At the start of the 2017/2018 English Premier League season (EPL), Harry Kane was projected to win the golden boot award for third time in a row.
He had flawlessly won it back to back in the 2015/2016, and 2016/2017 seasons. But with the new signings by Manchester City, Liverpool, Manchester United and
Chelsea, can he lay claim to the title again?
Last season, the pursuit for the EPL trophy was basically a fight between Chelsea and Tottenham. With Diego Costa, Hazard and Pedro scoring in several games, it was only a matter of time before pundits and sports news sites realized that the Blues were definitely going to win the EPL.
But when it came to the goal scorers chart, the likes of Dele Alli, Sadio Mane, Alexis Sanchez and of course, Kane were on the matter. Their exceptional displays prompted football analysts to make predictions as to who will win the golden boot award for this season.
But this doesn’t dispute the fact that transfers are likely to affect the
said projections and lead a different result.
Early Predictions
As Romelu Lukaku got signed by Coach Jose Mourinho this season, it was expected that his new teammates will provide all the much needed assists he needs to succeed at Manchester United.
With Wayne Rooney off to Lukaku’s former club – Everton FC – and Zlatan ibrahimovich sidelined due to injury, the Belgium international was tipped for the award after scoring 25 goals last season – just behind Kane who scored a whopping 29 goals in just 30 appearances. But also projected was Alvaro Morata (signed to Chelsea) and Alexandre Lacazzete (signed to Arsenal).
Alexis Sanchez and Lacazzete had the odds of winning the highest goal scorer award at 14/1 and 10/1 respectively. But it was also expected that Aguero will give them a run for their money. The Argentine forward who plays for Manchester City won the award in the 2014/2015 season before Kane’s outstanding performance made him a potential golden boot winner. Aguero’s teammate, Gabriel Jesus, was also named as likely winner.
Diego Costa and Eden Hazard who were both amazing last season were expected to also put out a great performance this season. With Kelechi Iheanacho moving to Leicester City, bookmarkers and critics believed he would end up sharing the goal tally with Jamie Vardy and Islam Slimani.
But all these predictions seems not to be the case at moment, because out of nowhere (somewhere actually), Liverpool’s Salah has turned the table around.
Current Standings
After some weeks into the EPL, Lukaku (Manchester United), Salah and Mane (both of Liverpool) stunned everyone with beautiful goals – until Mane got sidelined due to injury. Then Aguero, Morata, and Gabriel Jesus seemed to be getting everything right. Salah’s goal tally rose to 9 at game week 14, closely followed by Kane, Lukaku, Morata, Jesus and Aguero who all share the second position with 8 goals.
Lacazzete, Vardy, Sane, Martial and Raheem Sterling all seem to be coming up fast as well.
With Manchester City putting up some superlative displays this season and scoring the highest number of goals so far, it’s expected that the highest goal scorer award is likely to go to a City player.
Sterling has 7 goals so far, while Sane and Kevin de Bruyne also have their names in the scorers sheet.
Manchester City and Manchester United habe the highest number of goals score so far this season. It’s no surprise that they are both at first and second positions respectively. With Ibrahimovich back from injury, United’s goal tally might rise again as they are amongst the contenders for the EPL trophy as well.
However, this doesn't rule out Tottenham's chances or the probability of Kane winning an award.