The immediate reaction may be to scoff as Peterborough United chairman Darragh MacAnthony labels Jonson Clarke-Harris the “best goalscorer in England”.
But he’s right. Technically speaking at least.
That dramatic, last-gasp penalty in Saturday’s 3-3 draw with Lincoln – a result that secured Peterborough’s return to the Championship – took Clarke-Harris’s tally for the season to a remarkable 33.
That’s one more than Paul Mullin, two more than Harry Kane, three more than Ivan Toney, and four more than Charlie Wyke and Mo Salah. In short, no-one in England’s top five leagues has found the net as often as Clarke-Harris.
No wonder, too, that Peterborough are determined to keep hold of him.
“He’s been fantastic – the best player in League One, the best goalscorer in England. If we can keep him, brilliant, because he’ll be worth double by January in the Championship,” MacAnthony, who values Clarke-Harris at about £5 million, tells Sky Sports.
The outspoken owner did admit, however, that keeping hold of a player snapped up on the cheap from Bristol Rovers last year may be easier said than done, despite Peterborough’s promotion.
“Peterborough United can never pay players £25,000 to £30,000 a week. There will be seven or eight clubs already offering Jonson Clarke-Harris that kind of money,” MacAnthony adds.
“We’re not going to be selling a lot of our assets. But you always have one player so many clubs are after they’re going to tap them up, which is normal, par for the course and it’s difficult to compete with that.”
With Oostende’s speed-machine forward Fashion Sakala arriving at Ibrox this afternoon, are Rangers bowing out of the race for England’s most feared number nine?
Not necessarily.
While Sakala is in the bag, Alfredo Morelos and Jermain Defoe could both leave before next season begins. And, given the Zambia international is at his most comfortable coming in off the flank, there’s no reason why Sakala and Clarke-Harris couldn’t form an all-new strike partnership at Rangers.
Either way, it’s going to be a long summer for Peterborough fans.
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