Our picks

The Golden Boot: the runners still in contention for the prestigious award this season

As the Premier League run-in descends with less than ten fixtures remaining, one of its most iconic prizes still remains wide open. Unlike the league itself, which Manchester City are already on the verge of wrapping up and popping in the trophy cabinet, the Golden Boot has no clear front-runner. Three competitors have reared their heads above the rest, roaring out their own claims to best goalscorer, but none seem placed to win outright.

Mohamed Salah currently has the highest number of goals in the Premier League, with 17 to his name. He sits at the top of the table as we approach the end of the season, although he is unlikely to emulate his abnormal feat of 32 goals in the 2017-2018 season. The Egyptian’s credentials are formidable, and he is clearly the favourite to win.

But his strong start in this race has faltered off rather spectacularly after scoring thirteen in his initial fourteen games. Tidings seem grim for Salah, as the Egyptian has failed to score at all in his last five and only has four in his previous fifteen. If he wishes to retain the top spot he has held for nearly all of the season, he needs to find goal-scoring form fast – or risk losing out to hungry competitors.

There are two players just one goal behind Salah, as both Bruno Fernandes and Harry Kane sit on 16 goals apiece. Fernandes has better recent consistency, with 5 goals in his last 8, but Kane’s form in all competitions seems to be ramping up as the English striker has scored four goals in his last three games. If either Kane or Fernandes wants to mount a late golden-boot challenge, they need to push forward with a charge of goals soon.

But what of the other contenders? Two goals behind Kane and Fernandes sits Dominic Calvert-Lewin on a healthy tally of fourteen– but his form is also falling off, having scored a meagre three goals in his last fourteen games. With this same amount needed to even catch up with Salah, DCL seems unlikely to be a contender for the final race. Then comes Patrick Bamford and Son-Heung Min, both on 13, though neither player holds up to scrutiny. Bamford is not ruthless enough to match the front-runners’ numbers, while Son’s hamstring injury against Arsenal could derail his chances altogether.

One sly contender slowly making their way up the ranks is Manchester City’s Ilkay Gundogan. Flying above any of Guardiola’s wingers or strikers, Gundogan has propelled himself up the golden-boot charts in recent months with fiery goal-scoring form and two player of the month awards. A case could certainly be made for his contest, although he still has ground to make up.

The one, final player who might pose a threat is last year’s winner: Jamie Vardy. Vardy had a superb start, as Salah did, but has long fallen away from his goal-scoring form. In fact, he has scored just one goal in his last twelve. He sits on twelve goals with lots of work to do, but a fantastic performance against Sheffield United, coupled with manager Rodgers’ comments that he has looked back to his best in training, suggests that a late challenge could be on the horizon.

All eyes lie on the fox-in-the-box to see if he will climb up the ranks and contest the goalscorers he beat to the chase last year.

90MAAT News Now

Premier League Table

90MAAT Social Media

ScoopDragon Football News Network

Search The Site