Shot-shy Kane out to 12/1 to retain Premier League top goalscorer crown

Paul Okey
20 September 2021

Tottenham striker has failed to register a goal in the opening four league games for the first time since 2015/16.

Harry Kane had drifted from 10/1 to 12/1 with Planet Sport Bet to finish the season as the Premier League's top goalscorer following another blank weekend.

The Tottenham striker has failed to score in his first four Premier League appearances for the first time since 2015/16 and has attempted just four shots.

The good news for the England captain is that he went on to score 25 goals that season despite failing to register in any of his opening six games.

It helped gain Kane a reputation as a notoriously slow starter but the stats fail to back that up.

He didn't open his account until the fourth game of both 2016/17 and 2017/18 but hit the ground running in the three seasons that followed.

In 2018/19, he hit five goals in his first seven games and went on to match that figure the following campaign. In 2020/21, he hit three in his first four games on the way to nine in 12.

This summer's failed move to Manchester City has only increased the focus on the 28-year-old but he will be buoyed by a look at Spurs' next two league fixtures.

Nuno Espirito Santo's side travel to north London rivals Arsenal on Sunday, a team Kane has scored 11 times against in just 13 fixtures.

It is followed by a home game against Aston Villa, who have conceded seven times to Kane in eight games.

Kane has ground to make up on Cristiano Ronaldo in the race to be the Premier League's leading goalscorer, however. The Portuguese striker took his tally to three with a strike against West Ham at the weekend.

It saw his odds shorten to 9/4 from 11/4 to take the top scorer crown come the end of the season.

Meanwhile, there is a new market leader in the race to be the first Premier League player to score 10 goals.

Mo Salah's fourth goal of the campaign drew the Egyptian level with Bruno Fernandes and Michail Antonio at the head of the scoring charts and saw his odds tumble from 9/2 to 11/4.

Romelu Lukaku is next best at 4/1, with Ronaldo 5s and Kane out at 25/1.