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The 2020/21 Premier League season has just begun and while the title race, according to the bookies at least, looks set to be between Liverpool and Manchester City once again, the battle for the Golden Boot is expected to be a more wide-open contest.
Here is a look at the five leading contenders to be the Premier League’s top scorer this season plus a few other players that could also be in the running.
Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) – 4/1
Since moving to Liverpool in the summer of 2017, Salah has been a goal machine. His first season saw the Egyptian King smash in 32 goals to comfortably win the Golden Boot, while he shared the award with teammate Sadio Mane and Arsenal’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang after scoring 22 goals in the 2018/19 campaign.
Salah finished fifth in the Golden Boot standings last season, with 19, and was instrumental in Liverpool’s record-breaking – and long-awaited – title triumph. Two major factors work in Salah’s favor in the top-scorer competition: he is rarely injured, and Jurgen Klopp’s lack of rotation means he is sure to play every game he is available for.
He has started with a bang, scoring an opening day hat-trick against Leeds United, so that should provide an early sign of things to come.
No surprise, then, that all major sports best app betting have given Salah the shortest odds for the Premier League Golden Boot.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Arsenal) – 9/2
Aubameyang’s numbers since joining Arsenal in January 2018 – and indeed throughout his career – have been remarkable. The Gabonese striker hit the ground running with 10 goals in his first 13 games, before scoring 22 in his first full season at the Gunners, earning him a share of the Golden Boot.
Last season saw him score another 22 goals, placing him second in the top-scorer standings, while also inspiring Arsenal to FA Cup glory. What’s worth considering is that Aubameyang’s consistent goalscoring output had predominantly been produced within a quite ordinary Arsenal team playing uninspiring football under Unai Emery.
However, with Mikel Arteta now in charge, the team appears to be trending in the right direction, which would suggest Aubameyang could hit even greater heights, particularly with the support of players like Willian and Nicolas Pepe, who should improve in his second year at Arsenal.
Son Heung-min (Tottenham) – 5/1
The South Korean star saw his odds slashed by the bookmakers after scoring four goals in a 5-2 win at Southampton in Tottenham’s second match.
Son is looking lethal in the early part of the season, but it is worth noting that his most prolific Premier League campaign comprised 14 goals back in 2016/17. Will he be able to maintain his level of goalscoring form throughout the current season? Given the way Tottenham are set up, his centre-forward partner is likely score more…
Harry Kane (Tottenham) – 7/1
The only other player besides Salah on this list to win the Golden Boot twice, Kane is firmly established as one of the Premier League’s leading strikers. The England captain won back-to-back Golden Boots in 2016 and 2017 with 25 and 29 goals respectively, and last season still managed to score 18 despite missing nine games of the season with injury.
Undoubtedly Tottenham’s chief attacking threat, the concern with Kane lies in his recent fitness issues – he has missed chunks in each of the last three seasons with injury – and the defensive-minded tactics of Spurs manager Jose Mourinho.
Tottenham are unlikely to be a free flowing, attacking team under Mourinho, which could limit Kane’s chances to rack up the sort of goalscoring figures he produced under Mauricio Pochettino.
However, Kane opened his account on the second matchday against Southampton, where he also produced four assists for Son Heung-min.
Timo Werner (Chelsea) – 9/1
Chelsea fans are understandably giddy with excitement over the prospect of watching Werner turn out for their club, and given the German’s career so far, it’s easy to see why.
A £50m summer signing from RB Leipzig, Werner arrives at Chelsea on the back of a 28-goal Bundesliga season and with a reputation as one of the finest talents in world football. He enters a Chelsea team that, under manager Frank Lampard, loves to attack and he is sure to be an immediate regular for the Blues.
Where the doubts lie in terms of his Golden Boot credentials are in the fact that this will be his debut season in a new league and there has been much change at Chelsea, with a number of new players arriving at the club. Will the Blues gel quick enough and can Werner instantly hit the goal trail? He certainly has the talent to do so, but regarding Golden Boot betting, it looks like a risk.
Others to consider
The players above are the five leading contenders according to the bookies but there are others that are worth a mention. Manchester City’s England forward Raheem Sterling (12/1) scored 20 league goals last season and will once again be a constant goalscoring threat; Liverpool’s Senegalese winger Sadio Mane (10/1) hit the net 18 times last season and won the Golden Boot with 22 the season before. He will also benefit from Klopp’s lack of rotation.
Then there’s Manchester United’s French striker Anthony Martial (16/1). He had his most prolific season for United in 2019/20 with 17 league goals after moving into the No 9 role, and with United looking a more complete and cohesive unit, he could emerge as a serious Golden Boot contender. Meanwhile, can the current Golden Boot holder, Jamie Vardy (12/1) be ruled out? The Leicester City striker has scored more than 20 goals in three of his five Premier League campaigns and remains his club’s main man.
Whoever ultimately wins the Golden Boot this season, it looks set to be a competitive affair among some of the best goal scorers in world football.
Here is a look at the five leading contenders to be the Premier League’s top scorer this season plus a few other players that could also be in the running.
Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) – 4/1
Since moving to Liverpool in the summer of 2017, Salah has been a goal machine. His first season saw the Egyptian King smash in 32 goals to comfortably win the Golden Boot, while he shared the award with teammate Sadio Mane and Arsenal’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang after scoring 22 goals in the 2018/19 campaign.
Salah finished fifth in the Golden Boot standings last season, with 19, and was instrumental in Liverpool’s record-breaking – and long-awaited – title triumph. Two major factors work in Salah’s favor in the top-scorer competition: he is rarely injured, and Jurgen Klopp’s lack of rotation means he is sure to play every game he is available for.
He has started with a bang, scoring an opening day hat-trick against Leeds United, so that should provide an early sign of things to come.
No surprise, then, that all major sports best app betting have given Salah the shortest odds for the Premier League Golden Boot.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Arsenal) – 9/2
Aubameyang’s numbers since joining Arsenal in January 2018 – and indeed throughout his career – have been remarkable. The Gabonese striker hit the ground running with 10 goals in his first 13 games, before scoring 22 in his first full season at the Gunners, earning him a share of the Golden Boot.
Last season saw him score another 22 goals, placing him second in the top-scorer standings, while also inspiring Arsenal to FA Cup glory. What’s worth considering is that Aubameyang’s consistent goalscoring output had predominantly been produced within a quite ordinary Arsenal team playing uninspiring football under Unai Emery.
However, with Mikel Arteta now in charge, the team appears to be trending in the right direction, which would suggest Aubameyang could hit even greater heights, particularly with the support of players like Willian and Nicolas Pepe, who should improve in his second year at Arsenal.
Son Heung-min (Tottenham) – 5/1
The South Korean star saw his odds slashed by the bookmakers after scoring four goals in a 5-2 win at Southampton in Tottenham’s second match.
Son is looking lethal in the early part of the season, but it is worth noting that his most prolific Premier League campaign comprised 14 goals back in 2016/17. Will he be able to maintain his level of goalscoring form throughout the current season? Given the way Tottenham are set up, his centre-forward partner is likely score more…
Harry Kane (Tottenham) – 7/1
The only other player besides Salah on this list to win the Golden Boot twice, Kane is firmly established as one of the Premier League’s leading strikers. The England captain won back-to-back Golden Boots in 2016 and 2017 with 25 and 29 goals respectively, and last season still managed to score 18 despite missing nine games of the season with injury.
Undoubtedly Tottenham’s chief attacking threat, the concern with Kane lies in his recent fitness issues – he has missed chunks in each of the last three seasons with injury – and the defensive-minded tactics of Spurs manager Jose Mourinho.
Tottenham are unlikely to be a free flowing, attacking team under Mourinho, which could limit Kane’s chances to rack up the sort of goalscoring figures he produced under Mauricio Pochettino.
However, Kane opened his account on the second matchday against Southampton, where he also produced four assists for Son Heung-min.
Timo Werner (Chelsea) – 9/1
Chelsea fans are understandably giddy with excitement over the prospect of watching Werner turn out for their club, and given the German’s career so far, it’s easy to see why.
A £50m summer signing from RB Leipzig, Werner arrives at Chelsea on the back of a 28-goal Bundesliga season and with a reputation as one of the finest talents in world football. He enters a Chelsea team that, under manager Frank Lampard, loves to attack and he is sure to be an immediate regular for the Blues.
Where the doubts lie in terms of his Golden Boot credentials are in the fact that this will be his debut season in a new league and there has been much change at Chelsea, with a number of new players arriving at the club. Will the Blues gel quick enough and can Werner instantly hit the goal trail? He certainly has the talent to do so, but regarding Golden Boot betting, it looks like a risk.
Others to consider
The players above are the five leading contenders according to the bookies but there are others that are worth a mention. Manchester City’s England forward Raheem Sterling (12/1) scored 20 league goals last season and will once again be a constant goalscoring threat; Liverpool’s Senegalese winger Sadio Mane (10/1) hit the net 18 times last season and won the Golden Boot with 22 the season before. He will also benefit from Klopp’s lack of rotation.
Then there’s Manchester United’s French striker Anthony Martial (16/1). He had his most prolific season for United in 2019/20 with 17 league goals after moving into the No 9 role, and with United looking a more complete and cohesive unit, he could emerge as a serious Golden Boot contender. Meanwhile, can the current Golden Boot holder, Jamie Vardy (12/1) be ruled out? The Leicester City striker has scored more than 20 goals in three of his five Premier League campaigns and remains his club’s main man.
Whoever ultimately wins the Golden Boot this season, it looks set to be a competitive affair among some of the best goal scorers in world football.