We are now over a quarter of a way into the 2024/25 Championship season as the second-tier table begins to take shape, but who are the players gunning for the golden boot?
This article will rank the top five contenders for the award currently held by former Blackburn Rovers forward, Sammie Szmodics, with a clutch of honourable mentions of the outsiders in the race to be top scorer.
Outsiders:
HM – Mark Harris (4 goals) – Oxford United
Could Harris replicate Szmodics’ heroics and land the golden boot with his goals keeping up a side languishing around the relegation zone as the Irishman did with Blackburn Rovers last season?
In reality, it’s unlikely but the 25-year-old’s impressive return to the Championship has been impressive. Already improving upon his tally of three goals last time Harris played in the second tier with Cardiff City, back in 2022/23.
However, Harris doesn’t make the list as there is an element of doubt around the striker who scored in all of Oxford’s first four Championship games but is currently suffering an eight-game goal drought, a concern that isn’t usually synonymous with golden boot winners.
HM – Joel Piroe (4 goals) – Leeds United
Piroe is a proven Championship goalscorer, recording 22 goals in his first season with Swansea, 19 in his second and 14 goals last season whilst playing a part in Leeds United’s promotion push.
The Frenchman is likely to be pivotal to the Whites’ promotion chances again this season and has already netted four goals in just five starts.
Caution must be used around the Leeds forward however amid the continuing emergence of young striker, Mateo Joseph, who has started the majority of Leeds’ games this season and could well displace Piroe with a hot streak of form.
5 – Morgan Whittaker (3 goals) – Plymouth Argyle
Plymouth currently hover above the relegation zone after twelve games with another survival scrap likely on the cards for Argyle this season.
If the Pilgrims are to climb the table however, it will likely be down to the individual brilliance of Whittaker who currently tops Plymouth’s scoring charts so far this season along with Ibrahim Cissoko.
Whittaker finished last season with 19 Championship goals and could well match that number this season, although Plymouth’s struggles in games could hinder the 23-year-old’s chances of mounting a serious challenge for the golden boot.
4 – Haji Wright (5 goals) – Coventry City
Coventry City have had far from the perfect start this season, however, a return to form for Haji Wright will be a welcome turn of events for many Sky Blues fans.
Wright finished his debut Championship season with 16 goals last campaign, although with the American netting five goals in just eight starts, Wright is well on track to record a better haul this season.
Should Coventry start to work their way back to the play-off places as they will be hoping, Wright, alongside strike partner Ellis Simms, will be vital to any success.
3 – Romaine Mundle (4 goals) – Sunderland
It may seem like high praise but it’s hard not to watch Romaine Mundle and see flashes of Crysencio Summerville at Leeds United, who tore apart the Championship and netted twenty goals.
The ex-Tottenham Hotspur academy star has been a crucial part of Sunderland’s stunning start to the season which sees them perched at the top of the pile after just twelve games.
Mundle has four goals from ten starts and is a continuous headache for defences, his quick feet and tendencies to find the back of the net from long distances and spectacular angles make him a genuine golden boot contender, especially if Sunderland can maintain their sparking form.
2 – Josh Maja (7 goals) – West Bromwich Albion
Initially made known to many people for his impressive goalscoring record as an academy graduate at Sunderland, documented by the Netflix documentary: ‘Sunderland Till I Die’, Maja is now making his presence known in the Championship despite a poor return last season for the Baggies.
Maja has netted seven times already this season and has to be considered a serious candidate for the golden boot, especially when the 25-year-old has been seen to be capable of smashing in a hat-trick, as he did on the opening day against QPR.
A shaky run of form for West Brom and the strength of the top candidate however see Maja take the second place in our early season ranking.
1 – Borja Sainz (10 goals) – Norwich City
Sainz’s form so far this season for Norwich City has been nothing short of sensational.
The Spaniard has seemingly completed an impressive transformation over the summer from being a useful forward player for Norwich into an absolutely indispensable player for the Canaries who has already single-handedly won Norwich points this season.
Sainz’s unbelievable strike against Middlesborough just last weekend encapsulates the confidence that the forward is playing with currently, and rightly so. The 23-year-old’s hat-trick against Derby County won Norwich the game and his brace against Middlesborough salvaged his side a point.
Just short of a goal a game is unlikely to be a sustainable rate of scoring for Sainz, but it’s fair to say that he is well and truly the favourite for the golden boot so far. Should Sainz stay fit, the winger could have a memorable individual season.