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With the 2018-2019 Premier League season starting in just 17 days, many players are gearing up to make a run at the Golden Boot. Several players around the league have won top scoring honors around the world, and the Premier League will now host some of the greatest scoring threats of our time.
In both the 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 seasons, the league witnessed the likes of Harry Kane dominate the goal scoring stats. Last season, Harry Kane posted a single-season career high with 30 goals only to be ousted by Mo Salah's 32.
Will we see Mo Salah win the Golden Boot back to back? Does Harry Kane have the grit to bounce back and win it for the third time? Or will we see a new star emerge?
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1 - Harry Kane (Tottenham)
Although England crashed out of the World Cup semi-finals, Harry Kane notched 6 goals through 6 games and won the coveted Golden Boot on the world's biggest stage. As we prepare for the upcoming season, Kane is a front-runner to win the EPL's Golden Boot for the third time.
Kane has increased his scoring total in 4 straight seasons, culminating in his first 30 goal season in the EPL last year. Unfortunately for him, his excellent scoring run was overshadowed by Liverpool's Mo Salah who captured the Golden Boot with 32 goals.
Kane and the Spurs will look to build on their 3rd place finish in the 2017-2018 season. Although some minor changes have taken place in the Spurs line-up, Kane is a consistent part of their attack and we should see him wearing the captain's armband this season.
Given the style of play, and the number of touches Kane gets in dangerous positions, we expect him to produce another 30 goal season. He has proven that he is one of the most consistent scoring threats in the Premier League, and he'll need to be efficient this year if he wants to add a third Golden Boot.
Note - Kane is a transfer prospect this year and there have been transfer rumors that he may make a big move to Spain's Real Madrid or another big club elsewhere.
Tottenham (2014-Present)
2017-2018: 30 Goals in 37 Matches (2nd to Mohamed Salah)
2016-2017: 29 Goals in 30 Matches (Golden Boot)
2015-2016: 25 Goals in 38 Matches (Golden Boot)
2014-2015: 21 Goals in 34 Matches (2nd to Sergio Aguero)
2 - Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
After signing a long-term extension with Liverpool this summer, Mo Salah will enter the EPL season as the first scorer to reach 32 goals in a single season. Mo took the league by surprise upon his return to the Premier League after a few seasons away with Fiorentina and AS Roma.
It is no surprise to see Salah's name as a front-runner for the Golden Boot. Jurgen Klopp has improved this Liverpool side and they play a high-pressing style that opens chances for their front three.
Liverpool's quality in attack is one of the most efficient in the world and we can expect Salah to be on the end of many great chances this season. With the likes of Mane, Firmino, Keita, Fabinho, and many others at his back, we will see Salah get into dangerous positions where his conversion rate is top class.
As we saw last year, winning the Golden Boot will require at least 30 goals. With the number of quality attackers the Premier League is hosting this year, we can expect Salah to increase his efforts to try and retain the Golden Boot. He will be hard-pressed, but his ability in space and clinical finishing make him a dangerous prospect.
Liverpool (2017-Present)
2017-2018: 32 Goals in 36 Matches (Golden Boot)
Italy Serie A - AS Roma (2015-2017)
2016-2017: 15 Goals in 31 Matches
2015-2016: 14 Goals in 34 Matches
Italy Serie A - Fiorentina (2014-2015)
2014-2015: 6 Goals in 16 Matches
3 - Alexandre Lacazette (Arsenal)
After completing a transfer to Arsenal prior to last season, Lacazette found himself in a troubled club that fell short of expectations. However, the departure of Arsene Wenger and the arrival of Unai Emery should breathe new life into Arsenal.
It's expected that this Arsenal side will adjust to the recent changes, and they have loads of quality at the attacking position with Lacazette and Aubameyang. We rarely saw these two take the field together last year, but early reports say that Emery will keep both of these strikers and build towards a system that will utilize them in tandem.
If that's the case, defenses around the Premier League will have their hands full as both Lacazette and Aubameyang have the quality to score at any time.
Lacazette and the rest of the Gunners should come into this season with a renewed level of excitement, and Arsenal fans will hope that he can return to the scoring form that he boasted in his three seasons at Lyon.
Many are skeptical of Lacazette's ability to win a Golden Boot because Arsenal is typically a team that gets goals from multiple sources. There is much to be seen for Lacazette and this Arsenal side, but all signs point to him playing a significant role in front of the net and his ability to finish will make him a scorer to watch this season.
Arsenal (2017-Present)
2017-2018: 14 Goals in 32 Matches
France Ligue 1 - Lyon (2014-2017)
2016-2017: 28 Goals in 30 Matches
2015-2016: 21 Goals in 34 Matches
2014-2015: 27 Goals in 33 Matches (Led the League)
4 - Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Arsenal)
The 2018-2019 season will present a great opportunity for Aubameyang as it will be his first full season after transferring from Borussia Dortmund. In his 13 matches last season, Aubameyang found the net 10 times.
Arsenal fans will be excited to see Aubameyang for a full season because he has produced 30+ goals in each of his seasons at Dortmund. Only last season did his total drop to 23 when he made the move to Arsenal; he produced 10 goals for Arsenal after notching 13 at the beginning of Dortmund's season in Germany.
With the recent changes at Arsenal, it's highly likely that we will see Aubameyang and Lacazette starting as a striker duo and they will be very fun to watch. Both players are efficient in front of goal and we may see them climb the scoring ranks if Arsenal can produce early in the season.
Our vote is on Aubameyang to get 20+ goals this season and potentially reach 30 because he has the ability to dart through defenses and he is one of the world's best poachers on the back post for tap-ins.
His chances to win the Golden Boot may come down to whether he is appointed as the penalty taker for this Arsenal side that has several great options from the spot.
Arsenal (2017-Present)
2017-2018: 10 Goals in 13 Matches
Germany Bundesliga - Borussia Dortmund (2014-2018)
2017-2018: 13 Goals in 16 Matches
2016-2017: 31 Goals in 32 Matches (Led the League)
2015-2016: 25 Goals in 31 Matches (2nd to Robert Lewandowski)
2014-2015: 16 Goals in 33 Matches
5 - Romelu Lukaku (Manchester United)
After a superb performance in the 2018 World Cup, Romelu Lukaku returns to the Manchester United camp in very good form. Despite the Red Devils finishing in 2nd last season, Lukaku notched his lowest goal total in the last 3 seasons. He will look to rebound this year to challenge for the Golden Boot.
Manchester United finished the 2017-2018 season with a spot in 2nd place, but they were 19 points behind the league leaders. It was a hard task to keep pace with Manchester City as they posted 100 points on the season, but the Red Devils will need more efficiency in front of goal as they only scored 68 goals last season, which was the lowest of the Top 4 finishers.
The talent of this Manchester United squad is off the charts, and they have several great passing threats that can feed the ball through Lukaku. His skill lies in his ability to hold up the ball and turn off defenders using his strength.
Manchester United fans wait anxiously to see if he can post another 20+ goal season. If he can compete at the level he showed during the World Cup, we may have another challenger for the top scoring player in the Premier League this season.
Manchester United (2017-Present)
2017-2018: 16 Goals in 34 Matches
Everton (2014-2017)
2016-2017: 25 Goals in 37 Matches (2nd to Harry Kane - EPL)
2015-2016: 18 Goals in 37 Matches
2014-2015:10 Goals in 36 Matches
6 - Sergio Aguero (Manchester City)
Sergio Aguero is one player that consistently challenges for the Golden Boot. With the success Manchester City saw last year, Aguero was able to earn some rest in the final games and that slowed his goal totals for the year.
However, he still notched 20+ goals for the 4 consecutive Premier League season. This Manchester City squad will be looking to repeat their 2017-2018 performance and they'll have tough numbers to beat.
Last season they posted 106 goals and finished with 100 points to win the league. With goal scoring like that, there's plenty to go around, and Sergio Aguero is one of the players that will benefit from a very open side that attacks in waves.
NOTE - It has yet to be determined if Aguero will be back for his 5th season with Manchester City as there have been some transfer rumors around the future of the front man.
Manchester City (2014-Present)
2017-2018: 21 Goals in 25 Matches (3rd to Salah and Kane - EPL)
2016-2017: 20 Goals in 31 Matches
2015-2016: 24 Goals in 30 Matches (2nd to Harry Kane - EPL)
2014-2015: 26 Goals in 33 Matches (Golden Boot - EPL)
