ANDY COLE EXCLUSIVE: Premier League’s top six goalscorers are a surprise, but can it last?

Andy Cole assesses the Premier League’s top six scorers in his latest column.

The Premier League is past the halfway point, but nobody would have come close to predicting the league’s top five scorers.

Everton’s Romelu Lukaku is the league’s joint top marksman. He’s 22, a price of £65 million is being bandied about for him and he’s still learning the game. I really like him.

I watched him carefully on Saturday against his former club Chelsea and John Terry didn’t want to get too close to him. Terry knew that if got turned then he would be obliterated by Lukaku’s pace.

Lukaku is strong, big, powerful and he finishes well, but if he had a softer first touch he would cause so many more problems against defenders. I’m told Chelsea let him go because play would break down too much after his average first touch. Chelsea always liked the ball to stick with their strikers, as it did with Didier Drogba or Diego Costa when he first arrived.

Lukaku keeps improving and he’s really hard to play against as his size means defenders are reluctant to get physical with him, but even on Saturday Terry could step in and nick the ball from him. If Lukaku works on that touch, his right side and works too on his runs, £65 million might not be enough to get him.

He’s in a good place at the moment as Everton play really good football. Everton create chances and Lukaku scores them, but they need to tighten up. They should have beat Chelsea comfortably at the weekend and should have put five past Norwich. Instead, they drew both games.

Jamie Vardy shares top spot with Lukaku on 15 goals. His goalscoring run was ridiculous and he stands out for me because he would chase a piece of paper.

He runs in behind defenders which too many modern day centre forwards consider dirty work. They want the ball to their feet, but Vardy hustles and bustles. He turns a bad ball into a good ball.

He hasn’t revolutionised centre forward play - I tried to stretch the back four in my day. Vardy is prepared to work people by making them run back into a space. Defenders hate playing against him, they tire and then they leave spaces which can be exploited.

His hard work has got him a place in the England squad. He’s a good finisher but is he anything special technically? Not really, but he plays to his strengths and so do Leicester.

Riyad Mahrez, with 13 goals, provides Leicester’s X factor. He’s very good on the ball, he can see a pass and he’s great passer who can take individuals on. Mahrez is, by a distance, Leicester’s best player and has the ingredients to attract bigger clubs.

I’ve seen what he’s done to some full backs this season and he’s left them with twisted blood. He’s got a lovely left foot and he cost just £400,000. They could sell him for 30 times that.

Leicester fans would be distraught if both left, but if I was Vardy or Mahrez and a big club came in for me then I’d go for it.

I’m not sure Vardy is good enough, his general play needs to be better for a top club. Top European opponents defend differently and they’re not fussed if a player tries to run in behind them. They keep the ball so well that you end up chasing nothing. But I must still congratulate them both for their exceptional season for far.

Watford’s Odion Igalho is next, with 13 league goals – an incredible number for such an unfashionable team, one which doesn’t create as many chances as a leading side.

Ighalo turned down a move to China in the summer as he wanted to play in the Premier League after getting promotion with Watford, yet nobody thought that Watford would do anything.

It was the right decision; he’s been absolutely fantastic, a real throwback centre forward who will work his centre half until he can’t work no more. He’s strong, raw, aggressive and loves a physical battle.

In Troy Deeney, he has the perfect foil. They play as a pair, and I love to see the two of them play in a traditional 4-4-2 system under Quique Sanchez Flores. It’s my favourite formation and it works.

Oliver Giroud is the league’s joint fifth top scorer. I’m up and down on him. He’s a really good player on a fantastic run, but I don’t think he’s mobile or quick enough for Arsenal to win the title with him.

He misses some easy chances, but while he’s a good player with many key attributes, he’s not top, top level. Arsene Wenger has said he’ll play in some games, but not others, as he doesn’t have the pace. That’s hardly the strongest endorsement.

Giroud has 12 goals, the same as Harry Kane. The Tottenham striker found it difficult getting goals at the start of the season. I spoke to Tim Sherwood about him and he said: ‘His work ethic and self-belief is outstanding’.

He did really well last season and while he’s now in the goals, he’s in an unusual position. He’s the only centre forward at Tottenham, so he knows he’s going to play every week. There are not many players with that luxury, but it means a lack of competition.

I’ve mentioned six very good players. I don’t think any of them are as good as Sergio Aguero, the best striker in the league, but, as it stands, neither Manchester club, Liverpool, nor Chelsea have a player in the top six scorers, but Watford, Everton and Leicester do, the latter two.

A season for striking surprises, but can it stay that way?