2023 EPL Golden Boot Preview
There’s Haaland…And Everyone Else
Man City’s Haaland Holds Single-Season Scoring Record
The 2022-2023 EPL Golden Boot wasn’t even a competition. In his first season in the Premier League, Erling Haaland set the single-season scoring record with 36 goals in 35 games. His goals were key in Manchester City’s third straight Premier League title. This time around, Haaland is a strong candidate once again on a stacked Man City side. Let’s look at the Premier League golden boot odds and the top contenders for the 2023-24 season.
In a League of His Own
Erling Haaland is the only player with shorter than +600 odds to win the Golden Boot in the upcoming season. His 2022-23 EPL player stats were unprecedented, and getting service from Kevin de Bruyne certainly helps his case.
Haaland also set the single-season record for most goals by an EPL player in a single season in all competitions. The big Norwegian found the net 52 times last season and was the Champions League’s top scorer.
Haaland’s 2023 EPL Golden Boot odds are currently at +110, and he figures to be an incredibly popular pick. As long as he’s healthy, Haaland will be the favorite to win the award. If not, Julian Alvarez (+4000) will be the primary beneficiary and could be an intriguing pick.
A complete striker, Haaland has pace, physicality and clinical finishing. One of the only criticisms of Haaland is that he can disappear a bit in certain big games. Still, he proved that goals aren’t the only thing he contributes. He managed to provide eight assists in the Premier League last season, and the 23-year-old should continue to add facets to his ever-expanding game.
Contenders
Harry Kane has won the English Premier League Golden Boot on three occasions. He also passed Jimmy Greaves to become Tottenham’s all-time leading scorer last season. Kane was second to Erling Haaland, with 30 EPL goals in 2022-23. However, it’s no secret that Harry Kane wants out of Tottenham, where he’s never won a trophy.
Kane has been vocal about his desire to join Bayern Munich, and the two clubs could strike a deal in the coming weeks. In the meantime, Kane displays +600 odds to win his first EPL Golden Boot since 2020-21.
Although it was a down year for Liverpool, Mohamed Salah was still one of the Premier League’s best players. He scored 19 goals as Liverpool finished in fifth place in the EPL standings.
With Liverpool adamant about returning to the top four, Salah and LFC could have a bounce-back year. The diminutive Egyptian winger sits at +700 odds to win a second Golden Boot in the last three seasons.
In the wake of Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure from Manchester United, Marcus Rashford proved he could fill the goalscoring void. In 35 matches, Rashford found the net 17 times and should be a key player for United once again. However, it is no secret that United want to bring in an out-and-out striker. In any case, Rashford should have his fair share of opportunities this season and is priced at +1600 Golden Boot odds.
Liverpool spent €75m on Darwin Nunez last Summer, and he showed flashes of his potential in his debut season. Pundits and fans alike were vocal about his need to improve his finishing. He constantly got into good positions and ranked in the 99th percentile of expected goals in Europe’s top-five leagues.
However, he underperformed expectations by .18 goals per 90 minutes. With another preseason under his belt, perhaps this will be the Uruguayan’s breakthrough season. Nunez, like Rashford, comes in at +1600 odds to win the Golden Boot.
Dark Horses
Gabriel Jesus (+2000) spent a lot of time injured last season, but his impact was clear to see when he was on the pitch for Arsenal. Before he got hurt, the Gunners were 12-1-1, and the Brazilian did manage 11 goals in 26 appearances in 2022-23. Like Darwin Nunez, he’s not a great finisher, but he constantly makes smart runs into space.
Jesus is also unselfish, which could hurt his chances of winning the Golden Boot. He makes winning plays and will often be a creator for Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka.
Heung-Min Son is just one season removed from sharing the Golden Boot with Mohamed Salah. Son scored 23 goals in 2021-22 and is the top-scoring Asian player in Premier League history. With Harry Kane potentially on his way to Germany, Son could become the main man at Tottenham and has no intention of leaving.
The 2023 EPL Golden Boot odds price Son at +2500, and he’s scored double-digit goals in each of the last seven seasons. He is returning from a sports hernia injury this Summer, though. While Son is an established and World Class player, Evan Ferguson just burst onto the scene for Brighton last season.
The Irish teenager scored six goals in 19 appearances for Brighton and is looking to hit the ground running in his first full season. Ferguson stands at +3300 odds to become the second teenager, after Michael Owen, to win the EPL Golden Boot.
Cody Gakpo, Raheem Sterling and Ollie Watkins also show +3300 odds. Of the three, Watkins had the most impressive 2022-23 season, with 15 goals.
He’s scored in double digits in each of his three seasons with Aston Villa and is a key player for Unai Emery. In crowded Liverpool and Chelsea front lines, it’s unclear how many opportunities Gakpo and Sterling will have, respectively.
Other Notable Players
We’ve already mentioned Julian Alvarez and it’s worth repeating that he’ll be a popular pick if anything happens to Erling Haaland. He shows the same +4000 odds as Newcastle’s Alexander Isak, who is looking to establish himself as a first-team mainstay this season. With Callum Wilson (+4000) in good form, Newcastle could have an interesting striker competition.
Bukayo Saka (+5000), nicknamed Starboy, has been Arsenal’s most consistent player over the last few seasons. Saka scored a career-high 14 goals in 2022-23, while teammates Gabriel Martinelli (+6600) and Martin Odegaard (+8000) led the team with 15.
One underrated option here is Aleksandr Mitrovic. Fulham’s Serbian striker led the EFL Championship in 2021-22 with 43 goals in 44 matches. He also scored 14 times in just 24 appearances last season. If he’s healthy for most of the Cottagers’ matches on the English Premier League schedule, he could put up numbers.
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