The top 9 most valuable EFL League One strikers in 2026/27 | OneFootball

FLW looks at who Transfermarkt values the most out of the current striker crop in League One

There have been numerous five-goal hauls from clubs across the third tier in the opening handful of games this season, with attacking prowess the main talking point in the first month of the campaign.

But who currently has the striker with the highest market value? Football League World has looked at Transfermarkt's valuations to see which League One frontman is currently worth the most.

9 ? ? Jerry Yates - £1.11 million

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Kicking off the list is Jerry Yates, who has returned to Blackpool on loan from Luton Town, who themselves parted ways with a seven-figure fee this time last year to sign him from Swansea City.

It hasn't worked out for the 29-year-old at Kenilworth Road at all, with this being his second spell away from the club already, having spent the latter half of last season at Sheffield Wednesday.

Yates still managed four goals in 18 Championship appearances for the struggling South Yorkshire side, though, and has been a reliable second-tier frontman for the last few years, ever since he netted 21 times to help guide Blackpool out of League One in 2020/21.

Now he's back at Bloomfield Road, looking to do the same again.

8 ? ? Dane Scarlett - £1.28 million

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Leyton Orient reluctantly bid farewell to last season's top scorer, Dom Ballard, this summer, with the 21-year-old making the move to Bristol City.

One of the frontmen they've got in to replace him is Dane Scarlett, who joined on deadline day from Tottenham Hotspur.

Once upon a time, the 22-year-old was being touted as the next Harry Kane, with an excellent goalscoring record in the Spurs academy. Unfortunately, that has yet to be properly translated to senior football across several loan spells.

Now he's got a permanent home in Brisbane Road, and with still a seven-figure valuation, he will be looking to finally realise that potential.

7 ? ? Harry Leonard - £1.28 million

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Peterborough United lost a lot of their attacking quality from last season in the summer, whether that be due to loans ending or Millwall signing them, so to still have Harry Leonard in the building is a massive positive for Luke Williams.

The 22-year-old had a brilliant first season at the club last year after leaving Blackburn Rovers, scoring 16 times, all of which came in 30 games managed by the current Posh boss.

He netted in all three of Peterborough's wins in all competitions this season as of writing, including a late winner against Mansfield Town in league action.

Transfermarkt values him at £1.28 million, but you can bet, as and when he's sold, it'll be worth a little more than that.

6 ? ? Ali Al-Hamadi - £1.28 million

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And rounding out the three players tied on £1.28 million is Sheffield Wednesday loanee, Ali Al-Hamadi, who will be looking to reignite his career at Hillsborough.

The 24-year-old was electric in League Two with AFC Wimbledon, so much so that a then-Championship Ipswich Town side bought him in January 2024. In the end, he became a victim of the Tractor Boys' meteoric rise, as he was all of a sudden a Premier League player just months later.

Al-Hamadi hasn't been able to replicate the 23 goals in 42 league games he managed in his one year at Plough Lane elsewhere, whether that be in the Championship with Stoke City or last season at Luton in League One.

Hopefully, he can get his form back during his third loan spell away at Sheffield Wednesday.

5 ? ? Aaron Connolly - £1.54 million

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Aaron Connolly is, when fit, a cut above the rest at League One level. Unfortunately, his struggles to remain healthy are why he's playing in the third tier, but when he's on the field, Leyton Orient have a big threat up top.

The former Brighton and Hove Albion man netted eight in 21 in his debut campaign at Brisbane Road, a campaign where he missed nearly five months with a quad injury, and a shoulder injury he picked up on the final day has kept him out for the opening stages of this season.

There's no doubt that when Connolly plays, he shows why he was so highly rated out of one of the best academies in the country. If he can remain fit, the £1.54 million-rated Irishman could help push Orient back towards play-off contention this season.

4 ? ? Callum Marshall - £1.71 million

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Some West Ham United fans were feeling that their relegation to the Championship could have opened the door for academy graduate Callum Marshall to get some league minutes.

Instead, he made the move down to League One, and while it's only early days, the new Luton number nine has shown why those Hammers supporters felt he could cope with second-tier football.

Marshall has been eased into action by Hatters boss Jack Wilshere, but already, as of writing, he has scored a couple of brilliant goals, especially against Stockport County, where he fired in from around 25 yards out.

At 21, he has all the potential to be worth more than the £1.71 million he's estimated to currently be valued at.

3 ? ? Mason Burstow - £2.4 million

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Taking the bronze medal on this list is another Sheffield Wednesday loanee, Mason Burstow, who arrived from Hull City this summer.

The 23-year-old had a breakout year at Bolton Wanderers last season, netting 12 and assisting five to help the Trotters head into the Championship via the play-offs. At Hillsborough, he'll be looking for a second successive campaign ending in promotion.

He did falter somewhat last season at the Toughsheet Stadium after an electric start, hence another League One move, but he'll have a lot to prove at Hillsborough amongst what looks like a very competitive frontline.

Burstow is already off the mark after netting in the 7-2 win against Bromley, and will be looking to better last season's 12-goal haul in South Yorkshire.

2 ? ? Lasse Nordas - £3 million

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A lot of Luton and League One fans alike will be questioning Lasse Nordas' place on this list, let alone a second-place position, but Transfermarkt still has him valued at around £3 million, despite flopping massively at Kenilworth Road.

Nordas arrived at Luton midway through the 2024/25 Championship campaign after scoring 12 times for Tromso in the Norwegian top flight, but failed to make an impression on Matt Bloomfield, only playing 248 minutes of league action in the second half of that season.

He struggled to get in the side in League One, too, and was loaned out last January by Jack Wilshere to Eredivisie side Heerenveen where, in credit, he scored six and assisted twice in 16 Dutch top-flight outings.

But his future doesn't lie at Kenilworth Road,with Polish side Cracovia signing him on a loan-to-buy deal before their window closes on September 9.

1 ? ? Emil Riis - £5.15 million

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Taking the top spot is Leicester City's marquee summer arrival Emil Riis, who drops down to League One for the first time since arriving in the EFL back in 2020 to play for the Foxes.

The Danish frontman has 217 Championship appearances under his belt for both Preston North End and Bristol City, with 50 goals, too. Last season, he was the main line-leader at Ashton Gate, netting 12 times in all competitions.

As the Robins improved their striking options with Dom Ballard and Lorent Tolaj, Riis was deemed expendable, but even then, many expected a second-tier side to snap him up.

In the end, he's a major coup at League One level, and understandable why he's close to double any other striker when it comes to market value in the third tier.