5 Premier League records that could soon be broken
Since the Premier League was established in the 1992-93 season, it has gone on to become arguably the greatest league in world football. Over the last 30 years, the competition has seen some of the greatest players in world football grace the English game in spectacular fashion.
Now, more than ever, football is increasingly obsessed with statistics and records. Players, managers, pundits and fans today are concerned with a lot of individual statistics, whether it be goals, assists, minutes played or trophies won. Premier League records are no different and some of them have been longstanding, but are now on the verge of being broken.
In this article we take an in depth look at some of the records that could fall in the next few seasons, and who are the likeliest candidates to break them. From Harry Kane chasing Alan Shearer's record as the Premier League's greatest goalscorer to whether Phil Foden can surpass Ryan Giggs' league-title haul, let's dive right into these record.
#1 Harry Kane chasing down Alan Shearer
Perhaps the most vaunted of all the Premier League records is the one for goals which has been held by Alan Shearer since he retired in 2006. Shearer scored 260 times across spells with Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United.
In four seasons at Blackburn, Shearer scored 112 goals in 138 appearances, winning the Premier League title in the 1994-95 season. That domestic form, coupled with five goals at Euro 96, persuaded Kevin Keegan's Newcastle to smash the world transfer record that year.
He brought Shearer back to his boyhood club for £15 million, where he would score another 148 goals. Since his retirement no striker had previously come close to matching his total, until Harry Kane came along.
Kane has scored his goals at a ratio of 0.66 a game compared to Shearer's 0.59 and at the age of 29, time is undoubtedly on Kane's side. The only potential barriers preventing Kane from breaking Shearer's record are fitness and where he chooses to see out the remaining years of his career.
Should Kane stay in the Premier League, it is highly likely that he would break Shearer's record in a couple of seasons and possibly take it towards 300 in the subsequent ones.
#2 James Milner on the verge of more Premier League history
James Milner has enjoyed a remarkable career since making his debut as a 16- year-old with Leeds United, winning three Premier League titles and a host of other trophies. Thanks to his long career, the Englishman sits third on the all-time appearance list with 619 matches to his name at the end of the 2022-23 season.
Having just penned a one-year deal at Brighton & Hove Albion, Milner is now just 34 appearances away from breaking Gareth Barry's record of 652. However, Milner hasn't played more than 34 matches in a Premier League season since 2016-17 so he might need to play on into the 2024-25 season to make the record his own.
#3 Kevin De Bruyne closing in on Ryan Giggs
Given his incredibly longevity it is perhaps not surprising that Ryan Giggs features on many of the Premier League lists. He has the most winners medals (13), is second in the list of all-time appearances, and has the most assists, creating 162 goals in 632 matches.
One man who could break his record is Kevin De Bruyne, who is fourth on the list with 102 assists, behind Wayne Rooney and Cesc Fabregas. A key part of the Manchester City side that completed the treble, De Bruyne is still at the top of his game, claiming a remarkable 31 assists in the 2022-23 season with 16 of those coming in the Premier League.
De Bruyne's total has come in just 242 games and if the Belgian can stay fit he has a great opportunity to overtake Giggs.
#4 David Moyes looking to oust Arsene Wenger from top spot
Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger were both recently inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame for their achievements at Manchester United and Arsenal respectively. Although he wouldn't be able to match their trophy haul, David Moyes can certainly match them in terms of longevity.
Wenger holds top spot on this list, having managed 828 matches during his time at Arsenal while Ferguson is next on the list with 810. Moyes is currently in third place with 659 matches to his name across spells with Everton, West Ham United, Manchester United and Sunderland.
Moyes looked to be on the brink of the sack on more than one occasion last season. However, he ultimately held on to his job, steering the side clear of relegation trouble and winning the Europa Conference League.
At 60 years old, he is still relatively young in management terms. However, he would need to manage in the top division for at least another four seasons to come close to breaking Wenger's record. Much might depend on Moyes himself, who has expressed ambitions to manage at international level in the future.
#5 Can Phil Foden catch Ryan Giggs?
It's hard to believe, given everything he has achieved, that Phil Foden is only 23 years old. With Manchester City's latest title win Foden became the youngest player in history to win five Premier League crowns.
Ryan Giggs, who was part of every one of Manchester United's successful title winning campaigns, is currently way out in front with 13 winners medals. It will be extremely challenging for any player to match that tally.
However, Foden is still in his tender years and the quality of the Manchester City side he plays for is top notch. There is a strong likelihood that they will challenge at the top of the table for many years to come. If any player has a chance to climb above Giggs then it would undoubedtly be Foden.