Danny Murphy backs Chelsea and Arsenal stars to rival Erling Haaland for Premier League Golden Boot | Football
Danny Murphy believes Chelsea striker Joao Pedro is the ‘main threat’ to Erling Haaland winning a fourth Premier League Golden Boot award.
Manchester City superstar Haaland has enjoyed another sensational start to the new season, scoring five goals in his first five Premier League appearances to jump to the top of the goalscoring charts.
Haaland already has three Premier League Golden Boot awards, only missing out on the gong once since his move to the Etihad Stadium, in the 2024-25 campaign when he was edged out by Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah.
Murphy expects Haaland to finish the current season as the Premier League’s top goalscorer once again and believes his biggest rival will be Chelsea’s Pedro.
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Pedro has already scored three goals for the Blues this term, putting him joint-third in the early standings behind Haaland and Liverpool striker Alexander Isak, who has four.
Murphy also views Arsenal’s Kai Havertz as a possible ‘dark horse’ in the Premier League Golden Boot race given his importance to Mikel Arteta’s defending champions.
Arsenal signed Viktor Gyokeres from Sporting last summer but Havertz has nevertheless retained his status as Arteta’s first-choice striker at the Emirates Stadium.
‘I think Joao Pedro is his main threat to Erling Haaland because of all the qualities he’s got and, more importantly, who’s feeding him,’ former England midfielder Murphy told Snabbare.
‘When you’ve got Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers feeding him every week, if they stay fit and aren’t in Europe playing one game a week, he’s going to get chances, that’s for sure.
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‘I still think even if he has a brilliant season he’ll fall behind Haaland, because Haaland’s got this wonderful ability to score all types of scrappy goals even when he’s not playing well or looks a little bit out of the game.
‘He somehow finds a way of scoring. It’s ridiculous and incredible what he’s doing.
‘The other dark horse, if he stays fit, might be Havertz, not necessarily to catch Haaland, but to be in the top three or four, because Havertz is a calm finisher.
‘If he stays fit Arsenal are going to get him chances, plus he’s brilliant in the air. I think he could be up there pushing behind Haaland, because if Arsenal keep dominating and winning games like they do, and he looks fit, he’s going to score loads of goals.’
Ally McCoist also views Haaland as the clear favourite to end the season as top goalscorer and says Pedro will do well to even get near the Norwegian’s tally.
‘If Joao Pedro finishes within eight or ten goals of Erling Haaland, he’s had an outstanding season,’ McCoist told talkSPORT Bet. ‘Haaland is simply on another level.
‘I’m telling you right now, there’s my prediction. If you can get within 10, honestly, if you can get in between 10, I still think you’ll have scored 15, 20 over the great season. He’s just at a different level.
‘Under Enzo Maresca, City are putting more crosses into the box again, which suits Haaland perfectly as he attacks deliveries at the back post. Haaland will be the top scorer again, likely by a comfortable margin.’
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