Premier League top scorers 2024-25: Erling Haaland, Cole Palmer early front-runners in the race for the Golden Boot

There were whispers last season about Erling Haaland’s dominance in the Premier League starting to fade as his goal tally dipped, but the Norwegian striker remained lethal.

As anticipated, the Norse titan enters the 2024-25 season as the frontrunner for the Golden Boot. If he claims the crown once again, he will create history as only two players in Premier League history have managed to claim the Golden Boot three consecutive seasons (Alan Shearer, Thierry Henry).

Haaland has already made a fast start to this season, notably hitting two hat-tricks in the first three game weeks.

Bryan Mbeumo has started this season with a bang, and with Ivan Toney making the move to Saudi Arabia, the Cameroon international is set to be a key figure for the Bees. Mbeumo has developed a strong partnership with Yoane Wissa in attack, making him even more crucial to the team’s success this season.

An aerially dominant old-fashioned target-man striker, Wood initially underwent scrutiny from some quarters of the Forest fanbase for not making quite the impact everyone had hoped for since joining from Newcastle – at first on loan, then permanently.

However, the New Zealand international changed the narrative by bagging some crucial goals in the 2023-24 season and has carried over that form into the new campaign.

When the Saudis reached out to Liverpool for Mohamed Salah last summer, many were sure they wouldn’t come back empty-handed. Saudi Pro League club Al-Ittihad were ready to fork out to the tune of £150m to have the 31-year-old forward on board.

Many were surprised after the offer rejection. Salah was not getting any younger. When your glory is on the wane, it’s advisable to join the Saudi league nowadays and make loads of money. But that was what most thought. As far as Salah was concerned, he knew there was a lot more competitive football left in him. And he could further strengthen his legacy.

Cole Palmer has thrived since his move from his childhood club Manchester City to Chelsea. The 22-year-old netted 25 goals across all competitions during an outstanding debut season.

Palmer’s stellar performances earned him the Premier League Young Player of the Season, PFA Fans’ Player of the Year, and PFA Young Player of the Year honors. However, despite his individual success, it was a challenging year for Chelsea, who finished sixth under Mauricio Pochettino’s leadership.

Now, under new manager Enzo Maresca, the Blues are a dominant force once more, dismantling teams with ease, with Palmer consistently making headlines.

Former Man United and Arsenal striker Danny Welbeck, now 33 years old, has been a mainstay in the Brighton team in recent years and netted his 100th career goal on Saturday in the 2-1 win over his former club Manchester United early in the season.

After bursting onto the scene as one of Europe’s most thrilling attacking prospects during his breakout campaign at Villarreal in 2022-23, Nicolas Jackson made the switch to the Blues in a £32 million transfer last summer.

Though the Senegalese striker had his ups and downs throughout the season, he still managed to notch an impressive 14 goals in his debut Premier League season. He’ll be aiming to surpass that tally this time around.

With English striker Ivan Toney out of the door to Saudi Arabia, the onus will be on Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa to deliver the goods in the final third for Brentford this season. Mbeumo has been instrumental in Brentford’s success since the West London club’s promotion to the Premier League.

However, Wissa started making his mark for Brentford last year only. The DR Congo international is a composed finisher on both his right and left, with the ability to take defenders on in one-on-one situations thanks to his agility and pace to get in behind defenders.

Despite being heavily linked to Barcelona and drawing interest from Paris Saint-Germain as a potential Kylian Mbappe replacement, the Colombian winger stayed put at Anfield, much to the relief of Liverpool supporters.

He has done more than enough to dismiss any speculation about his commitment and prowess on the field, starting the season in scintillating form. Diaz tallied eight goals and five assists in the Premier League last season, but he’s already on track to eclipse those numbers just three games into the current campaign.

If Díaz continues to deliver across all competitions, he’s set to remain Arne Slot’s go-to option on the left wing, where hitting double digits in both goals and assists is well within his reach. With a bit of luck, he might even add more silverware to his collection this season.Getty Images Sport

Liam Delap is already looking a bargain at £20m after Ipswich Town signed him from Manchester City last summer. The youngster will only gain more confidence from playing more at Premier League level and is looking a real handful this season. If Ipswich are to stay up, they need him to maintain his form all campaign.

It took Ollie Watkins a few games to get going in the 2024-25 season, but the England international has a big target to aim for this term, having scored 19 times last year in the division.

Aston Villa forward Duran was the subject of intense transfer rumors involving West Ham throughout the summer, but rather than distracting him, the speculation appears to have fueled his impressive early-season form.

The 22-year-old arrived at Stamford Bridge from Dutch side PSV Eindhoven in January 2023 but struggled to make an impact in his first six months at the club.

After a difficult start to last season, there were signs of improvement under Mauricio Pochettino as Madueke finished the season really strongly and he scored several important goals for the Blues.

Madueke has bundles of ability and energy, coupled with a strong pre-season and a newfound scoring touch, have led to an impressive start to the new campaign.

Jamie Vardy has returned to the Premier League with a renewed sense of vigour and the striker could well surpass the likes of Robin van Persie and Teddy Sheringham on the Premier League’s all-time top scorers list if he has a good campaign.

The void left by Dominic Solanke looked to be a difficult one for Bournemouth to fill, but Antoine Semenyo is already giving it a proper go. Despite the arrival of Brazilian forward Evanilson, it is Semenyo who looks to be the main beneficiary of Solanke’s departure, at least for the time being.

Arsenal paid a whooping £65 million ($85m) pounds to sign Kai Havertz in the summer of 2023 which was largely considered a poor deal at the time. However, he is slowly starting to prove that Mikel Arteta and co. were right to take an expensive gamble on him

Having banked an outstanding season in front of goal last season, Jean-Phillippe Mateta has returned from the Olympics determined to keep his scoring run going.

Harvey Barnes hit the ground running in 2024-25 and will be aiming for double figures this season after struggling with injuries last term.

Heung-min Son is Tottenham’s standout player. The South Korean has been a crucial figure for Spurs for several years, and since Harry Kane’s departure, Son has elevated his performance even further.

Son led Tottenham as their top scorer in the 2023/24 season, and he is well-positioned to continue that success this season.

Newcastle United face a stalemate in contract discussions with Alexander Isak, fueling concerns that the Swedish forward might consider a move away next summer. Despite the uncertain future, the contract situation hasn’t impacted the striker’s performances. After a season disrupted by early injuries, the Swede international has returned to form, consistently finding the back of the net with ease.

Everton are tipped to struggle again this season, but they can always rely on Dominic Calvert-Lewin in front of goal. The England international hasn’t quite scaled the heights of 2020-21, but he will be looking for double figures this term after a few disrupted seasons.

A £30million summer signing from Watford, Joao Pedro is the definition of a modern attacker. Quick, versatile, agile and robust with a deadly shot in his locker, he’s involved in build-up play with far greater regularity, carries the ball like a winger and is also a better presser without the ball. He just needs to add consistency to his goalscoring ways to establish himself as a prolific English top-flight striker.

Signed for what could eventually prove a club-record fee of £50million ($65m) from Everton in the offseason, Belgium international Amadou Onana is an outstanding player who can cover ground in his sleep, but his technical proficiency elevates him to another level in a hybrid box-to-box role under Unai Emery at Aston Villa.

(GOAL)