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The Premier League has always been home to some of the finest strikers on the planet. Players like Thierry Henry, Wayne Rooney, Michael Owen, Alan Shearer, Robin Van Persie, Dimitar Berbatov, Fernando Torres and Didier Drogba are just a few of the names that have lit up the English top-flight over the past two decades.
Having a prolific goalscorer leading the line is essential for a football team that's looking to mount a challenge on all fronts. A striker who can sniff out opportunities and knows exactly where to be at to maximize chances can be the difference in tight situations.
Premier League has quite a few prolific goalscorers
The English Premier League continues to house some of the finest striking talents in the world. Tottenham Hotspur marksman Harry Kane won the Golden Boot in the 2020-21 season with 23 goals to his name. If you go by the numbers, you will see that the 2020-21 campaign wasn't much of a striker's season.
Without further ado, let's take a look at the five favourites to win the Premier League Golden boot in the 2021-22 season.
#5 Timo Werner (Chelsea)
Timo Werner's inclusion could be baffling to many as he was the farthest thing from a prolific striker in his debut Premier League campaign with Chelsea. In fact, the Stamford Bridge outfit might have sealed Champions League qualification more comfortably had Werner not been so casual in front of goal.
The 25-year-old scored just six goals in 35 Premier League appearances for the Blues in the 2020-21 season. But he wasn't a flop signing as he was also able to conjure up 12 assists. Werner's link-up play is excellent but he just hasn't looked sharp in front of goal.
However, it's interesting to note that it wasn't very far back that Werner was among the top goalscorers in Europe. In the 2019-20 season, he had scored 34 goals and provided 13 assists in 45 matches across all competitions for RB Leipzig.
His playmaking was good even then but his goalscoring rate has plummeted. Now that he has settled down and had a great season at team level with Chelsea, he might be a much improved player in the upcoming season.
A much improved Werner will score plenty of goals and there will be no shortage of quality service around him.
#4 Jamie Vardy (Leicester City)
Jamie Vardy is yet another Premier League striker who had a bit of an underwhelming 2020-21 season by his own standards. It didn't look like Vardy had lost a yard of pace but something was just not working for him last term. He still managed a decent haul of 15 goals and nine assists from 34 appearances for Leicester City.
The Foxes have added midfielder Boubakary Soumare and striker Patson Daka to their lineup. Vardy is 34-years-old but he definitely has it in him to be a prolific goalscorer for Brendan Rodgers' men for at least a couple more seasons.
#3 Edinson Cavani (Manchester United)
When Edinson Cavani was roped in by Manchester United in the summer of 2020, detractors were quick to file it as a panic buy. However, the Uruguayan striker silenced his critics and became a vital part of the squad by the closing stages of the season.
Having a proven number 9 leading his line has done wonders for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side. Luke Shaw, Bruno Fernandes, Paul Pogba and Aaron Wan-Bissaka are all good at delivering balls into the box and Cavani is brilliant in the air.
He signed a one-year extension amid huge fanfare and will be trusted to lead the line for the Red Devils in the 2021-22 season. The 34-year-old scored 10 goals from 26 Premier League appearances last term but only 13 of those were starts.
If Cavani remains fit for the duration of the season, then he will be among the contenders for the Golden Boot because quality like that just cannot be denied.
#2 Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
Mohamed Salah has been one of the most enterprising attackers in the Premier League since joining Liverpool in the summer of 2017. It marked the beginning of his second spell in the English top flight. Salah celebrated his return by breaking the Premier League goalscoring record for a 38-game season, with 32 goals
He has won the Premier League Golden Boot twice in the last four seasons. He finished second in the Golden Boot race last term, scoring 22 goals in 37 appearances for Liverpool.
The 29-year-old is brilliant at finding space and getting shots away from inside tight spaces. It will serve him and Liverpool well in the upcoming season, particularly because neither Roberto Firmino nor Sadio Mane have been in great goalscoring form.
#1 Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur)
Harry Kane is one of the best strikers of his generation and Tottenham Hotspur are lucky to have him in his prime. Kane, who turns 28 on the 28th of July, is operating at the peak of his powers and is one of the most well-rounded attackers in the Premier League.
He won the Golden Boot and the Playmaker Award in the 2020-21 season after scoring 23 goals and providing 14 assists in 35 appearances. He scored four goals at the recently concluded Euro 2020 and was one of England's standout performers in the knockout stages of the tournament.
Kane is yet to win a major trophy in his career and he will be hungry to win in the 2021-22 season.
