The Premier League’s Golden Boot award is taken more seriously by player agents – in the throes of re-negotiating player contracts – than fans, with silverware being the main focus of most footy followers.
That said, strikers are renowned for being hyper competitive, and there are a whole host of them on the Premier League scoring charts who will be chomping at the bit to get one over on their peers.
Here we look at the main contenders for the 20/21 Golden Boot, as well as some dark horses who could yet upset the goalscoring apple cart.
Mo Salah
No matter whether Liverpool win or lose a Premier League game, you can be certain that Salah will have fashioned any number of scoring opportunities. Despite being pushed hard by the likes of Kane and Son, he was still topping the scoring charts in mid-January.
That was just as the Reds were in a bit of slump, with some betting tips and pundits starting to shy away from backing Klopp’s men.
However, as soon as they inevitably click back into gear, the Egyptian King has what it takes to rattle off a few hat-tricks to secure the Golden Boot. It all goes to show that it is only worth considering the experts’ opinions from websites or media outlets that bring together the best minds in the game, rather than listening to ex-players turned failed managers like Roy Keane or Gary Neville.
The only thing that could prevent Salah from getting his hands on the Golden Boot is the poor form of Roberto Firminho, although with Diogo Jota close to full fitness again, Salah should not be starved of quality service heading down the Premier League stretch.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin
No one was expecting a striker from the blue half of Merseyside to challenge their neighbours’ strikers this season, but Dominic Calvert-Lewin has arguably led the line more competently than any other Premier League forward this term.
Some niggling muscle injuries have threatened to hold him back in the new year, but if he shrugs them off, he is an excellent outside bet according to most well-informed betting tips.
Harry Kane and Son Heung-Min
We have lumped this lethal Spurs duo together because everything they have done this season at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium has been in tandem, providing as many assists for each other as they have scored individual goals.
Funnily enough this actually might count against either of them picking up the Golden Boot award this year, with them sharing too many goals between them.
Kane is probably the most likely to stretch out a lead over his teammate seeing as he has penalty taking duties, but do not be surprised if the South Korean sharpshooter shocks his revered strike partner.
Bruno Fernandes
For a midfielder to win the Golden Boot would be an incredible achievement and Bruno Fernandes is right on track to leave Premier League strikers with egg on their face.
With Paul Pogba suddenly finding his best form alongside the Portuguese, Fernandes might just have an outside chance of pulling it off.
Jamie Vardy
Leicester City love being Premier League dark horses, consistently proving betting tips that doubt them to be oh, so wrong.
Jamie Vardy is once again the driving force behind the Foxes’ title push, and with service from the likes of James Maddison and Harvey Barnes only getting better as the season goes on, Vardy might just pip the rest to the coveted shiny boot.