These past 2½ months have gone by swiftly and Premier League action is finally back today with BetKing offering high odds on ALL online sports betting markets. The 2023/24 season is upon us and the main actors from last season are raring to go again. But beyond the Erling Haalands and Kevin DeBruynes of this world, there is another group of potential superstars and players who we expect to make a MASSIVE jump this season hiding in plain sight.
Harry Kane was the player with the best [goal-to-xG ratio last season](https://www.premierleague.com/news/3533343), scoring 30 goals from 21.46 xG, overperforming his expected goals by 8.54 but the English striker is hardly a breakout star. With reports of him agreeing to move to Bundesliga giants, Bayern Munich filtering out, it just might be time to sell your Harry Kane stocks since he’s on his way out anyway, and invest them into a new set of emerging superstars. **Premier League breakout stars of the 2022/23 season** Gabriel Martinelli’s 2022/2023 EPL season could be considered as a breakout year for the young Brazilian forward. He scored 15 goals from an xG of just 9.13. The young Brazilian had scored 11 goals in his three previous seasons at Arsenal. Leicester City’s Harvey Barnes also stood out in a relegation campaign for the Foxes with 13 Premier League goals from 8.94 xG, more than doubling his six-goal tally from the previous season. The same goes for Rodrigo, the Leeds United striker who contributed 13 goals from 8.12 xG as his team got relegated, particularly impressive as he had scored 13 goals in his two previous seasons combined. However, these players pale in comparison to some of the breakout stars of previous Premier League seasons. **The biggest breakout stars in Premier League history** **Andy Johnson** : Nobody saw Andy Johnson coming in the 2004/05 season as the Englishman took the league by storm. The then-21-year-old led the Crystal Palace attack with 21 goals in a season where Crystal Palace got relegated. Only Thierry Henry scored more Premier League goals that season. **Roque Santa Cruz** : After enduring an unspectacular spell with Bayern Munich, Roque Santa Cruz joined Blackburn in 2007 and banged home 19 goals in 37 Premier League games in his debut season. Only Cristiano Ronaldo, Fernando Torres and Emmanuel Adebayor scored more goals than Santa Cruz in the 2007/08 Premier League season. **Michu** : A 26-year-old attacking midfielder joining Swansea from Rayo Vallecano in the summer of 2012 was not expected to send shock waves through the league, but Michu took the Premier League (and the FPL) by storm. He played as either an attacking midfielder or a centre forward and scored 18 league goals, behind only Robin Van Persie, Luis Suarez, Gareth Bale and Christian Benteke that season.
**The potential breakout stars of 2023/24** So, who do we see as breakout stars this season? We have three favorites: **Alexander Isak** : Newcastle paid €70 million to sign Isak from Real Sociedad in the summer of 2022 and the Swedish striker scored 10 goals in 22 games. He now has a chance to follow his impressive, but injury-laden debut season with an even better campaign as a breakout star this season. The 23-year-old is the focal point for Eddie Howe’s Newcastle team who finished fourth in an impressive 2022/23 campaign and is on course to be the Magpies’ top scorer this season if he can hold off Callum Wilson who is competing for a slot upfront along with him.
**Bukayo Saka** : Arsenal’s superstar winger Bukayo Saka is already one of the best players in the league, but this could be the season he announces himself as one of the top three wingers in world football. The Englishman played all 38 Premier League games for Arsenal last season, scoring 14 goals and providing 11 assists. However, he has the potential and ability to reach Mohamed Salah-levels of consistency with even more goals and assists, which in turn can help you cash out with timely bets on the young Englishman. Enjoy a wide array of bets on Bukayo Saka with [Bukayo Saka Specials](https://m.betking.com/sports/football/leagues/special/bukayo-saka-specials). **Kai Havertz** : Saka’s new Arsenal teammate Kai Havertz could also be in for a potentially big season after joining from rival club, Chelsea. The German endured three underwhelming years in West London in which he scored, four, eight and seven league goals in each of his three Premier League seasons at Stamford Bridge. Still only 24 years old, Havertz has plenty of time to live up to the hype and the switch to Arsenal presents him the right platform and scenery to do just that. A double-digit goalscoring campaign in the league would count as success for Havertz and is entirely possible because the German international is versatile enough to occupy many different roles within the team. His positional ambiguity could also be a plus for Fantasy Premier League managers, Havertz is still listed as a midfielder but would most likely play as a striker for Arsenal this season with more opportunities to score, assist and earn points.
**Darwin Nunez** : Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez endured a poor debut campaign at the club with nine goals in 29 league games. His poor debut season could be attributed to several reasons and the fact that the Reds missed out on the top four last season suggests that it was a general problem. Now with Liverpool’s midfield rejigged and the team stacked up with new talent, Nunez could be on course for a big season in English football. When he first arrived in the English Premier League, he earned comparisons to Erling Haaland but ultimately, underwhelmed as Haaland went on to break record and lead City to a treble. This could be the season the player who was meant to go head-to-head with Haaland for the Golden Boot emerges. [Bet on Darwin Nunez to score at anytime against Liverpool](https://m.betking.com/sports/events/special/football/england-premier-league/chelsea-fc-liverpool-fc) If you’re interested in more of these player specials bets for the upcoming 2023/24 season, [register](https://m.betking.com/account/registration), check out [BetKing’s outrights market](https://m.betking.com/sports/events/outright/football/england/premier-league) and dive into the numerous online sports betting options to bet on including the top scorer, PFA Winner, Golden Glove winner and many more.