Premiership / Andrew Clarke / 21 August 2010 / Leave a comment Bet Now View Market

Andrew Clarke discusses the merits of the main contenders in the Premier League Top English goalscorer market and likes the look of Frank Lampard's price...

Didier Drogba's opening day hat-trick against West Brom sent him straight to the top of the Premier League scoring charts as he attempts to retain the Golden Boot he won last season. So will an Englishman challenge him this time around? Well the evidence of the last ten years suggests not with Nicolas Anelka, Cristiano Ronaldo, Thierry Henry, Ruud Van Nistelrooy, and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink ruling the roost along with the Ivorian. In the nineties the top of the charts were very much the domain of the English thanks partly to fewer foreign stars but mainly to a glut of prolific, homegrown strikers.

Those days are gone though and now it may pay to look more at the market for the leading English Premier League scorer. Wayne Rooney came in at number one last season weighing in with 26 which was a significant improvement on tallies of 12, 12, 14, and16 in his previous four campaigns but is available at what is still a pretty generous-looking [2.68]. He hasn't scored for club or country in an injury-ravaged last four and a half months and is still short of match fitness but in a United side that's hit the ground running he'll still be the focal point of a team that will create plenty of chances. He's tempting but he doesn't look 100% fit right now so it may be best to wait a couple of weeks before diving in at what is a relatively short price.

Darren Bent was just two behind Rooney with 24, half of 13th placed Sunderland's total and comfortably his best Premier League return with his previous high being 18 for Charlton in 05/06. The 26 year-old's guaranteed to start and also takes penalties but for that reason maybe is only available at a relatively unattractive [6.2]. It's asking a lot for him to single-handedly shoulder the goal-scoring burden at the Stadium of Light again.

Frank Lampard is of course not a centre forward but you'd never know from his scoring stats. 22 last term was his best Premier League haul and he has much to recommend him at [10.5] given that he misses very few games, plays for the Champions, is the regular penalty taker and takes a mean free kick. If he can score 20 league goals once more he's certainly in with a real chance.

Jermain Defoe got off to a flyer last season with 14 league goals before the turn of the year but a lacklustre finish saw him net just four more on his way to a tally of 18 and for that reason seems to be strangely unfancied at [7.4]. He figured in 37 of Spurs' games last season and occasionally takes penalties. The former West Ham man also has a tendency to fill his boots when the opportunity arises as five goals in the 9-1 victory over Wigan at the Lane testify. Such ruthless punishing of already beaten teams leads some to question the value of his goals but when you're backing goals and goals alone a selfish streak is what you want and the former West Ham man looks another worth having on your side.

Steven Gerrard could be a diamond in the rough. The Liverpool talisman's only hit double figures in his Premier League career three times with his best total being 16 in 08/09 when the Reds finished second. But after choosing to stay at Anfield he's started the season in determined mood and seems utterly committed to the cause under Roy Hodgson. He could be a dark horse in this market but the stats suggest he's just not prolific enough to be a real threat.

And finally, Michael Owen at [30.0] anyone? Everyone's written him off at the age of 31 but after a summer off he's injury free and has more Premier League goals (147) than anyone else mentioned here. Getting into the Manchester United team will be the problem but if he rediscovers the scoring touch he could spring a surprise.

Best Bet: Back Frank Lampard at [10.5]
Recommended Bet: Back Jermain Defoe at [7.2]