It’s every striker’s dream to win a Golden Boot. From Alan Shearer, Harry Kane, Thierry Henry, to…..Chris Sutton and Kevin Phillips. Strikers, rightly or wrongly, get the plaudits. Ray’s played alongside some of the greats. Thierry Henry springs to mind, along with Dennis Bergkamp, Nicolas Anelka, and Ian Wright. It’s fair to say they knew where the goal was. We sat down with Ray to get his opinion on who could secure this year’s prestigious Golden Boot, and we’ve chucked in the latest football betting odds for good measure.
Take your online betting experience to the next level with NetBet’s Welcome Offer. Sign up and place a £5 Bet Builder to get your hands on a £10 Free Bet.
Ray Parlour’s Golden Boot Predictions
As we come to the midway point of the season, the race for the Golden Boot is starting to take shape. Erling Haaland towered over his Premier League peers last season, both literally and metaphorically. His lethal prowess in front of goal saw the Norwegian striker smash records, securing an impressive 36 goals and claiming the coveted Golden Boot in 2022/23.
However, things are much closer this time around. Haaland is joint-top with Liverpool star Mo Salah on 14 goals, with the pair closely tailed by Bournemouth’s Dominic Solanke (12), Son Heung-Min (12), and Jarrod Bowen (11). With Haaland having been injured and remaining on the sidelines until February, Salah injured on international duty at AFCON, and Son competing at the Asian Cup with South Korea, the door is wide open for an unexpected name to take the lead.
However, despite the Golden Boot race being much closer this campaign, Ray can only see one winner…
“Erling Haaland is a phenomenon. He will secure the Golden Boot again as City will once again kick into gear in the 2nd half of the season and I expect him to be back amongst the goals in a big way and ensure the likes of Salah and Son don’t catch him up.
Solanke at Bournemouth is having a fine season and he can add more goals to his tally and be the top English Premier League scorer, but won’t have enough to pip Haaland. Solanke is one player who could fit into a top four side, so I would expect the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool to look at him over the summer.”
Latest Golden Boot Betting Odds
Erling Haaland – 1.40
As Ray put it, he’s a phenomenon, a freak. Ray rightly has him top of the list to win his second Golden Boot this year after a scintillating start to City life last year. I suppose it helps to have Kevin De Bruyne and the wealth of attacking talent behind you, but he still puts them away with clinical efficiency. Can anyone stop him? Rightly, he’s the clear favourite to make it two from two. He’s currently level on 14 goals with Salah, after being out for a short period through injury. He’ll certainly bounce back.
Mo Salah – 4.00
The Egyptian king has won the Golden Boot thrice previously, back in 2018, 2019 and 2022. He’s a phenomenal winger, who seems to have changed into more of a poacher as he’s got older. But, he’s recently picked up an injury at AFCON. That could dent his chances as Haaalnd marches on, bagging more and more. Hopefully, when he returns, the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Luis Diaz can keep providing. If Liverpool want to challenge for the title, his goals will be pivotal.
Son Heung-Min – 14.00
Life without Harry Kane seems to be ok at Spurs. Partly due to Sonny picking up the goals himself. Once a provider and frequent scorer, he’s now the main point of the attack and the goals are coming nearly every game. With 12 goals, just two behind the frontrunners Salah and Haaland, could he drag Spurs into contention and the Golden Boot with it? One downside is he’ll be missing a chunk of games on international duty. That will give Haaland more games to take advantage of.
Dominic Solanke – 21.00
You probably wouldn’t have seen this coming at the start of the season, but big Dom has been bagging frequently. His Bournemouth side have been in impressive form, and with him up-top finishing the chances, it’s looking like a good year for them. If he stays injury-free, he could finish in and around the leader. It would be a seriously impressive achievement if he manages to pull off an upset and finish top scorer.
*Odds subject to change.
When you choose NetBet Sport, you can enjoy a whole range of top quality sports and markets. Whatever you choose, always remember to bet responsibly. Here at NetBet, player wellbeing is our number one priority – check out our Responsible Gambling tips and tools page for more information.
