The new Premier League season is nearly upon us and, ahead of Friday’s kick-off, we look at the contenders for the Golden Boot. Mo Salah took home the award last season with a record-breaking tally of 32 goals, but can he repeat the feat?
Harry Kane (Tottenham)
Kane was denied a third consecutive Golden Boot last season after he finished as leading scorer in 2015/16 and 16/17. Circumstances were harsh on the Spurs striker, whose output of 30 goals was actually his highest yet; remarkably, his goal count has actually increased every season. He became only the second Englishman to be top scorer at a World Cup following his exploits in Russia, and odds of 3.50 are available on the 25-year-old winning his third Premier League Golden Boot.
Mo Salah (Liverpool)
The Egyptian King confounded expectations at Anfield last season as he finished his maiden season at Liverpool with 32 league goals, the highest ever tally for a 38-game season. He did not even begin the season as the Reds’ centre forward, and the numbers reflect not only his prolificacy but also the variety of goals he netted in 2017/18. Injury hampered his World Cup campaign, but he still managed to find the net in each of his two appearances for the Pharaohs prior to their elimination. He has been amongst the goals in pre-season and, with Liverpool’s summer signings set to make them even stronger, backing Salah to top the charts again at odds of 6.00 could be a smart bet.
Sergio Aguero (Manchester City)
Manchester City’s all-time leading goal scorer reached his second century for the Citizens with a brace against Chelsea in the Community Shield. The Argentinian now has 201 goals in 292 appearances for the current champions and, since he joined in 2011, he has been City’s top scorer in all competitions in every season. Considering that he is starting for an attacking team that are favourites for the title, Aguero is likely to be the bane of goalkeepers across England this season. Back him to be top scorer at odds of 7.25.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Arsenal)
There has been a major upheaval at the Emirates over the past 12 months as the players and coaching staff have almost entirely changed since the end of the 2016/17 campaign. Fortunately for the Gunners, their record signing hit the ground running in February and finished the season with ten goals in 14 appearances across all competitions. The Gabon forward was top scorer in the Bundesliga in his final full season with 31 goals and has scored four times in five summer friendlies (although three came against Boreham Wood). Aubameyang is priced at odds of 7.25 to take home the award in his first full season.
Romelu Lukaku (Manchester United)
The Belgium striker only managed 16 league goals in his first season at Old Trafford, but it is worth noting that he found the net 11 times in his first ten games in all competitions. He also racked up 25 league goals in his final season at Everton, when he finished runner-up to Kane in the charts, while he was fourth in the standings in 2015/16. He will certainly be the focal point of Manchester United’s attack yet again this season and, having had a year to settle, could be a good choice for top scorer at odds of 9.00.