Aleksander Mitrovic 5-1 Favorite to Win EFL Championship Golden Boot
- Battle for Championship Golden Boot is underway
- Fulham’s Mitrovic favorite with at online sportsbooks
- Ollie Watkins is worthy longshot
The English Championship is now two games old and, while it’s too early to see who the promotion contenders are going to be, some of the names in the frame of the league’s Golden Boot are already up and running.
We’ll take a look and see if we can find some value beyond the bookies’ favorites.
2019/20 English Championship Top Scorer Odds
| Player | 2019-20 Goals | Odds |
|---|---|---|
| Aleksandar Mitrovic | 1 | +500 |
| Karlan Grant | 2 | +900 |
| Patrick Bamford | 1 | +1000 |
| Britt Assombalonga | 1 | +1600 |
| Lewis Grabban | 1 | +1800 |
| Pablo Hernandez | 2 | +2000 |
| Lyle Taylor | 2 | +2000 |
| Sam Gallagher | 0 | +2000 |
| Kenneth Zohore | 0 | +2200 |
| Bobby Reid | 0 | +2500 |
| Ollie Watkins | 1 | +2500 |
| Borja Baston | 1 | +2500 |
| Lucas Jutkiewicz | 1 | +2800 |
| Bradley Dack | 0 | +3300 |
| Jack Marriot | 0 | +3300 |
| Jarrod Bowen | 1 | +3300 |
| Mohamed Benrahma | 0 | +3300 |
| Nick Powell | 0 | +3300 |
| Sam Vokes | 0 | +3300 |
| Steve Mounie | 0 | +3300 |
| Robert Glatzel | 0 | +3300 |
| Benik Afobe | 0 | +4000 |
| Famara Diedhiou | 0 | +4000 |
| Martyn Waghorn | 0 | +4000 |
| Sean Maguire | 1 | +4000 |
| Emiliano Marcondes | 0 | +4000 |
| Jordan Rhodes | 0 | +5000 |
| Lee Gregory | 0 | +5000 |
| Omar Bogle | 0 | +5000 |
| James Collins | 1 | +6600 |
| Helda Costa | 0 | +6600 |
| Hal Robson Kanu | 0 | +8000 |
| Isaac Vassell | 0 | +8000 |
| Steven Fletcher | 1 | +8000 |
Odds taken 08/14/19.
The value of a regular goalscorer in the Championship cannot be overestimated and it’s no coincidence that its top eight goalscorers from last season are now all plying their trade in the English Premier League.
Some, like Teemu Pukki and Billy Sharp, scored the goals that took their teams to promotion. Others – like Tammy Abraham and Dwight Gayle – returned to their parent clubs, while the likes of Ollie McBurnie and Che Adams have been snapped by Premier League clubs.
Of last season’s top ten, only Jarrod Bowen and Lewis Grabben have a chance of repeating the feat, and both are outsiders in the frame for this campaign’s Golden Boot at 33/1 and 18/1 respectively.
Mitrovic Leading the Fulham Charge
With Fulham tipped to bounce back to the Premier League at the first attempt, Aleksander Mitrovic leads the field for a reason. In addition to playing in a team that, by Championship standards, is a strong one, he’s a proven goalscorer at this level and scored 12 goals in 17 games in the Cottagers’ promotion season of 2017/18.
Aleksander Mitrovic has 4 headed goals for @FulhamFC in the #PL this season – more than any other player 👏 pic.twitter.com/ca7z1EY7NY
— Premier League (@premierleague) November 25, 2018
Mitrovic also scored 11 Premier League goals last season in a Fulham team that underperformed and spent almost the entire campaign in the relegation zone, and so will thrive against the more generous defenses of the second tier. Even at 5/1, it’s a bet worth considering.
Huddersfield Granted a Chance to Bounce Back
Huddersfield’s Karlan Grant is another who will benefit from dropping out of the EPL after Huddersfield were relegated, but doesn’t have the same pedigree outside of the top flight of Mitrovic. His four goals in the Premier League from 13 appearances will have given him confidence, but at 9/1 there is better value to be had.
https://twitter.com/jordynrosehtafc/status/1121662744502001664
And speaking of bets to be ignored, we’re not particularly drawn to the 10/1 on offer for Patrick Bamford, as the Leeds’ striker misfired badly in their run-in last season. If Bamford had converted a higher percentage of his chances, Leeds would be playing Premier League football this season.
If looking at Leeds, then a better bet would be the talismanic Pablo Hernandez, whose 20/1 offers much better value.
A New Boro?
Middlesbrough’s Britt Assombalonga is an interesting one, in that he may benefit from a change of manager. Under the defense-minded Tony Pulis, his goalscoring opportunities were limited but if Jonathan Woodgate implements a more expansive approach, Assombaloga will benefit and 16/1 will look great value.
57 – Since his first season in the EFL Championship (2014-15), Britt Assombalonga has scored more goals than any other player in the second tier of English League football (57). Statement. pic.twitter.com/MR39LbTayF
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) April 19, 2019
A little further down the betting, there is Brentford’s Ollie Watkins, a player who for some time has been touted with a move to the Premier League. At 25/1 and with a goal already tucked under his belt this season, he’s definitely one to watch, as is Blackburn’s Bradley Dack (33/1), whose 15 goals last season may lead the way to an even bigger return this time around.
📰 Brentford forward Ollie Watkins is expected to stay despite Crystal Palace’s approach [The Times] #CPFC pic.twitter.com/ZLY2znZSnw
— PALACE XTRA 📰 (@cpfc_xtra) August 7, 2019
For anyone looking to speculate on an outsider, we’d suggest looking no further than Luton’s James Collins at 66/1. The Irishman has scored goals aplenty at every level he’s played at, and we think he, and Luton, will surprise a few this season.
Pick: Ollie Watkins to be Championship’s top scorer (+2500)
Once just a sports fanatic, fan-turned-writer Gary Gowers has been featured on European television and radio networks to discuss several professional football clubs. His work can be found in an assortment of publications like The Metro, MyFootballWriter.com, and BBC Radio Norfolk.
