Erling Haaland may be the bookies’ favourite to win the Golden Boot - but the race to become the Premier League ’s top goalscorer should provide an intriguing sub-plot this season.
Manchester City’s new £51million striker was given a bit of stick for his performance in last weekend’s Community Shield. But I was hugely impressed by the intelligence of the runs that Haaland made in behind Liverpool’s defence at the King Power Stadium - and I think it is only a matter of time before Kevin De Bruyne and Co tune themselves into the same wavelength as the powerful Norwegian No 9.
Haaland will score goals in abundance, I have absolutely no doubt about that. But I’m not sure the battle for the Golden Boot will be as clear-cut as the current odds are suggesting. Strikers love scoring goals. It’s in the blood.
But when I played, the Golden Boot was nothing more than a pleasant distraction that caught your eye when they showed the current goal-standings at the end of Match of the Day. Things have changed. There seems to be more kudos attached to the accolade these days.
Mo Salah and Son Heung-min shared the honour last season - and I think there will be plenty of interest from Liverpool and Tottenham this time as well. It’s amazing to think that Salah still managed to score 23 goals last season despite the constant background rumblings caused by his contract stalemate with his club.
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I’ve detected a real spring in Salah’s step during pre-season after he finally secured the deal that made sense for both parties. He was on the mark from the penalty spot against City last weekend - and I think he will be busting a gut to give Liverpool’s American owners plenty of bang for their buck.
I also reckon the little Egyptian will benefit from the arrival of Darwin Nunez. Sadio Mane was a fantastic player for Jurgen Klopp’s team, but Nunez will give the Reds another dimension in the way he leads the line, holds the ball up and brings a physicality to the team that hasn’t been there previously.
He will also be expected to bag his share of goals - and his strike to seal the Community Shield was the finish of a player who will put his head where it hurts without a second thought.
Salah, Nunez and Luis Diaz will form a formidable front-line - and Klopp also has Roberto Firmino and Diogo Jota in his armoury. Son’s goals were key to securing Champions League qualification for Spurs - and his partnership with Harry Kane is absolutely electric.
Kane has proved himself to be a maker as well as a taker of goals. But the England captain has already won the Golden Boot three times - and he will be driven to bag a fourth to equal the record set by Thierry Henry.
Kane struggled for goals at the start of last season after a summer of speculation about his future. But Tottenham’s return to the Champions League will sharpen his focus and with the World Cup approaching he will want to be finding the back of the net with his usual regularity.
The arrival of Richarlison from Everton provides Antonio Conte’s with another goal threat and could provide even more space for Kane to do what he does best. It seems strange to be looking at the contenders for the Golden Boot without mentioning Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Portuguese scored 18 times for Manchester United in the Premier League last season - and only Salah and Son hit the back of the net with more consistency. But even if Ronaldo stays at Old Trafford, I can’t see him being involved in the contest to finish top goalscorer.
It is great to see the Premier League packed with players who are masters of the goalscorer’s art. Let the shoot-out commence.
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