Kane's King of the Shooters: Who Are England's Backup Goal Threats for the 2026 World Cup?

Picture this: Thomas Tuchel's got his massive England squad together for those final pre-World Cup friendlies. Harry Kane's spot is locked in tighter than a goalkeeper's gloves, with dreams of glory in the USA. But what if injury strikes or he pulls a hamstring chasing a lost cause? Time to scout the backup strikers, courtesy of boffins at Gradient Sports who grade shooters out of 100 across Europe's big five leagues.

These lads measure everything – execution, outcomes, the lot. It's proper nerdy stuff, but it tells us who's banging them in most efficiently. Here's the top 10 English attackers with the best shooting grades. Spoiler: Kane's miles clear.

The Top 10 English Shooting Stars

Starting at =10, we've got Keinan Davis at Udinese with 78.1. The big man's 20th in Serie A for shooting – not bad for a Hammers reject. Tuchel, if you're reading, snap him up before Jamaica comes calling.

Tied with him is Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa, 78.1). Decent, but his goals are dipping like a bad pint – from 19 last season to just nine now. Villa fans, chin up.

9th: Anthony Gordon (Newcastle, 78.2). The lad's flying in the Champions League (goal every 77 minutes!), but domestic form's patchy. Newcastle without him? Disaster.

8th: Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (Everton, 78.9). David Moyes reckons he's not far off the England setup. World Cup too soon? Maybe, but Ireland's sniffing around.

7th: Bukayo Saka (Arsenal, 79.1). Everyone knows he loves cutting inside on that left peg. Only one Englishman beats him there: Marcus Tavernier.

6th: Jarrod Bowen (West Ham, 79.6). Half his shots are below par, but he's still top 10. Fringes of Tuchel's squad? Fix that, Jarrod, and you're Qatar-bound... er, USA-bound.

5th: Marcus Rashford (Barcelona, 81.1). From 51st in the Prem to 14th in La Liga. Funny that – looks like he's actually bothered now.

4th: Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa, 82.3). Top English grader in the Prem, ninth overall. Dominates pressured shots and open play – England's open secret.

3rd: Mason Greenwood (Marseille, 83.7). Elite numbers, but we'll park that one.

2nd: Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid, 84.1). Tuchel's not sold yet, but second in La Liga shooting? Only Mbappe and one other ahead. Wake-up call, gaffer.

And 1st: Harry Kane (Bayern, 99.3). Not just top Englishman – best in Europe by a country mile. Michael Olise (91.3) is miles back. Kane's the 2026 top scorer so far. No debate.

Danny Dyer's Rally for Bowen: 'He's the Guvnor!'

West Ham diehard Danny Dyer can't believe his daughter Dani bagged Jarrod Bowen. 'It's taken supporting the Irons to a new emotional level,' he told FourFourTwo's Matthew Ketchell while plugging his film One Last Deal, where he plays dodgy agent Jimmy Banks.

Bowen's started in Tuchel's last England outing (2-0 vs Albania) and at 29, this is his World Cup shot. 'He's the guvnor,' raves Dyer. 'Prays he keeps us up – no pressure, mind.' Bowen doesn't yap footy at home or watch his own games.

But Dyer's passionate: 'He needs that plane ticket. Scored more than Saka and Madueke this season. Bias against him! Jarrod digs teams out of holes, ambidextrous, aerial beast. At nearly 30, last chance – let's hope he shines in the USA.'

West Ham's relegation scrap adds spice. If they go down, Bowen's talent demands top-flight. Dyer trails off, jinxing avoided.

Kane's irreplaceable, but this lot give Tuchel options. Bellingham, Rogers, Bowen – who makes the cut? Pub debate fuel right there.