When Erling Haaland signed for Manchester City from Borussia Dortmund in the summer transfer window, many neutral football fans were wondering if the Norwegian had been overhyped. He may have averaged close to a goal a game in Austria and Germany but could he transfer that ratio to the English Premier League?

Early signs are certainly positive with Haaland grabbing a brace in City’s opening fixture of the 2022/23 season. The Norwegian international was the focus as his team brushed aside a competitive West Ham United team at the London Stadium.

It’s early days of course but that double strike is a good sign for the rest of the campaign. Manchester City will be targeting the Premier League title once again while Haaland has an initial advantage over his rivals in the race for the Golden Boot.

Haaland at the Double

If Erling Haaland is to be Manchester City’s designated penalty taker this season then he will clearly have an advantage. The Norwegian opened the scoring from the spot on 36 minutes after he was initially brought down by the Hammers’ keeper.

Haaland doubled his, and City’s tally, in the second half, latching on to a Kevin de Bruyne through ball before calmly slotting home. That opening game will have sent a clear message to the rest of the division.

Last season, Manchester City won the league without a recognised striker. Erling Haaland has now claimed the number nine shirt and it may be a long campaign for the chasing pack. City are favourites to lift the trophy but how is Haaland rated in the Golden Boot battle?

Golden Boot Contenders

The Golden Boot trophy is awarded to the player who has scored most goals across the Premier League season. If there is a tie, as there was in 2021/22, the award is shared.

There’s also an active set of betting markets for the Golden Boot. These are published all over the world with sports betting sites in New Zealand, Asia, North America, the UK and mainland Europe among those getting in on the action.

Erling Haaland started as the favourite while his closest challengers were Tottenham’s Harry Kane and Mohamed Salah of Liverpool. Gabriel Jesus, Darwin Nunez and Son Heung-Min were further behind at the head of the chasing pack.

Those odds are subject to change: Haaland’s figures have shortened after his opening two goals and the pricing will continue to adjust across the season.

Odds are supplied by sources attached to the CasinoReviews website. Along with news and reviews of all the top casinos, the website covers the best sports betting companies online. As the campaign progresses, any updates to the markets will be shown on the site.

There’s lots of information and it’s possible to put that knowledge to the test. Each casino or sportsbook is happy to take on new players in return for a quick and secure registration form. Once confirmed, many operators will publish a generous promotion to welcome customers on board.

In order to cover opening bets, players can deposit via a number of funding options while customer services can iron out any questions at any stage. Once onboard, there may be ongoing promotions, together with mobile app betting and a wide choice of other sporting markets.

It’s the site to follow in terms of Golden Boot betting but will Erling Haaland build on his promising start?

How Good can Haaland be?

Very few players have been able to maintain a goal a game ratio in the English Premier League. Mo Salah and Harry Kane have both won the Golden Boot on multiple occasions so how do their scoring statistics compare?

Harry Kane’s best season came in 2016/17 when he scored 29 goals in 30 EPL games. A year later, Mohamed Salah recorded 32 goals in 36 league matches in the 2017/18 term.

After that opening brace against West Ham, there are many Manchester City fans who expect Erling Haaland to hit the perfect ratio but this is a tough league. Early signs are good and, even if he doesn’t achieve that goal a game return, Haaland and his City team are well on the way to reaching their respective targets at the end of the season.

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