Premier League top scorer 2021-22: Contenders to win Golden Boot
FT Desk
- Updated: 8 Aug 2021 15:54 BST
- 4 min read
Harry Kane won the Premier League Golden Boot last season, edging out Mohamed Salah after a back-and-forth battle that lasted most of the campaign.
The Tottenham striker scored 23 times in 35 league matches to finish one clear of Salah at the top of the goalscoring charts.
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Manchester United star Bruno Fernandes had also been in the mix for much of 2020/21 until falling away in the closing stages.
It was Kane’s third win in the award given to the top scorer in England’s top flight, matching the total of Alan Shearer.
Only Thierry Henry (four wins) has triumphed on more occasions than Kane, so will 2021/22 see the England captain be able to equal that total?
Kane the man to beat
Kane faces an uncertain future, with Manchester City pursuing him and Spurs holding out for a huge fee that could scupper the move.
But wherever he ends up playing, the striker figures to be the man to beat – with a move to City, who boast creative talents like Kevin De Bruyne and Jack Grealish, potentially offering him even more scoring opportunities.
Kane has scored at least 17 goals in each of the last seven seasons and went over 20 in five of those, so will almost certainly be there or thereabouts if he stays fit.
Bookmakers agree with Kane currently rated as the favourite with odds at around 3/1.
Main challengers
Two-time winner Salah is rated next at around 4/1 in the odds, having pushed Kane all the way last year despite Liverpool having a disappointing season.
He netted 22 times last season and has 95 goals in four Premier League seasons since returning to England in 2017.
While he does not feature in the odds yet with his reported £97.5 million move to Chelsea yet to be finalised, Romelu Lukaku will be rated among the favourites if he does indeed return to Stamford Bridge.
Somewhat surprisingly, Lukaku has never won the Golden Boot but he has 113 goals in a prolific Premier League career that saw him represent Chelsea, West Brom, Everton and Man Utd.
And Lukaku arrives in form after 47 Serie A goals in two seasons for Inter.
Other Golden Boot candidates
Prior to Lukaku’s move, it looked like Timo Werner (16-1) would be the main scoring threat for Chelsea.
He will expect to bounce back after a mixed first season that saw his finishing prowess desert him, having previously been prolific for RB Leipzig, scoring 28 league goals in 2019/20.
Arsenal’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (25-1) is another player looking to bounce back after a quiet campaign in front of goal, while Salah’s team-mates Diogo Jota and Sadio Mane could be in the mix.
Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus are the other Man City threats, as Fernandes and Edinson Cavani look like Man Utd’s most likely candidates.
Ollie Watkins and new signing Danny Ings may look to profit from a creative Aston Villa side who have spent well to replace Grealish.
Patrick Bamford and Dominic Calvert-Lewin represent the best hopes for Leeds and Everton respectively, while Jamie Vardy took the honour for Leicester in 2019/20.
Read more about: Premier League, Arsenal, Chelsea, Leicester, Man City, Man Utd, Tottenham, Tottenham, Bruno Fernandes, Danny Ings, Diogo Jota, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Edinson Cavani, Gabriel, Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Magalhaes, Harry Kane, Jack Grealish, Jamie Vardy , Kevin De Bruyne, Mohamed Salah, Ollie Watkins, P. Bamford, Patricio Gabarron, Patrick, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Raheem Sterling, Romelu Lukaku, Sadio Mané, Timo Werner
