Premier League
Premier League Golden Boot race
All manner of awards are still yet to be decided as the 2023/24 Premier League season approaches its climax.
Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool are still tussling it out for the main prize, but individual gongs such as the Player of the Year and Top Goalscorer awards are still very much up for grabs.
We dissect the favourites for the Golden Boot below.
Erling Haaland (20) – 8/13
Many would have expected Norwegian striker Erling Haaland to run away with the Golden Boot again this year after netting a record-breaking 36 goals in 35 games in his first season in the Premier League last year. However, Haaland hasn’t always been at his fluent best this campaign and now faces a late fight to retain the top goalscorer award.
Haaland’s 20 league goals at the time of writing is nonetheless a commendable effort and his odds of 8/13 suggest he’s still the narrow favourite for the award, but he’ll be keen to pull away from the chasing pack in the betting as the season draws to a close next month.
Cole Palmer (20) – 5/2
Cole Palmer’s remarkable rise has been one of the stories of the Premier League season, but he’s really started to put his foot on the accelerator with regards to finding the back of the net in Chelsea’s recent league games. Back-to-back hattricks at Stamford Bridge against Manchester United and Everton this month has seen the former Manchester City midfielder draw level with Erling Haaland at the top of the goalscorer charts heading into the final half-dozen games of the campaign.
Palmer technically sits at the top of the list having picked up more assists than former teammate Haaland and his odds of 5/2 suggest he’s well in the race for an unprecedented Golden Boot in his first full season as a first team player, though he’ll likely need to add to that tally between now and the end of the season.
Ollie Watkins (19) – 13/2
There were doubts last season about whether Ollie Watkins had the ability to lead the line for a Premier League club having predominantly played off the left flank or in a front two in his limited domestic career, but the 2023/24 campaign has seen the Aston Villa man transform into one of the most devastating strikers in the league.
Watkins’ 19 goals at the time of writing place him one behind Haaland and Palmer going into the final stretch and have been a huge contributor to Aston Villa’s top-four charge this year. His 12 assists are also the highest in the division in what has been an outstanding season for the England forward.
Alexander Isak (17) – 12/1
Up next on the list of top goalscorers in the Premier League is Dominic Solanke with 18, but Newcastle striker Alexander Isak finds himself next in the betting at 12/1 (with Solanke 20/1). The bookies clearly favour Isak’s chances of adding to his current tally after a notable upturn in form over the past couple of months.
The Swede has scored seven goals in his past seven games and his hot form has coincided with Newcastle’s late push for the European places. With fixtures against the likes of Sheffield United and Burnley to come, there’s every chance he can push the likes of Haaland and Palmer in the final weeks of the campaign.
