Can anyone stop Harry Kane from winning the Golden Boot?
For Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane, it’s already been a record-breaking season. After managing to surpass Alan Shearer’s record for the most goals in a Premier League calendar year (39), he went on to become the first Spurs player to reach a century of goals in the Premier League just a few weeks later.
Kane, who has 23 goals to his name during the 17/18 season, now has Shearer’s joint-record of most goals scored in a 38-game Premier League season in his sights.
But there are two players who could yet stand in his way of making history. Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah and Manchester City’s Sergio Agüero are both hanging onto Kane’s coat-tails with 22 and 21 goals, respectively.
As the business end of the season approaches, we’re taking a look at each player to decide who has the best chance of winning the prestigious Golden Boot.
Harry Kane
Goals: 23
Minutes Played: 2228
Minutes Per Goal: 97
Key Remaining Fixtures: Chelsea (A), Manchester City (H)
Key Fact on His Side: Kane is Spurs’ official penalty taker.
Whether it’s with his head or his feet, Harry Kane knows where the back of the net is. The Englishman has been crowned as the Premier League’s top goalscorer for the past two seasons running, with his goals helping fire Spurs into the top four on both occasions.
Unlike Salah and Agüero, Kane is naturally two-footed, scoring an equal ratio with his right and left feet.
His remarkable goal tally this season was helped substantially by back-to-back hat tricks over the Christmas period. Since then, the goals have continued to flow, with five strikes in his last seven appearances.
The forward has had luck on his side in regard to injuries, having missed just one game due to a tight hamstring.
Kane’s chances of winning the trophy for the third time in a row may well come down to his Tottenham teammate Dele Alli. The midfielder has been responsible for providing more assists for Kane than any other player this season.
Bookmaker Stakers are currently offering odds of 157/100 for the 24-year-old to be crowned as the Premier League’s top goalscorer come May. With what looks like an easy fixture list on paper, those short odds still hold decent value.
Mohamed Salah
Goals: 22
Minutes Played: 2036
Minutes Per Goal: 93
Key Remaining Fixtures: Manchester United (A), Everton (A), Chelsea (A)
Key Fact on His Side: Liverpool have the easiest remaining fixture list out of any club in the Premier League based on current points per game statistics of future opponents.
After signing for a then club record fee of €42m in the summer, Mohamed Salah was under pressure to hit the ground running in a Liverpool shirt.
The 25-year-old Egyptian forward has certainly done just that, becoming part of a front-three that has terrified defences all over Europe.
At just 5ft 9in, it’s perhaps not surprising that all but one of Salah’s goals have come from his quick feet.
With five in his last five, the forward is coming to the boil at the right point of the season. The betting website www.stakers.com currently has Salah at 121/50 to be the first goal scorer against West Ham this weekend.
Sergio Agüero
Goals: 21
Minutes Played: 2036
Minutes Per Goal: 93
Key Remaining Fixtures: Arsenal (A), Chelsea (H), Chelsea (A), Manchester United (H), Tottenham Hotspurs (A)
Key Fact on His Side: Manchester City currently average 18 shots per game – the highest figure in the whole of the Premier League.
The phrase ‘fox in the box’ was created to describe strikers such as Agüero. The Argentinian has scored all but one of his 21 goals this season inside the penalty area.
Despite scoring six goals in his opening six games, Agüero’s season was briefly derailed in September by the emergence of his talented Brazilian team-mate Gabriel Jesus.
Jesus’s knee injury at the end of 2017 allowed the 29-year-old Argentine to cement his starting place in City’s line up. Since then, the forward has been in scintillating form, scoring nine goals in his last six games.
