The 2017-18 Premier League campaign got underway this weekend, and there were some very interesting results. While Arsenal just about managed to win against Leicester City at the Emirates Stadium in North London, Chelsea suffered a shock defeat to Burnley at Stamford Bridge and Manchester City eased past Brighton and Hove Albion away from home at the American Express Community Stadium.
This was arguably one of the best opening weekends in the Premier League era, and there were a number of talking points. Among the topics of discussion was the race for the Golden Boot award. Of course, there is a long, long way to go this season, but it is pertinent now to look at who could become the top scorer in the Premier League this season.
Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane is the obvious top candidate. The England international is one of the best players in his positions in the world and has been superb for the past three seasons. The 24-year-old has been the top scorer in the Premier League for the past two seasons with 25 and 29 goals, and if he stays fit, then he could even go past the 30-goal mark. The Englishman had a spell on the sidelines with injury last season, while during the 2015-16 campaign he took a fair few weeks to get going. If Kane starts banging in the goals from the off, with top-class creative midfielders such as Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen around him, he could well be pushing towards 35 league goals.
Sergio Aguero will be another major candidate for the Golden Boot. The Argentina international striker was the top scorer in the Premier League in the 2014-15 season with 26 goals. The 29-year-old is arguably the best and most clinical striker in the English top flight, but the problem with him is that he is not fully fit throughout an entire season. The former Atletico Madrid star was able to make only 25 starts in the Premier League last season and 29 in 2015-16. However, given the natural scoring instinct and world-class poaching ability, it would not be a bad idea to take advantage of free bets on offer on Oddschecker and wager on him to take back the Golden Boot. With odds of 13/2 in Aguero’s favour to become the top scorer in the Premier League, a bet placed now could give huge dividends at the end of the season.
Romelu Lukaku would consider himself unlucky not to have won the Golden Boot last season. The Belgium international ended up with 25 goals for Everton, but having moved to Manchester United in the summer transfer window, he should be optimistic about getting more. With top-quality players such as Juan Mata, Paul Pogba and Henrikh Mkhitaryan behind him in midfield, the 24-year-old striker will get more chances this season. The main issue with the former Chelsea and Anderlecht striker is that he does not always play well and score goals against the top sides. That is the main area that Lukaku needs to improve this season.
Alexandre Lacazette scored on his Premier League debut for Arsenal against Leicester, and despite the Frenchman being only fifth favourite for the Golden Boot award according to bookmakers, he could win the award. The 26-year-old striker is a natural goalscorer, and if chances are created for him, then the France international will finish them. Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez are world-class players, and they will be key for Lacazette this season.
With Diego Costa’s future at Chelsea wrapped up in uncertainty, the goalscoring burden at the Premier League champions is on Alvaro Morata. Signed from Real Madrid in the summer transfer window, Morata has already made a stunning start to life at Stamford Bridge, scoring on his debut just minutes after coming on against Burnley. During his time at Juventus and Madrid, the 24-year-old was used largely as a substitute, a back-up or second striker, but, at Chelsea, he is the main man. It will be interesting to see how many goals the Spain international striker scores. While it is hard to imagine the two-time Champions League winner scoring 25 goals in the Premier League this season, the Spaniard should at least push for 20.