England’s top soccer division, the Premier League, is widely hailed as the best league in the world. It offers nail-biting tactical battles, an abundance of drama, and sensational goals all year round. With a new Premier League season just around the corner, everyone is eager to see how the league’s superstars fare, and just how action-packed they are able to make it.
Last season, Manchester City’s goal machine Erling Haaland took the league by storm and bagged the Golden Boot. This time, challengers would be eager to make the race more interesting and pipe the Norwegian to the prestigious accolade. On that note, let’s take a quick look at the top five early contenders for the Golden Boot Award in the 2023-24 Premier League season:
#5 Ivan Toney – Brentford FC
Brentford FC were one of the surprise packages of the 2022-23 Premier League season. Claiming 59 points from 38 league games, the Bees finished in 9th place in the standings, missing out on UEFA Europa League qualification by a mere three points.
It was undoubtedly a collective effort by the team, but it would be unfair not to give a special shoutout to Brentford’s talisman Ivan Toney. Playing 33 Premier League matches, Toney bagged a whopping 20 goals and claimed four assists. He ended the 2022-23 campaign as the league’s third-leading scorer.
Toney will not be able to play until January 2024 after being banned by the FA for breaching betting rules. So, he will have to play catch up with his peers to have a shot at claiming the Premier League Golden Boot at the end of the 2023-24 season.
#4 Marcus Rashford – Manchester United
Manchester United academy graduate Marcus Rashford enjoyed his best-ever Premier League campaign last season. Following Cristiano Ronaldo’s controversial exit in November, the Englishman unabashedly emerged as his team’s talisman, scoring goals left, right, and center. In 35 Premier League appearances, Rashford scored 17 goals. He also showcased his creativity by claiming five assists over the course of the league campaign.
The 25-year-old was very effective in cup competitions as well, netting 13 goals and providing six assists in 21 appearances across the FA Cup, the Carabao Cup, and the UEFA Europa League.
#3 Mohamed Salah – Liverpool
Liverpool ace Mohamed Salah had a sub-par 2022-23 Premier League campaign by his lofty standards. The Egypt international was not as clinical in front of goal and ended the season with 19 goals in 38 appearances, with two of his strikes coming from the spot. He, however, made up for the lack of goals with his creativity, claiming as many as 12 assists over the course of the campaign.
Jurgen Klopp will need three-time Golden Boot winner Salah at his ruthless best in the 2023-24 campaign, as they simply cannot afford to be without UEFA Champions League football for another season.
#2 Harry Kane – Tottenham Hotspur
The only striker with a realistic chance of surpassing Alan Shearer as the Premier League’s all-time record scorer (260 goals), Harry Kane (213 goals) will aim for his fourth Golden Boot in the 2023-24 season.
The Englishman was sublime in the 2022-23 season, netting 30 times in 38 games. But he was ultimately beaten to the punch by Manchester City ace Erling Haaland. With a bit of luck on his side, he should fancy himself returning to the podium at the end of the upcoming campaign.
#1 Erling Haaland – Manchester City
Valued at $197.78 million by Transfermarkt, Manchester City superstar Erling Haaland is the most valuable player in the Premier League, and deservedly so. The 22-year-old turned the league upside down in his debut season, giving a masterclass in goalscoring. He claimed the 2022-23 Golden Boot after scoring a whopping 36 goals in 35 appearances, breaking the record for scoring the most goals in a single Premier League campaign (38-game format).
Haaland, who also provided eight assists last term, was rendered ineffective in Manchester City’s FA Community Shield defeat to Arsenal on Sunday (August 6). It will be interesting to see how he recovers from the setback when the 2023-24 Premier League campaign gets underway next weekend.
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