players this weekend, 46.7% were scored by Manchester City’s front three from the 2020 FA Youth Cup final.
Four years ago, Morgan Rogers and Cole Palmer both scored in the 3-2 win against Chelsea, Liam Delap assisted both goals. On Saturday, Palmer scored four - as we have covered extensively - while Rogers scored in between a Delap double at Portman Road.
Those three helped end City’s 12-year wait for an FA Youth Cup trophy, now they are thriving elsewhere.
I wonder whether you consider it a failure or success on City’s behalf. On the one hand, they have produced three fantastic first-team Premier League talents. On the other, none of them, for a variety of reasons, are playing for City. Let me know your thoughts.
SCOUTED Stats
No, really. I mean it this time.
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That means you can get 20% off the annual subscription when you sign up and use the code ‘SCOUTED’.
Despite scoring four goals, Palmer did not break the Shots On Target record. Noni Madueke still ranks top for his 5 against Wolves. Both Palmer and Nico Paz registered four at the weekend.
Interestingly, Riccardo Calafiori registered three against Leicester, the most by an U23 defender this season; the dynamism and thrust he brings to the Arsenal team will be key this season.
For the same reason I mentioned in the Jackpot section, Saka’s 8 Key Passes is a record for a 01+ player but not U23. We will have to wait until next week to see where he lands on the overall ranking. For now, Michael Olise’s record of 7 is safe.
Nico Paz and Eliesse Ben Seghir both embarked on 7 Carries into the Final Third at the weekend. Paz in Como’s 3-2 win against Hellas Verona and Ben Seghir in Monaco’s 2-1 triumph against Montpellier.
Although good enough for joint-second - Monaco’s Moroccan is the only player to record 7+ Carries into the Final Third twice in two different games - they need to double their output to match Jérémy Doku’s record of 14 from MD1 against Chelsea. But one record that had stood since MD1 was broken.
Tim Iroegbunam made 9 Tackles in Everton’s opening game against Brighton but that tally has been bettered by Jon Aramburu. The Venezuelan full-back made 11 Tackles in Real Sociedad’s 3-0 win against Valencia. Most impressively of all, he was neither dribbled nor conceded a single foul. A flawless lockdown display from the 22-year-old.
Iroegbunam does still hold the record for Tackles & Interceptions combined, recording 13 in that game against Brighton.
And, finally, Chrisantus Uche was kicked to shit.
The Nigerian drew 9 fouls against Alavés, beating the record of 7 by Tottenham Hotspur loanee Alejo Véliz that has stood since August. He also made 12 Ball Recoveries, falling one short of equalling the record jointly-held by Iroegbunam (yes, in that game against Brighton) and Guela Doué (this Strasborug centre-back keeps popping up). Back to Uche.
This is the first time I have come across his name, but I am so glad I did. His story is incredible.
Uche made his professional debut just two years ago. In the sixth tier of Spanish football. By most accounts, he was still playing on the streets of Owerri when Moralo signed him, initially as a B-team player for the Primera División Extremeña. Just two months after making his debut, he was promoted to the senior side - a tier above - and played 17 league matches.
In July 2023, he made another step up when he signed for Ceuta. Again, he was initially signed for the B-team - they even mentioned he could play centre-back in their press release! Again, he made an instant impression. Uche played 36 out of 38 league games as Ceuta finished 5th in the Spanish third tier.
Before the season had even finished, Uche’s next move had already been secured. In February, Ceuta’s manager confirmed that he would join Getafe in the summer. Since then, he has not looked back. The 21-year-old has has started all eight LaLiga games so far. Although he is most often deployed up front, he has started matches behind the striker or even in a double pivot. Remember, just a year ago, he was heralded as solid defensive player with the potential to operate at the back.
Now he is the most fouled player in LaLiga, perhaps unsurprisingly given the record he set which led to our discovery, winning 29 fouls in total. Perhaps less shocking when you hear what he said about Spanish referees.
“I saw it with my eyes. The referees, they are so bad. They are so bad. They will kick me, the referee will just say ‘stand up!’.”
At 190 cm and weighing in at least 80 kg based on varied reports, Uche’s physical profile is most likely what saw him pigeon-holed as a defensive player, even by Getafe - they gave him the No.6 shirt after all. His two-footedness is what is propelling him further up the pitch.
But what makes him so fascinating is that we know relatively little about him. His 4,000 senior minutes that preceded this season were accumulated two tiers below his current level.
I am yet to find any academy history and have read about undocumented appearances for Nigeria U-23s. Just look at the earliest clip on his Instagram.
Chrisantus Uche’s story is one that will continue to inspire players to chase their dream and serves as a reminder to clubs at every level that you can find talent anywhere. That’s what we try to do at SCOUTED.
Monday Night SCOUTED barely scratches the surface of what goes on behind the scenes. The way of thinking and processes you see in MNS, Llew’s SCOUT NOTES and Stephen’s analytical epics - the next one drops this week - are applied to so much more. If you enjoy what we do, please consider becoming a paid subscriber to enable us to do even more.
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Have a great week,
Jake
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This was a cracking read