Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy has been on fire this season for Leicester City. The 32-year-old has scored 17 goals in 19 games this season. Although Vardy turns 33 in January, he is only expected to continue his goal-scoring run.
Currently, Vardy is five goals ahead of joint-second place holders Danny Ings, Marcus Rashford and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. With fixtures coming up before the end of the decade, any of these players can add to their tally. With that, many other players can catch up.
Consequently, fans may see a drop off in form from one of these players, and a new player may rise up. By the end of the season, anyone can take the Golden Boot. Who could catch up to Jamie Vardy and strip him of his lead?
Potential Candidates to Beat Jamie Vardy to the Golden Boot
Danny Ings, Marcus Rashford, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Tied on 12 goals, Danny Ings and Tammy Abraham have a shout of being in the top two. Out of these three that could take Vardy’s top spot, one would have to bet on Aubameyang. He has scored 12 goals so far this season.
Arsenal‘s talisman scored 22 goals last season, tied with Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah. He is already halfway there this term. Furthermore, with the arrival of Mikel Arteta, his tough, no-nonsense philosophy may spur Aubameyang to more goals than last year. That’s if the cards are played right, of course.
Danny Ings is not to be written off, however. Ings could go on and reach 20 goals for the season if he doesn’t drop off. The only thing that would hold him back is that Southampton are not at an extremely high level. He may have to carry the team a bit.
After a slightly slow start, Marcus Rashford has found his form for Manchester United. The 22-year-old has scored 12 goals this term and is on course to reach at least 20. It would take a large drop off from Vardy and a large boost in goal-scoring from Rashford for him to catch up. After all, nothing is impossible.
Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane
Both Liverpool stars have scored nine goals this season. Similarly to Rashford, they’d have to explode in the second half of the season to get close to Vardy.
Sadio Mane finished fourth in Ballon d’Or voting in 2019. His African compatriot, Mohamed Salah, finished in fifth. It is going to take a monumental rise in form to usurp the Leicester superstar that is Jamie Vardy. He’s been playing as if he were Ballon d’Or worthy himself.
Harry Kane, Sergio Aguero, Raheem Sterling
When Harry Kane isn’t injured, or when Tottenham Hotspur aren’t slumping down in terms of results, he scores goal after goal.
Sergio Aguero is also one of the most lethal forwards around. He’s suffered from some injury problems, preventing him from potentially easing his way into second place. He’s always contended for the top scorer award, and once his injury woes go away, he’ll hope to scare the rest of the competition with his talent.
Raheem Sterling, over the past few years, has emerged as possibly the best winger in the Premier League. He scored a total of 35 goals in his two title-winning seasons with Manchester City. If he continues to slowly take the spotlight from Aguero, he would have a big shout in challenging for the Golden Boot.
Surprise Challenger: Teemu Pukki
Teemu Pukki dominated the Championship last season, becoming top scorer and guiding Norwich City into the Premier League. He’s scored nine goals this term, which is commendable considering Norwich’s struggles halfway through the season. If he can repeat his goal-scoring antics from last season, he definitely has a chance over an ageing Vardy.
Will Anyone Beat Vardy to the Golden Boot?
Despite all the hype around these players, the reality is that there is absolutely no stopping Jamie Vardy. Five goals ahead of second place, he’s run away with it almost already. He’d have to suffer a big injury to give most contenders a chance. However, there is still a small chance of these things happening.
Who will be the Premier League top scorer for 2019/20? The answer is Jamie Vardy, beating Mohamed Salah’s record of 32 league goals.
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