Ten players fighting to be top scorer this season.
10. Daniel Sturridge (Liverpool)
An excellent January signing by Brendan Rodgers, Daniel Sturridge looks to finally be finding his best form in a Liverpool shirt. The 23-year-old was never truly given a chance to play in his best position as a striker at Chelsea, leading to some inconsistent displays out wide, but he is showing lethal form in front of goal at the moment. With two match-winning goals in Liverpool’s opening two games this season, he now has 13 in 18 appearances for the Reds. His manager has tipped him for big things this season, and if he keeps up this kind of form he’ll certainly be up there as one of the top scorers by the end of the year, and Liverpool fans will be hoping this coincides with an improved title challenge and a place in the top four.
9. Michu (Swansea City)
Michu is yet to get off the mark in the Premier League this season, but it would be difficult to write him off as a serious Golden Boot contender after his fantastic performances last season. Arriving as a relatively unknown quantity from Rayo Vallecano for just £2million, the Spaniard went on to score 18 times in the Premier League. His form dipped towards the end of the campaign as Swansea arguably lost their way a bit following something of a post-Capital One Cup hangover, but if he can maintain his prolific form more consistently this year, there’s no reason he can’t surpass 20 league goals, which would give him a real chance of finishing as the country’s top scorer, as the average required to win the Golden Boot since the start of the Premier League is 24.35.
8. Alvaro Negredo (Manchester City)
Manchester City’s summer signing from Sevilla has always been prolific in Spain, but can he take that lethal touch in front of goal to England? He never won the Spanish equivalent – the ‘Pichichi’ Trophy, but in fairness he has had the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to contend with for that. The 28-year-old recorded his career-best tally for league goals last season with 25, which would likely be enough to win the Golden Boot in the Premier League. However, with intense competition for places upfront for City, it is unclear whether Negredo will truly get the opportunities he deserves to find the back of the net on a regular basis, though that is perhaps equally true for his team-mates. He’s made a start though, scoring his first goal for the club in a shock 3-2 defeat to Cardiff City on Sunday.
7. Christian Benteke (Aston Villa)
With three goals in three appearances already, Christian Benteke is determined to show that he was not a ‘one-season-wonder’ in the Premier League. The bulky Belgian managed 19 strikes last season, helping Villa avoid relegation. He will be hoping for an improvement this year, as Villa look better-equipped to compete for a top-half finish, and with improved service one can only imagine the damage Benteke could do. Capable of scoring poacher’s tap-ins, headers or even the occasional superb solo effort, there’s no doubting he is one of the country’s top strikers, but will the numbers reflect that at the end of the year?
6. Olivier Giroud (Arsenal)
After a satisfactory first season with Arsenal, Olivier Giroud already looks like being much better this time around. The 26-year-old was the joint winner of Ligue 1’s top scorer award in 2011/12 with 21 goals that fired his old side Montpellier to the title, before netting 11 goals in the Premier League for the Gunners the following year. With two goals in two games so far this season, the Frenchman looks a more confident player in front of goal, and has made himself the undisputed first choice for Arsene Wenger upfront, meaning there is plenty of potential for him to keep going and become one of the best strikers in the league. With the kind of service on hand at Arsenal, he shouldn’t have trouble getting opportunities, and if he continues to take them then he can be the first French player to win the award since Chelsea’s Nicolas Anelka in 2008/09.
5. Roberto Soldado (Tottenham)
The summer signing from Valencia is another player who, like Negredo, has never been fairly awarded for his fine goal-scoring exploits in La Liga. With Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo taking their goal tallies into the 40s and 50s, Soldado’s highly impressive record of 34, 32, and 35 in the last three seasons have not seen him land the Spanish ‘Pichichi’ Trophy. However, numbers like that in the Premier League could see him come away with the Golden Boot, which would make him the first Spaniard to win it, as well as the first Spurs player since Teddy Sherringham to do so in the Premier League era. Soldado already has two goals in his first two league games, both from the penalty spot, and should have plenty more chances to find the back of the net in this ever-improving Spurs side. With manager Andre Villas-Boas still reportedly plotting to bring in the likes of Erik Lamela and Hulk, maybe new contenders could still emerge from this impressive squad?
4. Wayne Rooney (Manchester United/Chelsea)
Somewhat surprisingly, Wayne Rooney has never won the Golden Boot in his great Premier League career, though he came a very close in both 2009/10 and 2011/12, which saw his best tallies of 26 and 27 league goals, respectively, though he lost out first to Chelsea’s Didier Drogba and then to Arsenal’s Robin van Persie, who of course is also the current holder of the award having won it again with Manchester United the following year.
How well Rooney does this year will depend a great deal on what happens with a potential move to Chelsea. The 27-year-old was not really used as the main striker for Manchester United last season, which has caused him to hand in a transfer request at Old Trafford. Chelsea have been very public in their pursuit of the England international and could give him the time upfront that he desires, in a side that arguably look like favourites for the title this season. It would not be surprising to see Rooney find some improved form in a Chelsea shirt, with some highly productive creative midfielders behind him and the added motivation of Jose Mourinho, who is known for reviving players’ careers. If he stays at United, however, it is unclear how often he will play and how much of an impact he will make, though you can never write him off.
3. Luis Suarez (Liverpool)
Luis Suarez is at a slight disadvantage in the chase for the Golden Boot, as his suspension carrying on from last year after his bite on Branislav Ivanovic means he will miss the first six games of the season. His electrifying form last season could have seen him pip Rovin van Persie to the award as well, but again his suspension meant he missed the final few games of the season. Suarez finished second behind van Persie last season with 23 goals, but he can perhaps take some heart in the fact that players have previously managed to win the award despite only playing 32 games or less. Michael Owen (a joint-winner in the 1998/99 season) managed a league-high 18 goals in only 30 games, and most recently Carlos Tevez was a joint-winner in 2010/11 with 20 goals in 31 games. Suarez’s superb talent surely means he can recover from this slow start and show himself to be one of the stars of the Premier League again, though he would be wise to avoid more needless disciplinary problems and suspensions.
2. Sergio Aguero (Manchester City)
Despite his great reputation, Sergio Aguero has only scored over 20 league goals twice in his career. Admittedly, he was highly impressive in his first season in the Premier League with 23 goals to fire Manchester City to the title, and injuries held him back somewhat last season as he only managed 12 in the league. Still, with his excellent composure and finishing technique, Aguero will certainly be a danger this season in a Manchester City side that should become even more attack-minded under new manager Manuel Pellegrini. The Argentine scored a well-taken goal in his side’s opening 4-0 win over Newcastle, and could benefit from the service of new midfielders Fernandinho and Jesus Navas, though there will be more competition upfront this season from other new signings Alvaro Negredo and Stevan Jovetic, with Negredo in particular looking like an out-and-out goal poacher to directly rival Aguero for a place in the team.
1. Robin van Persie (Manchester United)
The current holder of the Golden Boot award for two seaons in a row, Robin van Persie will have to be the favourite for the award again this season. The clinical Dutchman has already scored two goals in just one game, with an excellent brace in Manchester United’s 4-1 opening day win against Swansea. Only two other players have won the award three times in a row in Premier League history: Alan Shearer between 1994 and 1997 with Blackburn and Newcastle; and Thierry Henry between 2003 and 2006 with Arsenal. These are also the only two players to have ever won it more than twice, so van Persie would be joining a very elite club and establishing himself as one of the country’s best ever strikers if he can manage it this season. With 26 last year to fire United to the title, and 30 the year before for Arsenal, van Persie has shown that he can score from almost any angle or distance, and it would be a joy to watch him once again put teams to the sword this season.