Netflix approach the Premier League’s top strikers – including Man City’s Erling Haaland – for a fly-on-the-wall documentary series on the art of goalscoring
The Premier League’s top strikers have been approached by a Netflix-used production company for a fly-on-the-wall documentary series on the art of goalscoring.
The streaming giant is interested in the concept after the success of Quarterback, an eight-episode series launched in July 2023 which gives an all-access insight to three NFL quarterbacks for the 2022 American football season.
It’s understood that Manchester City’s Erling Haaland and Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins have already been asked, and Liverpool’s Mo Salah is set to be approached too. Haaland is believed to have turned down the proposal and it is unclear whether Watkins and Salah are interested.
An omission of the league’s top goalscorer Haaland, who has netted 18 league goals thus far, would be a major setback.
It’s understood that no striker from league leaders Arsenal has yet been approached. The north London club’s top scorer Bukayo Saka has struck 13 league goals.
Erling Haaland has been approached by Netflix for a fly-on the wall documentary series on goalscoring
Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins has also been asked about taking part in the documentary
Liverpool forward Mo Salah is also expected to be approached by the streaming giant
It is unclear how much access the proposed project would achieve but is expected to seek a similar behind-the-scenes access as Quarterback, following the players closely to give fans an inside look at what makes a prolific striker.
The American football series attentively tracks the lives of Kansas City Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes, the Minnesota Vikings’ Kirk Cousins and the Atlanta Falcons’ Marcus Mariota on and off the field. It documents intimate moments with their families, friends and trainers, as well as during practice and games.
Netflix on Tuesday announced a second season which will be launched this summer on receivers, titled Receiver.
Patrick Mahomes (pictured) starred in ‘Quarterback’ which gave an all-access insight into NFL quarterbacks
If the striker series does get off the ground, filming is likely to start at the beginning of the 2024-25 season in August for a release in autumn 2025.
This latest proposal follows a recent spate of football documentary series. Amazon Prime kickstarted the trend with the All or Nothing franchise which provides a revealing insight to the world’s biggest football clubs.
So far they have covered the Premier League’s Man City, Tottenham and Arsenal, Juventus in the Italian Serie A and national sides Brazil and Germany.
Chris Sutton’s verdict
Clive Allen scored 49 goals in a season. I marvelled at his goalscoring art. As a kid it was Trevor Francis for me, with a bit of Tony Woodcock and Garry Birtles.
Kenny Dalglish and Ian Rush have to get a shout and then there are the videos of Jimmy Greaves and Geoff Hurst’s hat-trick. We’ve got to mention Roy of the Rovers too. Roy Race, now there was a goalscorer – so good, he had his own comic.
Yeah, I can see why Netflix want a series on strikers. It’s the Hollywood role, the glory position, the money shot.
When it works.
When I was a centre forward and made my transfers to Blackburn, Chelsea and Celtic (some worked out more than others), I loved the attention and the expectation. Clubs buy strikers to win trophies.
Kenny Dalglish (left) and Ian Rush (right) have to be regarded as two of the best goalscorers of their time
Jimmy Greaves (pictured) made goalscoring look easy and he did it on some terrible pitches
I was asked to name my five favourite last-minute winners on our It’s All Kicking Off podcast and I picked one of my own. “Having yourself, aren’t you,” asked one of my mates. He’s right… but why wouldn’t I choose a moment that meant a lot to me, playing for Celtic.
I loved scoring goals for Celtic, especially against Rangers. I loved all of my goals, even one I scored for Aston Villa that I am not entirely sure that I touched. It’s an exhilarating feeling.
Greaves did it playing on cow fields. His movement, his balance, his awareness. Watch those videos. Genius. We are all too guilty of thinking the football world started with the Premier League but if you are talking about master strikers, you can’t ignore Greaves.
The best I played with? Alan Shearer and Henrik Parton for being the most ruthless. Shearer had that mindset, that greed – in a good way. I saw Henrik, my old Celtic team-mate, this week for a BBC interview. When we were together, he was more versatile and could play in different roles and link the play. He was a brilliant finisher too, mind.
Alan Shearer was the best striker I played with, as we won the Premier League together with Blackburn in 1995
I admired Didier Drogba (pictured) for his ability as a lone striker for Chelsea
Fans are more interested in learning about No10s now thanks to Lionel Messi
Players I admired included Didier Drogba, playing as a one-up, and Thierry Henry, drifting in from left to right with pace and cunning and then my favourite partnership was Dwight Yoke and Andy Cole; marvellous.
The ego of goalscoring is interesting: it’s your moment and you deliver. You are the person responsible for altering history, deciding big moments. It comes with the money, the pressure, the glory.
I wonder who will be in the Netflix series? I’d like to know a bit more about Erling Haaland. They’d need to get him involved. Ollie Watkins? He’s having a fine season. Not everyone plays with a centre forward these days. Kids want to be Number 10’s, the Messi effect.
My golden boot award in 1998 for being top goalscorer in the Premier League is something that makes me very proud. I was no Greaves and my daughter is too young to remember and thinks I am just an average pundit, a dinosaur. But at least I can point to that.
