‘GREAT POTENTIAL’: Paul Merson tips ‘surprise’ Tottenham player ahead of Erling Haaland in his prediction of next Golden boot winner.
Former Arsenal player Paul Merson has revealed who he thinks will win the Premier League’s Golden Boot award in 2023-24, and it is surprisingly not Manchester City striker Erling Haaland.
Haaland was acquired by City from Borussia Dortmund last summer for almost £51 million. In his debut season in England, the Norwegian went on to shatter a number of records, scoring an amazing 52 goals in 53 games to assist City in capturing the Champions League, Premier League, and FA Cup.
Last season, Haaland easily won the Golden Boot, scoring 36 goals in 35 league games. Ivan Toney of Brentford impressed as he placed third with a total of 20 goals, while Harry Kane finished in second place with 30 goals.
Following his dominance over defenses the previous season, many would anticipate Haaland to keep the goal-scoring honor. Merson, though, has chosen a different path, placing his trust in Tottenham’s star player Kane and giving Liverpool’s Mo Salah honorable mention.
The analyst highlighted why Haaland’s scoring rate would slow down in an interview with Sportskeeda, even though it shouldn’t have any impact on Kane.
“Harry Kane will win the Premier League Golden Boot next season, in my opinion. Didn’t Erling Haaland quit scoring goals toward the end of the previous season? Teams may have put him out, but I’m not sure,” Merson added.
“Harry Kane’s record has been incredible. He got to 30 goals last season without scoring four goals a game. What he’s done is phenomenal in my opinion and if he does go to Manchester United, I don’t see how he doesn’t win the Golden Boot.
“It’s going to be difficult for Nicolas Jackson and Christopher Nkunku to win the Golden Boot, because we’re not sure who’s going to play at Chelsea. The big advantage that the likes of Haaland, Kane, and Mohamed Salah have is that they know they’re going to be playing every game.
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“The likes of Darwin Nunez and Alexander Isak won’t be playing every game either. Julian Alvarez is also a great player, but he’d have to get a hat-trick in every game he plays to get close. He’s a starter in almost every other team in Europe.
“Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli couldn’t have played any better than they did last season, and they didn’t get close to Kane and Haaland. You’ve got a lot of forwards getting to 15 goals in the Premier League, but that’s not going to win you the Golden Boot.”
Given what he accomplished during his final tenure, Kane does merit such acclaim. While Haaland plays for a City club that consistently generates several opportunities, Kane is a standout for a Spurs team that has struggled with confidence in previous seasons.
The only issue with Kane possibly taking home the next Golden Boot is that he might not even be playing for England in the upcoming campaign.
After he reached the final 12 months of his contract in North London, Bayern had their eyes on him.
The German champions have had bids worth £60m and £70m rejected by Spurs. The two teams will meet again next week as Bayern aim to strike an agreement. And The Telegraph state Bayern could bid as much as £86m to sign the England captain.
