Content Editor at Free Super Tips, Alex was born in the shadow of Old Trafford and is an avid Man Utd fan. After graduating from university he combined his love of football, writing and betting to join FST and now closely follows goings-on in all of the top European leagues.
Premier League Top Goalscorer Predictions
Romelu Lukaku
There’s no doubt about it that Romelu Lukaku has the potential to be a world beating striker, he just needs channelling in the right way. He was in fine form in the early stages of last season and ended the campaign with an impressive 18 Premier League goals despite Everton’s overall horrendous season.
This season should be different though. They have a proven and excellent manager in Ronald Koeman who knows exactly how to get the best out of his players, and as long as Everton keep hold of Lukaku I think he’ll be well up there in the scoring charts. He operates extremely well as a lone forward, with the strength and pace to trouble defenders in a variety of ways.
As far as his competition for the Golden Boot goes he looks a very good value bet at 14/1 as well. Sergio Aguero is the favourite, but in all likelihood he will spend a couple of months on the sidelines. Jamie Vardy is unlikely to replicate last season’s sensation run of form again, whilst Diego Costa has new competition in Michy Batshuayi and always has an issue with suspensions. Harry Kane is likely to struggle with the demands of both the Premier League and the Champions League, so I think he’ll drop off the boil a bit towards the end of the season.
Overall I think Lukaku is by far the best value of the top five or six strikers. He has all the capabilities to improve on his 18 goal haul last season, and the fact he managed to finish 3rd in the Premier League scoring charts when Everton had such an awful season is testament to their reliance on him.
Longshot – Eden Hazard
Eden Hazard was a much maligned character last season as he cut a forlorn figure on the left wing of a faltering Chelsea side. We’re expecting Chelsea to do a lot better under Antonio Conte next season, and Hazard will undoubtedly be a key part of his setup.
Many people have forgotten that it was only two seasons ago that he deservedly picked up the PFA Player of the Year award, and in the latter part of last season he was starting to return to his best. He continued that form in Euro 2016, especially in Belgium’s demolitions of Republic of Ireland and Hungary.
He netted 14 times in the Premier League during his PFA Player of the Year award winning season, and he’s coming into the prime of his career at the age of 25. He only needs to add a few more goals to that tally and he’s well in with a chance. At 40/1 it looks like an excellent value bet.
Mega Odds Longshot – Raheem Sterling
Admittedly Raheem Sterling didn’t have the impact that Manchester City fans were hoping after his £50 million move to the Etihad last summer, but despite his poor overall campaign he did manage six Premier League goals.
Sterling is very much a confidence based player, and that showed after he was given his chance at Liverpool. He didn’t seem to get that sort of support last season, but it’s well known that Pep Guardiola is a huge admirer of him so he’ll have the backroom support that he needs this season.
Also, let’s not forget what Guardiola did to Lionel Messi. Messi was an emerging talent netting 15 goals per season from the right wing when Guardiola took over as Barcelona manager. The very same season Guardiola took the reins Messi bagged 38 goals in all competitions as he was given a more advanced role. I’m not for one second saying that Sterling is in the same league as Messi, but Manchester City’s new manager has history for turning wingers into goalscoring machines. At 150/1 it’s most definitely a good value bet especially when you can get paid 1/4 the odds if he finishes in the top four, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Sterling up there come the end of the season.
