The Premier League returns to action next week, as Man United host Leicester City on Friday evening. We look at some of the contenders for this year’s Premier League Golden Boot award. Thierry Henry holds the record for most Golden Boots won (4), followed by Alan Shearer (3), whilst Harry Kane at just 25 has already won the award twice.
Mohamed Salah
2017/18 Premier League Apps – 36 / Gls – 32
Last season, Salah’s 32 goals broke the benchmark for a 38-game season, which was set at 31 by Alan Shearer, Luis Suárez and Cristiano Ronaldo. Will he be able to replicate his form and reclaim the Golden Boot? The Egyptian King has always had a penchant for scoring goals from the wing, scoring better than one in every three games in his first two years in Italy, before upping it to just under a goal every other game in his last season in Rome.
With Jürgen Klopp’s offensive high-press style of football, Liverpool had the second most potent attack in the Premier League last season. So even if Salah can’t reach the heights of last season, he is likely to be one of the front-runners for the Golden Boot again this year.
Harry Kane
2017/18 Premier League Apps – 37 / Gls – 30
The England captain is fresh off a World Cup, which saw him win the Golden Boot. In the past four years, Kane’s league goal scoring record has improved each season: 21 in 2014/15, 25 in 2015/16, 29 in 2016/17, and 30 last year. The 2015/16 and 2016/17 Premier League Golden Boot winner was successful in all of his four penalties taken in Russia, and will be able to bump up his tally from 12 yards.
Sergio Agüero
2017/18 Premier League Apps – 25 / Gls – 21
The 2014/15 Premier League Golden Boot winner is arguably the best finisher in England, who plays for the most prolific goal scoring team. However, having missed 85 days of last season due to injuries, the 30-year-old Argentine will need to remain fit if he is to compete for the Golden Boot. Also, Pep Guardiola has shown that he is willing to play youngster Gabriel Jesus ahead of Agüero on occasion, so the deadly striker may not be guaranteed to start every game.
Jamie Vardy
2017/18 Premier League Apps – 37 / Gls – 20
The Leicester City striker will have his work cut out, to be amongst the contenders for the Golden Boot. The Foxes have lost their most creative player in Riyad Mahrez and were only the seventh top scorers in the division last year. Vardy has led the line valiantly during his time at the King Power, but is likely struggle to match his output from last season without his Algerian supply line .
Romelu Lukaku
2017/18 Premier League Apps – 34 / Gls – 16
The Belgian forward had his most prolific season last year, managing to find the back of the net 27 times across all competitions. However, he scored one goal less the previous year, despite playing 12 fewer games. With only 16 goals arriving in the league last year, and his place assured up top as Manchester United’s main man, expect Lukaku to vastly increase his numbers this season. Whether that will be enough to challenge for the Golden Boot or not remains to be seen.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
2017/18 Premier League Apps – 13 / Gls – 10
Up until last season, Aubameyang’s output in front of goal had increased each season during his time at Borussia Dortmund, culminating in him finishing the 2016–17 season as the Bundesliga’s top scorer with 31 goals in 32 games.
Last year his season was disrupted with a £56m deadline day deal to Arsenal, but he still managed to score 21 goals in all competitions in Germany, before scoring 10 league goals in 13 appearances for Arsenal. The Gabon striker is a natural goal scorer, and under the new wave of optimism at the Emirates is likely to be challenging for the Premier League’s Golden Boot.
