The Premier League is almost back, which means most of you will be preparing your predictions for the new season.
Other than winning the title outright, the Golden Boot is a hotly-contested battle, albeit no striker was able to stop Erling Haaland collecting his second in as many seasons in the campaign just gone.
Can anyone stop the Manchester City star collecting his third in 2024-25? Here is a list of his biggest threats for top goalscorer.
All odds are from Bet365 and were correct at the time of writing on Monday, August 5.
📰 Table Of Contents
Erling Haaland (4/6)
The only logical place to start is with the man everyone is trying to eclipse as Haaland goes for his third in three seasons.
Though injuries prevented him matching his stunning first-season tally of 36, the 24-year-old still found the net 27 times – five more than his nearest challenger.
With the chances set to continue to flow in Pep Guardiola’s side, it is no surprise to see him listed as the odds on favourite across the board of bookmakers.
An Erling Haaland hat-trick helped Man City to a 4-2 victory over Chelsea in pre-season 🤖
What will the scoreline be when the two sides meet on the opening weekend of the season? 👀 pic.twitter.com/eLN84vjLkS
— Premier League (@premierleague) August 4, 2024
Mohamed Salah (10/1)
Mohamed Salah’s 2024-25 season was his lowest ever in terms of scoring for Liverpool – but the Egyptian still finished up with a tally most strikers would be delighted with, managing 18 goals
The Reds are entering a new era under Arne Slot following Jurgen Klopp’s departure but the 32-year-old should remain as important a player under the Dutchman as he was in the previous regime.
With a remarkable consistency to challenge the 20+ goals a season barrier, he remains one of the best alternatives to Haaland to consider.
Ollie Watkins (16/1)
Ollie Watkins enjoyed a season to remember, scoring 19 goals to fire Aston Villa into the Champions League before making himself a national hero with England at Euro 2024.
His last-minute goal to send the Three Lions to the final against the Netherlands will only increase the attention on the Villa star, who continues to go from strength to strength under Unai Emery.
With Watkins still the main man up top, the 28-year-old will need to continue producing the goods if Villa are to continue their rise under their Spanish boss.
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Alexander Isak (16/1)
Isak scored a Premier League goal every 108 minutes for Newcastle last term, a record bettered only by Haaland.
It took the Swedish striker to third in the goalscoring charts with 21 goals – a huge improvement on his first season with the Magpies which returned 10 strikes.
Expect more improvement from the popular 24-year-old as the Geordies prepare for another assault on the Premier League’s elite.
Cole Palmer (20/1)
Twelve months ago, not many would have expected Cole Palmer to play as many Premier League minutes as he did, let alone score 22 goals.
The England forward’s move to Chelsea from the Manchester City fringes proved a masterstroke and he is now regarded as one of the Premier League’s finest attacking players.
It is hard to predict how the Blues will fare after another eventful summer, but new manager Enzo Maresca would be foolish not to make Palmer his main man going forward.
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Best of the rest
Dominic Solanke (33/1) and Ivan Toney (20/1) are poised for productive campaigns and their prospects of the Golden Boot would only increase if they secure big moves this summer.
Last season’s Player of the Year with 19 goals Phil Foden (40/1) is priced well, as is 2021-22 winner Heung-min Son (33/1).
Christopher Nkunku has enjoyed a productive pre-season for Chelsea and could be worth a punt at 50/1 after his injury-hit first campaign in West London.
Prediction
Last season’s race was perhaps closer than the final tallies suggest and the names mentioned should all run Haaland close this season.
A late season flurry saw him take the award again last season and it would be surprise not to see him claim the award if he stays fit.
If you’re feeling daring and want to back an alternative, Isak and Watkins look well priced at 16/1.
