Kai Havertz became the outright top-scoring German in Premier League history by bagging Arsenal's winner at Liverpool. The Gunners forward, 27, swept home Declan Rice's pass to hand his side a 1-0 lead on 13 minutes at Anfield.
Havertz's goal was his 46th in 172 Prem appearances since moving to England in 2020. It took him above compatriot Ilkay Gundogan's tally of 45, which previously was the record for a German player in the Premier League. Gundogan, 36, achieved his haul in 221 appearances across two spells at Manchester City.
Havertz initially moved to Chelsea in 2020 as more of a midfield player. The rangy star was eventually moved into a makeshift forward role and performed the role for the Blues as well as Arsenal.
Havertz scored 19 Prem goals in three seasons at Chelsea before signing for the Gunners in a £65million switch in June 2023. He has since gone to add a further 27 to date for the Gunners. Havertz's best tally of Prem goals in a season thus far came during the 2023-24 campaign, when he managed 13 for Arsenal.
In third place on the leaderboard of German Premier League scorers is Brighton star Pascal Gross. The creative midfielder has scored 34 goals in 256 appearances in two stints with the Seagulls. Gross, now 35, initially moved to the Amex in 2017 ahead of their maiden Prem campaign under Chris Hughton.
He signed for Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2024, only to return to Brighton 18 months later. Gross' tally is one above Mesut Ozil's of 33 - achieved in 184 appearances for Arsenal between 2013 and 2021. The former Real Madrid star was also a prolific assister, laying on 57 Prem goals for his Gunners team-mates.
Uwe Rosler and Jurgen Klinsmann are next up with 29 apiece. Klinsmann managed his haul in 56 games across two spells with Tottenham. The legendary striker bagged 20 during the 1994-95 season after moving to White Hart Lane from Monaco.
After two seasons at Bayern Munich and a short stint with Sampdoria, Klinsmann returned to White Hart Lane on loan in the 1997-98 campaign, scoring nine times in 15 games to help save his beloved Spurs from the drop. Rosler, meanwhile, scored his 29 goals during three seasons at Manchester City between 1993 and 1996 - including 15 in the 1994-95 campaign. He would also go on to play 23 times in the Prem for Southampton, but did not score for the Saints.
Leroy Sane bagged 25 times in 90 Premier League outings for Man City. The winger helped City to league titles in the 2017-18 and 2018-19 campaigns, scoring 10 times in each. Sane moved to Bayern Munich in 2020 and now, aged 30, plays for Galatasaray in Turkey.
Brentford's Kevin Schade has 24 goals in 111 appearances for the Bees since joining from Freiburg in 2023 - and aged 24, seems likely to add many more. Robert Huth is a surprise name at No9 on the list with 21 goals from 322 Prem outings. Huth, now 42, won three Premier League titles during his career; two with Chelsea and memorably one with Leicester City. His best season tally came in 2010-11, when he managed six for Stoke under Tony Pulis.
Rounding off the list is Lukas Podolski, the left-footed forward scoring 19 times in 60 matches for Arsenal between 2012 and 2015. Podolski, now 41, retired from football earlier this year following a spell in Poland.
Background On Kai Havertz And The Premier League Record
Kai Havertz established himself in European football during a successful spell with Bayer Leverkusen in the German Bundesliga before securing a high-profile transfer to the English Premier League in 2020. English clubs frequently scout elite talent from German football, where technical skill and tactical discipline form the core of player development academies. The record for goals by a German national in the English top flight previously belonged to Ilkay Gundogan, who served as a vital midfield engine under manager Pep Guardiola at Manchester City. Gundogan secured multiple domestic titles during his time in Manchester before eventually moving to Spanish club Barcelona and later returning to City for another spell.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta identified Havertz as a versatile option capable of operating in deeper midfield positions or leading the attacking line. Transitioning from a central midfielder to an advanced forward requires distinct tactical awareness, physical resilience, and spatial intelligence. Elite European clubs often invest heavily in players who demonstrate this tactical flexibility, allowing managers to alter formations during demanding fixture schedules across domestic and continental competitions.
Other Notable German Goalscorers In English Football
German footballers have made substantial impacts across various English clubs since the inception of the Premier League in 1992. Playmakers like Mesut Ozil dazzled fans with exceptional vision and creativity during his tenure in north London, consistently setting up goals for teammates. Strikers like Jurgen Klinsmann captured the imagination of supporters with charismatic performances and crucial goals that rescued Tottenham Hotspur from difficult relegation battles during the 1990s. Defensive stalwarts such as Robert Huth demonstrated that German players could also excel in physical, defensive roles, securing improbable championship titles with Leicester City alongside Chelsea.
