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 of defenders the previous season, many would anticipate Haaland to keep the goal-scoring honour. Merson, though, has chosen a different path, placing his trust in Tottenham’s star player Kane and giving Liverpool’s Mo Salah honourable 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 cease scoring goals towards 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.
Because we don’t know who will play for Chelsea, it will be difficult for Nicolas Jackson and Christopher Nkunku to win the Golden Boot. The fact that players like Haaland, Kane, and Mohamed Salah know they will play in every game gives them a significant edge.
Top Premier League scorers are discussed by Paul Merson.
Darwin Nunez and Alexander Isak, for example, won’t be participating in every game. Even though Julian Alvarez is a fantastic player, he would need to score a hat-trick in each game to get close. Almost every other team in Europe starts him.
Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka couldn’t have performed any better than they did last season, yet they fell far short of Kane and Haaland. There are many forwards in the Premier League who score 15, but that won’t get 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.
Spurs turned down proposals from the German champions around £60 million and £70 million. Next week, the two teams will meet once more as Bayern looks to come to an agreement. Bayern could make a bid of up to £86 million to sign the England captain, according to The Telegraph.