4 major contenders for Premier League Golden Boot next season

The Premier League 2021/22 campaign ended on a high note as Man City edged Liverpool to the title with a thrilling win over Aston Villa on the final day. A lot of goals were scored on the final day, as was the case throughout the campaign.

When it came to the individual scorers, Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah and Tottenham Hotspur winger Son Heung-Min shared the Premier League Golden Boot Award with 23 goals each. Cristiano Ronaldo finished behind them with 18 goals, while Harry Kane and Sadio Mane provided competition as well.

With clubs already working on — and having made — blockbuster summer signings, the league will get even more competitive next season. That includes increased competition for the golden boot award too.

So let’s look at four major contenders for the award next season.

Erling Haaland to top Premier League goal-scorers in debut season?

How can you not pick him? Man City made one of the biggest signings of the summer by roping in Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund. His goal-scoring record speaks for itself. The Norwegian striker scored 86 goals and registered 23 assists (via Transfermarkt) in 89 appearances for Dortmund.

That is close to one goal per game. The 21-year-old is a bonafide goal machine and an absolute terror for defenders. Haaland hardly needs chances to score, and he’s guaranteed to get a lot of them at a side like City.

With the likes of Kevin de Bruyne, Phil Foden, Riyad Mahrez, and Jack Grealish creating for him, Haaland will definitely get scoring chances every game. As clinical as he is, he’ll thrive on that.

As long as he can keep himself free of injuries and adapt to the physical side of the Premier League, as well as City’s possession-based style, Haaland can easily rake in 25+ league goals and win the Golden Boot next year.

Mo Salah: Last year’s winner to challenge again

In his five seasons at Liverpool, Mo Salah has won the Premier League Golden Boot Award three times. He’s been an ever-present figure among the top scorer’s chart in the league since making his return to England with Jurgen Klopp’s side.

The scary thing about Salah is he doesn’t seem to be ready to slow down anytime soon. The Egyptian winger has perfectly adapted to the style of the Premier League and has extensive knowledge of how to score against almost every single opponent in the league.

Salah’s deft finishing ability, movement and the kind of delivery he gets from teammates make him a tormenting factor for oppositions. Despite the possible departure of Sadio Mane to Bayern Munich, Mo is unlikely to stop scoring.

He’ll be among the leading contenders for another Golden Boot Award and aim to properly outscore everyone to ensure he doesn’t have to share the trophy again at the end of next season.

Harry Kane: Spurs skipper to top the charts under Conte?

Harry Kane had a difficult start to the 2021/22 season. He was entangled in a transfer saga with Man City really eager to sign him. In the end, Tottenham Hotspur rejected four bids from City and forced their captain to stay put.

It took some time for Kane to re-adapt to Spurs’ game and also get back on the good side of their fans after the dramatic saga. But his season took off after the arrival of Antonio Conte in November.

After scoring just one goal in his first 13 Premier League games, Kane unleashed his best self from December onwards. He scored 16 times and registered 8 assists in his next 24 appearances, forming a brilliant partnership with Son Heung-Min.

Kane is now perfectly adapted to Conte’s system and is set to stay at Spurs next season. Everyone knows how good a goal-scorer he is, a deadly finisher in the final third. As long as Conte revolves his system to feed all the best chances to the striker, Kane is guaranteed to be high up in the Golden Boot race next season.

Darwin Nuñez can have a debut season to remember

With Man City signing Erling Haaland to be their next star striker, Liverpool also made a statement acquisition in the form of Darwin Nuñez. The young Uruguayan striker had a breakthrough campaign at Benfica last time around, scoring 32 goals in all competitions.

That also includes 6 goals in the Champions League, where he managed to score against Liverpool. Nuñez is an energetic, versatile and physical striker who should be an ideal fit for Klopp’s system.

Nuñez has an eye for goal and isn’t one to miss many chances. He’s an efficient finisher as well as having the ability to create for teammates and also to play on the wings. Darwin should kick-start a new heated rivalry in the Premier League with Haaland as the two try to oust each other for the “signing of the season” title next season.

That is guaranteed to heat up fireworks in the Golden Boot race as Nuñez will aim to have a dream debut campaign at Anfield and definitely has the ability to score a lot of goals for Liverpool.