Islamabad (GNP): Manchester City striker Erling Haaland is aiming for a record-equalling fourth Premier League Golden Boot this season, with the field appearing more open following Mohamed Salah’s departure from Liverpool.
The Norwegian has won the award in three of his four seasons in English football, having scored a record 36 goals in 2022-23 before claiming the title again in the following two campaigns with 27 goals each.
With 112 goals in 132 top-flight appearances, Haaland enters the new season under a new manager, Enzo Maresca, on the back of a seven-goal World Cup campaign for Norway, a tally that would have been enough to win the Golden Boot in more than half of previous tournaments.
Among those standing in his way is Liverpool’s Alexander Isak, who finished second in the Golden Boot race in 2024-25 with 23 goals before injuries limited him to just four goals in 22 appearances across all competitions last season following his £125 million move from Newcastle. Under new Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola, Isak will be hoping for improved fitness and service to justify the fee paid for him.
Brentford’s Igor Thiago also enters the conversation after finishing second only to Haaland in last season’s Golden Boot race, scoring 22 Premier League goals in his first full season in England following a spell sidelined by injury. That form earned him his first caps for Brazil at the World Cup, and has reportedly drawn interest from clubs including Manchester United, raising questions over whether he will remain at Brentford for the new campaign.
Chelsea’s Joao Pedro, who scored 15 Premier League goals last season following his move from Brighton, faces increased competition for a starting striker role this time around, including from former Brighton team-mate Danny Welbeck, with his output likely to depend on how he fits into new manager Xabi Alonso’s system.
Alonso’s title-winning Bayer Leverkusen side of 2023-24 was known for sharing goals across the team, with no player scoring more than 14 in the Bundesliga that season.
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Arsenal’s Viktor Gyokeres had a steady debut season in England, scoring 14 league goals and 21 in all competitions as Arsenal ended a 22-year wait for the title. Notably, 14 of his 21 goals came after the turn of the year, suggesting a growing adaptation to the Premier League that could carry into the new season.
Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins remains the competition’s third-highest scorer since 2020, with 91 league goals in that span, though matching his Golden Boot credentials would likely require improving on his final Championship season tally of 25 goals.
Manchester United’s Benjamin Sesko, meanwhile, scored 11 goals in his debut Premier League campaign, nine of which came after Ruben Amorim’s departure in January, with only Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White scoring more in that period.
Historically, only 12 of the 34 Premier League seasons have seen the Golden Boot winner also lift the league title, leaving room for contenders from non-title-chasing clubs.
Haaland’s recent dominance has also driven up the scoring threshold required to win the award, with the past four Golden Boots requiring between 27 and 36 goals, compared to a peak of 23 in the four seasons before that.
While the award has traditionally gone to strikers, wingers and wide forwards including Cristiano Ronaldo, Sadio Mane, and Son Heung-min have also claimed it in recent years, with Salah’s four Golden Boots placing him alongside Thierry Henry as the joint-record holder that Haaland is now chasing.
