The new Premier League is fast approaching, with Manchester United and Swansea City kicking-off the grand opener at Old Trafford today. After one of the most entertaining league seasons in history, controversial ex-Liverpool striker Luis Suárez brought home the Premier League's Golden Boot. The Uruguayan hit the back of the net on 31 ocassions, leaving the rest of the league's goalscorers trailing his tally by some distance. However, this is a new season and after Suárez's £75M move to Barcelona, his title must be claimed once more. Who will finish as the Premier League's leading goalscorer? Let's take a look at the leading candidates:
Daniel Sturridge: Is there a better place to start than with Suárez's strike partner? Despite missing a number of games through injury last season, the pacey English forward bagged 21 goals as he aided Liverpool's return to the Champions League. Sturridge's main assets are his pace and skill on the ball, which can leave any defender in the world on their ass. However, the departure of Suárez has left a huge hole in Liverpool's attack. The arrivals of Adam Lallana and Lazard Markovic, combined with Suso and Jordan Ibe returning from loan, will certainly give Sturridge more supply to feed upon but as Liverpool are fully expected to trash the two-striker system for an attacking trio, Sturridge will need to sacrifice some of his goalscoring ability in order to contribute more to his side's general attacking play. He might not have the 30-goal season which Liverpool fans are expecting from him but he will still be a major contender for the Golden Boot award.
Author's Prediction: 20-25 goals
Romelu Lukaku: On the other side of Stanley park, Everton completed the signing of Romelu Lukaku for a club-record £28M fee. The Belgian powerhouse was a big hit at Goodison Park last season when he was there on loan, as he scored 15 goals in 31 league appearances last term. Lukaku's main strengths are his physical abilities; he has pace, power, stamina and is a force to be reckoned with in the air. Lukaku is expected to push on from last season and he will be attempting to lead Everton to a Champions League spot. Can Lukaku's ambitions to be the top goalscorer in the Premier League become reality?
Author's Prediction: 15-20 goals
Diego Costa: Chelsea spent £32M to bring in Atlético Madrid striker Diego Costa. Mourinho was keen to improve a strikeforce which had been lacking a regular source of goals for almost five years and is there a better candidate than a man who scored 27 La Liga goals last term? Diego Costa is perhaps one of the most complete strikers in the Premier League; he is quick, strong, good in the air, skillful, intelligent and has great vision. He is perhaps what Chelsea have been missing over the last few seasons and could help to fire them to the league title. Costa is possibly at his dream-team too as he has Hazard, Fábregas and Oscar playing in midfield, which makes scoring a lot easier as he can expect plenty of opportunites to be created for him every game. Costa certainly has the potential to become a world-class striker but will Chelsea's history of strikers not performing scare him? He doesn't need to look further than the bench to see former world-class strikers become no more than a shell of themselves as fellow Spaniard Fernando Torres is still looking to prove himself after his £50M transfer from Liverpool in 2011.
Author's Prediction: 20-25 goals
Robin van Persie: "The Flying Dutchman" will be looking to win the Golden Boot for a third time after a season filled with unfortunate injuries left him unable to play more than 21 league games for Manchester United last term. However, despite his injury problems and his team's poor season, van Persie scored 12 goals last term and was his team's shining light during a very dark spell for England's most successful club in the 21st century. Robin van Persie may not be the quickest or the strongest player but he is extremely intelligent, is accurate from set-pieces and is possibly the most technically-gifted player in the Premier League. His strike is cleaner than any other and his left strikes the ball like a hammer. The arrival of Louis van Gaal will certainly give van Persie a lift of confidence as the two worked together as manager and captain in the World Cup in Brazil, where Holland claimed a very impressive third-place finish. Manchester United may be undergoing many changes under their new manager but the new style of play suits van Persie very well and if he can stay away from injuries, he will surely one of the favourites to be the league's top goalscorer.
Author's Prediction: 25-30 goals
Wayne Rooney: We cannot forget van Persie's strike partner, and Manchester United's new captain, Wayne Rooney. He may come under a lot of scrutiny when playing for his country but Rooney's club form can not be doubted. Rooney was Manchester United's top goalscorer in the league last season, as he scored 17 goals in 29 appearances, while playing in a role closer to midfield. Rooney is well known for his powerful shooting and his ability to get in to goalscoring positions under the radar of the defenders but his dribbling and skill on the ball cannot be underestimated. Put him up any defender in the league and Rooney can make a mockery of them. Wayne Rooney can also look forward to playing in his more natural striker position as van Gaal favours playing one striker over two. Alongside Robin van Persie and Juan Mata in Manchester United's attacking trio, we can expect another good goalscoring season from the skipper.
Author's Prediction: 20-25 goals
Sergio Agüero: Next on the list is Manchester City's sweetheart Sergio Agüero. The Argentine suffered a recurring hamstring problem over the course of last season which saw him play just 23 times in the league. However, he scored almost as much as he played as he finished the season with a tally of 17 goals. Agüero's main strengths are his pace and skill, while he is very much a creative team-player too. Now at the age of 26, Agüero is coming to the best years of his career and he will be looking to enjoy his time at Manchester City by battling to retain their Premier League trophy, which they won last season. However, there is huge competition for starting spots up front at the Etihad, with Negredo, Jovetic and Džeko all battling it out to lead the line of the English champions. If Agüero can stay fit this season, he would be favourite to start for Manchester City and one of the favourites to be the top goalscorer of the league.
Author's Prediction: 25-30 goals
Alexis Sánchez: Arséne Wenger continues to spend big money on big-name players as he signed Barcelona attacker Alexis Sánchez for a fee estimated to be around £35M. The new Gunner played in a right-wing role for his old club but still managed to score an impressive 19 goals last season. Arsenal fans have every reason to be excited by their latest capture as is a very pacey, skillful, explosive attacker who knows how to find the back of the net. While many Gunners are demanding he plays up front, however, Wenger is unlikely to change his tactics to suit one man, even if it is Sánchez. We can expect Sánchez to play in one of the wide areas of a front three, with Mesut Özil supporting them. Olivier Giroud is still Arsenal's man up front but Sánchez could be a very important attacker for them. If Sánchez can settle down to life in the Premier League quickly and begin racking up goals early on in the season, he has to be considered for the Golden Boot award.
Author's Prediction: 15-20 goals
My personal pick for the Golden Boot is Robin van Persie of Manchester United. Despite being a Liverpool fan myself, I cannot help but admire his scoring ability and his sublime technique on the ball. Is there a more-natural goalscorer than van Persie in the world? If there is, I haven't seen him! Who do you think will win the Golden Boot this season? Make sure to comment your choice below!
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Daniel Sturridge: Is there a better place to start than with Suárez's strike partner? Despite missing a number of games through injury last season, the pacey English forward bagged 21 goals as he aided Liverpool's return to the Champions League. Sturridge's main assets are his pace and skill on the ball, which can leave any defender in the world on their ass. However, the departure of Suárez has left a huge hole in Liverpool's attack. The arrivals of Adam Lallana and Lazard Markovic, combined with Suso and Jordan Ibe returning from loan, will certainly give Sturridge more supply to feed upon but as Liverpool are fully expected to trash the two-striker system for an attacking trio, Sturridge will need to sacrifice some of his goalscoring ability in order to contribute more to his side's general attacking play. He might not have the 30-goal season which Liverpool fans are expecting from him but he will still be a major contender for the Golden Boot award.
Author's Prediction: 20-25 goals
Romelu Lukaku: On the other side of Stanley park, Everton completed the signing of Romelu Lukaku for a club-record £28M fee. The Belgian powerhouse was a big hit at Goodison Park last season when he was there on loan, as he scored 15 goals in 31 league appearances last term. Lukaku's main strengths are his physical abilities; he has pace, power, stamina and is a force to be reckoned with in the air. Lukaku is expected to push on from last season and he will be attempting to lead Everton to a Champions League spot. Can Lukaku's ambitions to be the top goalscorer in the Premier League become reality?
Author's Prediction: 15-20 goals
Diego Costa: Chelsea spent £32M to bring in Atlético Madrid striker Diego Costa. Mourinho was keen to improve a strikeforce which had been lacking a regular source of goals for almost five years and is there a better candidate than a man who scored 27 La Liga goals last term? Diego Costa is perhaps one of the most complete strikers in the Premier League; he is quick, strong, good in the air, skillful, intelligent and has great vision. He is perhaps what Chelsea have been missing over the last few seasons and could help to fire them to the league title. Costa is possibly at his dream-team too as he has Hazard, Fábregas and Oscar playing in midfield, which makes scoring a lot easier as he can expect plenty of opportunites to be created for him every game. Costa certainly has the potential to become a world-class striker but will Chelsea's history of strikers not performing scare him? He doesn't need to look further than the bench to see former world-class strikers become no more than a shell of themselves as fellow Spaniard Fernando Torres is still looking to prove himself after his £50M transfer from Liverpool in 2011.
Author's Prediction: 20-25 goals
Robin van Persie: "The Flying Dutchman" will be looking to win the Golden Boot for a third time after a season filled with unfortunate injuries left him unable to play more than 21 league games for Manchester United last term. However, despite his injury problems and his team's poor season, van Persie scored 12 goals last term and was his team's shining light during a very dark spell for England's most successful club in the 21st century. Robin van Persie may not be the quickest or the strongest player but he is extremely intelligent, is accurate from set-pieces and is possibly the most technically-gifted player in the Premier League. His strike is cleaner than any other and his left strikes the ball like a hammer. The arrival of Louis van Gaal will certainly give van Persie a lift of confidence as the two worked together as manager and captain in the World Cup in Brazil, where Holland claimed a very impressive third-place finish. Manchester United may be undergoing many changes under their new manager but the new style of play suits van Persie very well and if he can stay away from injuries, he will surely one of the favourites to be the league's top goalscorer.
Author's Prediction: 25-30 goals
Wayne Rooney: We cannot forget van Persie's strike partner, and Manchester United's new captain, Wayne Rooney. He may come under a lot of scrutiny when playing for his country but Rooney's club form can not be doubted. Rooney was Manchester United's top goalscorer in the league last season, as he scored 17 goals in 29 appearances, while playing in a role closer to midfield. Rooney is well known for his powerful shooting and his ability to get in to goalscoring positions under the radar of the defenders but his dribbling and skill on the ball cannot be underestimated. Put him up any defender in the league and Rooney can make a mockery of them. Wayne Rooney can also look forward to playing in his more natural striker position as van Gaal favours playing one striker over two. Alongside Robin van Persie and Juan Mata in Manchester United's attacking trio, we can expect another good goalscoring season from the skipper.
Author's Prediction: 20-25 goals
Sergio Agüero: Next on the list is Manchester City's sweetheart Sergio Agüero. The Argentine suffered a recurring hamstring problem over the course of last season which saw him play just 23 times in the league. However, he scored almost as much as he played as he finished the season with a tally of 17 goals. Agüero's main strengths are his pace and skill, while he is very much a creative team-player too. Now at the age of 26, Agüero is coming to the best years of his career and he will be looking to enjoy his time at Manchester City by battling to retain their Premier League trophy, which they won last season. However, there is huge competition for starting spots up front at the Etihad, with Negredo, Jovetic and Džeko all battling it out to lead the line of the English champions. If Agüero can stay fit this season, he would be favourite to start for Manchester City and one of the favourites to be the top goalscorer of the league.
Author's Prediction: 25-30 goals
Alexis Sánchez: Arséne Wenger continues to spend big money on big-name players as he signed Barcelona attacker Alexis Sánchez for a fee estimated to be around £35M. The new Gunner played in a right-wing role for his old club but still managed to score an impressive 19 goals last season. Arsenal fans have every reason to be excited by their latest capture as is a very pacey, skillful, explosive attacker who knows how to find the back of the net. While many Gunners are demanding he plays up front, however, Wenger is unlikely to change his tactics to suit one man, even if it is Sánchez. We can expect Sánchez to play in one of the wide areas of a front three, with Mesut Özil supporting them. Olivier Giroud is still Arsenal's man up front but Sánchez could be a very important attacker for them. If Sánchez can settle down to life in the Premier League quickly and begin racking up goals early on in the season, he has to be considered for the Golden Boot award.
Author's Prediction: 15-20 goals
My personal pick for the Golden Boot is Robin van Persie of Manchester United. Despite being a Liverpool fan myself, I cannot help but admire his scoring ability and his sublime technique on the ball. Is there a more-natural goalscorer than van Persie in the world? If there is, I haven't seen him! Who do you think will win the Golden Boot this season? Make sure to comment your choice below!
