Premier League Top Scorer Betting: Kane & Salah head up the market, while Vardy knocks at the door

We may only be three days into November but already the race for the Premier League Golden Boot is hotting up. Everton’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Tottenham’s Son Heung-min have fired out of the blocks for their respective clubs and both now lead the way at the top of the pile with eight goals apiece. 

While Son failed to register a goal against Brighton at the weekend, Calvert-Lewin left it late to prod home his eighth of the campaign during Everton’s 2-1 defeat away at Newcastle. The 23-year-old is currently third-favourite in the Premier League top scorer betting, priced at 7/1, while his counterpart in north London is a 9/1 shot in the market, making him fifth-favourite. 

Salah still the bookies front-runner

Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah began the campaign as the bookies favourite at 5/1, and after finding the net seven times in his opening seven games the Egyptian remains the shortest price to claim the Golden Boot next May, cut ever so slightly into 4/1. Salah drew a blank in last weekend’s 2-1 win over Sheffield United but was on the scoresheet in the Reds’ narrow triumph over West Ham on Saturday evening, netting from the spot after he was brought down in the area by Hammers defender Arthur Masuaku just before half-time.

That takes the 28-year-old’s tally to seven Premier League goals in 2020-21, three of which have come from the penalty spot - four if you count his effort against Midtjylland in last week’s Champions League group stage win over the Danish side.

While Liverpool have so far failed to hit the same level of performance as they did this time last year, the Merseyside outfit are still grinding results out and Salah, who it’s fair to say is yet to have put in a typically ‘special’ performance, is still finding the net on a consistent basis. One more goal will see the Egypt international draw level alongside Son and Calvert-Lewin, though it is a name that has not yet been mentioned in this article who he will perhaps be fearing the most in terms of competition. 

Kane close behind, but can he remain fit?

Tottenham’s Harry Kane - who was also on the scoresheet from the spot at the weekend - trails Salah by just one goal with six to his name so far, looks a man inspired at the minute. 

The England international has actually turned provider more times than he has scored himself this term, assisting no less than eight goals for his Spurs teammates in 2020-21, seven of which have been for Son Heung-min as the pair’s budding relationship continues to go from strength to strength.

Kane is joint-favourite in the Premier League top scorer betting market as things stand, also at 4/1, though the one thing which could set the 27-year-old back is his persistent issues with injury. Usually within the opening months of the new year due to him playing so regularly for Spurs both in Europe and domestically, Kane picks up an injury which rules him out for a considerable period of time. 

It’s happened throughout the last three seasons to varying degrees, with last season’s hamstring tear sustained against Southampton on New Year’s Day ruling him out for two months, which saw him miss a total of 14 games and subsequently fall behind in the race for the Golden Boot.

With Spurs still so heavily reliant on Kane, it is likely that he will feature more or less every week for Jose Mourinho in both the Premier League and Europa League, and should that prove to be the case then you wouldn’t be at all surprised to see him pick up another injury in the early stages of 2021. 

Salah is not indestructible but his injury record is extremely impressive for a player who plays so many minutes each season. The former Chelsea forward has missed only two matches through injury since joining Liverpool from Roma in 2017 which is quite something, and certainly provides you with more faith in his ability to remain fit for a more prolonged period of time each season. 

Jurgen Klopp also has more resources to hand in the attacking department compared to what Mourinho has as a like-for-like replacement for Kane at Tottenham. Diogo Jota has settled in well since arriving from Wolves in the summer, while the likes of Divock Origi, Xherdan Shaqiri and Takumi Minamino are all capable of filling in for the club should Salah need to be rested one week, thus preserving his longevity. 

Vardy to make it two in two?

It is not just a two-horse race, though. Last season’s Golden Boot winner Jamie Vardy has again started brightly and scored his seventh goal of the campaign in the Foxes’ impressive 4-1 win over Leeds on Monday evening. 

The 33-year-old may now be entering the latter stages of his career, but he is proving that he is still one of the biggest goal threats in the top-flight and there is every chance that he will make it back-to-back wins in this market this time out, should this early form continue.

The Leicester striker is 8/1 to finish as the Premier League’s leading marksman next year, which is a decent price when you consider the fact that he has scored 110 goals (and counting) in the top-flight since the start of the 2014 season. 

Then there are the likes of Danny Ings, Callum Wilson, Raul Jimenez and Patrick Bamford - all players who have started strongly this season and all who deserve an honourable mention where this market is concerned, even if it’s for an each-way play rather than an outright on the nose shout. 

Who’s your money on?