Mohammed Salah and Heung-Min Son were the 2021/22 Premier League hot shots, sharing the Golden Boot with 23 goals apiece.
Liverpool’s Salah was a decent bet to be up there but, be honest, how many of us thought that Spurs’ South Korean forward would be the man to share the top spot?
Not me.
Sure, Son is one of the best players in the world, a brilliant dribbler with real pace and fantastic passing and shooting skills. He’s part of the Spurs double act with Harry Kane, but has often played second fiddle, making more assists while the England centre forward does the net-busting.
Anyhow; maybe that’s a lesson to us. Maybe we should think outside the box when we look for the 2022/23 Golden Boot winner. There are three obvious candidates; Manchester City’s new star Erling Braut Haaland, Spurs talisman Kane and, if he stays at Liverpool as is starting to look more likely, Salah.
And let’s not rule out Son.
But let’s try to pick out some more potential winners. Here are my four choices who you would not necessarily pick as Golden Boot favourites; but they are dark horses who could stay the course.
Gabriel Jesus: Arsenal
The most natural striker in my selection, with Premier League experience, is Arsenal recruit Gabriel Jesus. After five years at the Etihad the 25 year old Brazilian star has headed to North London where he will be the main man; the striker to replace Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who had a share of the Golden Boot in 2019 when he scored 22 goals alongside the Liverpool pair of Salah and Sadio Mane.
As a support act to Sergio Aguero, Jesus’ chances at Manchester City were sometimes limited but he managed to score 58 goals in 159 appearances, many times starting on the bench. As a near guaranteed starter at the Emirates the one in three goal striker could easily become a one in two; and over 20 goals will be his target.
The arrival of Haaland at Manchester City prompted the move of Jesus to Arsenal and it could turn out to be a pivotal moment in the gifted striker’s career.
Darwin Nunez: Liverpool
Not satisfied with the striking prowess of Salah and Diogo Jota, Liverpool have dived into the market to spend £64m on Uruguayan hitman Darwin Nunez. He’s a replacement for Mane but, at 6ft 2in, he is powerful as well as possessing lightening speed. Nunez has a fierce shot and a hunger for goals, scoring 32 in 57 games for Benfica, and that sort of ratio will put him in the frame. His fellow countryman Luis Suarez was an icon at Anfield and Nunez is sure to be another favourite with the Kop.
This is a player guaranteed to provide some scintillating Premier League 2022 highlights and he’s a decent outside bet for the Golden Boot. One thing is for certain though; Nunez looks like a nightmare to defend against.
Kai Havertz: Chelsea
The Premier League 2022 betting odds here at SBOTOP reckon Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea are primed to finish third again, behind Manchester City and Liverpool. But since the club’s takeover by American businessman Todd Boehly there has been a mood of optimism at Stamford Bridge and some aggressive noises in the transfer market. They are looking for a centre back to replace Antonio Rudiger and are scouring Europe for the very best, and have also been pursuing Leeds’ Brazilian winger Raphinha.
It isn’t as though Chelsea haven’t broken the bank in recent years and there are already some world class talents at the Bridge, non more so than Kai Havertz. His exploits as a tall, fast goal-scoring forward at Bayer Leverkusen prompted Chelsea to pay £62m for the 21 year old and, now, entering his third season in West London, fans are hoping Havertz will reach his full potential.
Raheem Sterling: ?
It looks like Raheem Sterling is on his way out of the Etihad but there’s a fair way to go before we know exactly where the England man will end up; he might even start the season at Stamford Bridge alongside Havertz. Sterling burst on to the Premier League scene as a raw and lightening quick teenager at Liverpool and moved to Manchester City in 2015, since when he has become one of the most exciting forwards in world football. He is not a striker, but his record of 91 goals in 225 games for the Sky Blues, in and amongst some other great goal-scorers, proves he can find the net. Sterling is a mood player, and if he is happy wherever he ends up… we could see fireworks.
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