Top Contenders for the Premier League Golden Boot at the start of the 2019/20 season

Last season saw three players share the Premier League Golden Boot Award
Last season saw three players share the Premier League Golden Boot Award

The Premier League is back in business for the 2019/20 season and football fans all around the globe can rejoice. After a summer of reinforcements, the clubs are ready to sweat it out for the grand prize. Last time, fans were treated to a whirlpool season, as records were set, hearts were broken and history was made through the 10 months of blissful football.

The race to the 2018/19 Golden Boot was equally incredible, as Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang ended as the joint top scorers of the league after an eventful journey. This season too, the race is expected to be equally enthralling, and here at Sportskeeda, we shall help you savor the race from close quarters on a monthly basis.

Today, we start this season's monthly assessment of the exciting race and bring you the 10 men who are the favourites to finish this season as the top scorer of the league. Read on to find out the first rankings of the season and the 10 men who make the cut.


#10 Anthony Martial (France, Manchester United)

Martial has already scored his first goal of the new season
Martial has already scored his first goal of the new season

Anthony Martial's graph from last season has more fluctuations than the Manchester United striker would like. The Frenchman started the season slow, but picked up pace at the start of October, where he scored in 5 consecutive games in the league. Since then, though, he managed only 4 goals and struggled with injuries and off form in the second half of the season, finishing with 10 goals in the league.

However, the summer brings a change of plan at Old Trafford. Anthony Martial has his favourite No. 9 jersey back, and Solskjaer has shown enough faith on him to lead the line this season. Romelu Lukaku's departure has left a void in the striker's department, but Martial is one of the players tipped to stand up and be counted. The Frenchman has already enjoyed an auspicious start to the season, scoring in the 4-0 win over Chelsea in the opening weekend.

A change of attitude is evident in the player who promised so much in his debut season. With a hungrier team on the field and a supportive manager backing him, Anthony Martial will be aiming for the Golden Boot this season.

#9 Marcus Rashford (England, Manchester United)

Rashford scored a brace against Chelsea last weekend
Rashford scored a brace against Chelsea last weekend

Like Martial, Marcus Rashford's 2018/19 season was full of highs and lows. The Englishman struggled to hold on to place in the team at the start of the season and was also poor on the field. His goalscoring form had taken a hit by the time Mourinho had left, as Rasford managed to score just 3 goals in 14 appearances. But all that was soon to change.

The Norwegian’s appointment was a shot in the arm for the Englishman, who found his footing on the pitch and was prolific at the turn of the year, scoring 6 goals in 8 games. Sadly, like Martial, Rashford faded away towards the end of the season and finished the campaign in a whimper. The Englishman could only manage 10 goals in the league last season.

However, the United No. 10 should be looking forward to a fresh start this year. He has been given the freedom in attack and will be spearheading United’s front line this time. Rashford has been quick off the blocks this season, scoring a brace against Chelsea and should be aiming to better his tally from last season.

#8 Richarlison (Brazil, Everton)

Richarlison will be targeting more goals this season
Richarlison will be targeting more goals this season

The Brazilian started last season with a bang, scoring 3 goals in this first two games, after joining Everton in the summer of 2018. The Toffees appeared to have struck gold, only for Richarlison to pick up a straight red in the third game of the season. It was a sign of the fluctuations that followed in the season; the Brazilian was brilliant at times, yet erratic at others. It was this lack of consistency that hurt his changes, even though he did manage to score 13 times in the league.

Richarlison still is a very good player to have in the team and his abilities make him extremely dangerous for the opposition. The Toffees have strengthened this summer, adding Alex Iwobi and teenage sensation Moise Keane to the squad. However, the Brazilian still remains one of their most important players and his goals could very well determine their fate this season. Even though he failed to score in the first game of the season against Crystal Palace, Richarlison is 8th among the top contenders for the Premier League Golden Boot at the start of the season.

#7 Jamie Vardy (England, Leicester City)

Jamier Vardy still is one of the most lethal strikers in the Premier League
Jamier Vardy still is one of the most lethal strikers in the Premier League

Despite being 32 years old already, Jamie Vardy is still among the top goalscorers in the Premier League. The Englishman was heavily involved in the Golden Boot race last season and finished the year with 18 goals in the league from 34 appearances. His emergence in world football has been nothing short of a fairy tale and Vardy is still going strong right now. While expecting him to hit the form of the 2015/16 season might be too much, Vardy has scored more than 15 goals in both of the previous two seasons.

The Englishman is blessed with a poacher’s instinct and is extremely effective inside the box. He is a hard worker on the pitch and his relentless off the ball pressing can be a handful for most back line.

The Englishman ended last season on a high, scoring 11 goals in his last 13 games in the league. With the league becoming more and more competitive with each passing season, Jamie Vardy ensures that Leicester City will once again fight for a Europa League spot. The Englishman is 7th among the top contenders for the Premier League Golden Boot at the start of August.

#6 Raheem Sterling (England, Manchester City)

Sterling scored a hattrick in the first game of the new season
Sterling scored a hattrick in the first game of the new season

The Englishman was one of the key players for Pep Guardiola last season, as Manchester City powered to a domestic treble. Raheem Sterling helped his City side fend off Liverpool’s spirited challenge for the title and won accolades for his performances on the pitch. The Englishman won both the PFA Young Player of the Year Award and the FWA Player of the Year Award.

Sterling finished last season with 17 goals from 34 appearances, as he tore through the opposition defenses and operated across City’s front three. This season, with Sane out injured, the Englishman will have to take up a chunk of goal scoring responsibilities once again. And if morning shows the day, we could be in for a treat.

The Englishman started the season with a hattrick against West Ham United in the opening weekend. Sterling was on song as City put 5 past the Hammers, clearly stating their intent for the season. The Englishman is 6th among the top contenders for the Premier League Golden Boot at the start of August.

#5 Sergio Aguero (Argentina, Manchester City)

Aguero narrowly missed out on the Golden Boot last season
Aguero narrowly missed out on the Golden Boot last season

The Argentinean narrowly missed out on his second Premier League Golden Boot last season. He finished the season with 21 goals from 33 appearances, a goal shy of the magic number 22, which would have won him the coveted award. Sergio Aguero was unlucky with injuries last time, as groin injury and thigh problems made him miss 4 games in the league. The Argentinean will be hoping for a problem free season this year, because when fit, the Manchester City man is one of the best strikers in the world.

Aguero had a less than eventful summer with Argentina in the Copa America, but all that was wiped away in the opening weekend of the new season. The Argentinean came off the bench and scored from the spot to help his team thump West Ham United 5-0.

Manchester City’s record goal scorer is already one of the greatest foreign strikers to have played in the Premier League. With him in the team, City are guaranteed to score goals. Sergio Aguero as such, is 5th among the top contenders for the Premier League Golden Boot at the start of August.

#4 Harry Kane (England, Tottenham Hotspurs)

Injuries cost Harry Kane the Golden Boot last season
Injuries cost Harry Kane the Golden Boot last season

The Englishman was firmly in the race for the Premier League Golden Boot last season, until two injuries more or less ended his season. Harry Kane was on a goal scoring spree of 5 goals in 5 games when he tore his ankle ligament in the 0-1 loss to Manchester United at home in mid January. The Englishman missed 4 games, before returning in the end of February. He appeared in 6 games, scored 3 more goals and picked up a ligament injury in April which saw him miss the rest of the season. In the end, the Englishman finished the season with 17 goals from 28 games.

As such, Kane will be inspired to make up for lost time this season. The Englishman has been central to Tottenham’s recent resurgence under Mauricio Pochettino. Kane is a true leader of the Spurs team and has started the new season on fire. The Englishman scored a brace in a fantastic 3-1 comeback win against Aston Villa in the opening weekend and he is 4th among the top contenders for the Premier League Golden Boot this season.

#3 Mohamed Salah (Egypt, Liverpool)

Salah won the Golden Boot last season
Salah won the Golden Boot last season

The Egyptian won his second Premier League Golden Boot last season, although he had to share it with Sadio Mane and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. After his break through debut season, Mohamed Salah had a slow start to his second year at Liverpool, with many critics predicting a second season syndrome. Those predictions were eventually squashed, as the Egyptian scored 22 goals from 38 games by the end of the season. While the numbers were nowhere near his insane stats from the 2017/18 season, it was still enough for him to finish as the top scorer of the league.

Despite winning the UEFA Champions League, Salah will be frustrated after losing out on the Premier League Trophy last season. The Egyptian knows that the league title is the Holy Grail for his club and firing the team to the league title could see him enter into the Liverpool folklore. That should be enough to motivate him to score bucket full of goals this season and the Egyptian has already scored his first in the opening weekend against Norwich City.

While there’s very little to separate the top three in this race based on their record from last season, Salah’s averages of 0.58 goals per game and 148 minutes per goal are the lowest among the three men. As such, the Egyptian is third among the top contenders for the Premier League Golden Boot at the start of August.

#2 Sadio Mane (Senegal, Liverpool)

Sadio Mane won the Golden Boot last season
Sadio Mane won the Golden Boot last season

The Senegalese was outstanding for Jurgen Klopp last season, winning his first ever Premier League Golden Boot. He was the reason why Liverpool were not bothered when Mohamed Salah failed to replicate his record breaking form from the previous season. Instead, it is safe to say that Sadio Mane took over the mantle from the Egyptian last season and was the most lethal attacker for Liverpool on the pitch. The Senegalese scored 22 goals from 36 appearances, with an average of 0.61 goals per game and 141 minutes per goal in the league.

Last season, Mane was one of the key components of Liverpool’s inspired attempt at chasing City for the League title. Even though they came up short in the end, Mane was impressive with his overall play and goal scoring prowess.

The Senegalese could not find the back of the net in the 4-1 win over Norwich in the first game of the new season, but one can expect Mane to be among the thick of things this year too. He is, after all, 2nd among the top contenders for the 2019/20 Premier League Golden Boot at the start of August.

#1 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon, Arsenal)

Aubameyang won the Golden Boot last season
Aubameyang won the Golden Boot last season

At 30 years old, the Gabon International is among the older players in this list, but there’s no denying the fact that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is one of the most dangerous strikers in the world right now. The former Borussia Dortmund striker made the move to the Premier League from the Bundesliga side in January 2018 and has settled in very well so far. The Gabon International has already scored 33 goals from 50 appearances in the league and last season, he found the net 22 times from 36 games, averaging 0.61 goals per game and a goal every 125 minutes played. It was enough to win him the Premier League Golden Boot.

This season too, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang continues to be Unai Emery’s most important player, as was evident in the first game of the new season. As Arsenal struggled to break down a resolute Newcastle side, it was the Gabon International who scored his first goal of the new season and earned his team 3 vital away points. At the start of August, he is the number one contender for the 2019/20 Premier League Golden Boot.

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Edited by Aaditya Narayan