EFL fan Tom Love (@TomLove_18) has been tasked with tackling the ante-post Top Goalscorer market ahead of the 2020/21 Championship season.
WLB Season Preview 2020/21 | Championship: Top Goalscorer
Troy Parrott (33/1 Bet365)
I’m sure every Spurs fan will be watching on with anticipation for how their very well-regarded young striker Troy Parrott does whilst at Millwall on-loan this season. He’s the heir to Harry Kane and how fitting it is that Parrott comes to The Den just as Kane did in his youth.
It’s a clever and eye-catching capture from Gary Rowett and he has a striker who has a lot to his game, even at his tender age, but it’s goals more than anything the Dubliner is renowned for.
Parrott has scored at all youth levels, both for Spurs and Ireland internationally, and his performances were rewarded with a first senior cap not so long ago – expect many more under youth team coach turn full-time boss Stephen Kenny with the Republic, who will know all about his strengths.
He is positionally very aware and makes the right decision more often than not; when he’s through on goal you can tell by his body shape that he is a natural finisher, almost Thierry Henry like in that regard.
The 18-year-old can stop the ball dead and get a shot off instantly and can get a decent amount of power behind his strikes, that are hit with conviction. He’s also a tireless worker and can create chances for himself with his non-stop pressing, not giving defenders a moments peace.
There’s not much Parrott doesn’t have for a striker, which is incredible given how young he is, he just needs to go out and prove it now, and this move looks like a great one for him and Millwall.
With the likes of star man Jed Wallace (who was only behind Matheus Pereira for assists in the Championship last season) supplying him the ammunition, it could make for a very interesting breakthrough season for Parrott.
We’ve seen young strikers from big clubs drop down to the Championship and boss it with Tammy Abraham, and more recently Rhian Brewster, managing to score goals at an impressive rate. Odds of 33/1 each-way with Bet365 look very tempting for someone who has a big future ahead of him.
Kieffer Moore (33/1 Bet365)
There was a sense of inevitability about Kieffer Moore going to Cardiff this summer. He was one of many to leave cash-strapped Wigan this summer and, being a Welsh national team player with the Euros on the horizon next summer, he needed a move to stay in the Championship and who better than the capital club.
Moore fits the bill of a Neil Harris striker almost to a tee. Having been a centre-half in the past for the likes of Yeovil and Torquay, he has the physical presence, standing at 6'5 making him a monstrous threat in the air.
Cardiff scored more goals from set-pieces than any other side in the Championship (23) and that will be music to the ears of the giant Moore. The Bluebirds were accustomed to aerial bombardments under Neil Warnock and that proved both efficient and effective with the right personnel. Harris is very Warnock-esque in his ideals – it’s basically a younger version of the charismatic Yorkshireman.
Cardiff may not win any awards for aesthetics but that’s beside the point in this market. Moore should start the large majority of games, although Robert Glatzel will provide good competition for the role and that should drive him on.
He’s not just a heading merchant by the way, far from it. Last season we saw two scarily similar finishes, clever backheels from low crosses, one was actually against Cardiff, the other against Reading if you want to check them out. Moore was also on penalties for Wigan so it will be interesting to see if he takes that mantle at his new club.
Cardiff are expected to be in the play-off running again this season and Moore could be a key asset for the way they want to play, I can see him having a wonderful campaign and the 33/1 (Bet365) each-way available is one of my most fancied of the summer.
Adam Armstrong (40/1 BetVictor)
Another of my keen fancies in this market is Blackburn striker Adam Armstrong at an overpriced 40/1 (BetVictor).
Armstrong has always had a sweet strike on him and he’s got variety to his goals in his locker too – you can see him smash in a 25-yard screamer as often as you see him beat an offside trap and utilise his pace to get in behind and slot home. He Aalso seems to have found a home at Ewood Park under Tony Mowbray.
Armstrong smashed in 16 league goals last season, a decent return that went slightly under the radar. He had a barnstorming end to the campaign with six in his last nine games and he looked extremely sharp in that time. He played for England at various youth levels and has racked up a lot of EFL appearances for someone still just 23 years-old, and he’s a year nearer to what you’d call a peak age for a striker.
I’d urge you to go look at a YouTube compilation of his goals for Rovers and Coventry, it says it all. His conviction in his finishing is mesmeric, the confidence when he’s through on goal, as well as the bravery to take long range efforts on with great accuracy, is truly admirable.
He’s a born goalscorer and if Mowbray can build the team around him I think the Lancashire club have a great chance of a play-off push. He looks to be on spot-kick duty again this season as he was in the recent EFL Cup game against Doncaster. That is a major plus.
40/1 is best price with BetVictor but I wouldn’t be surprised to see that get hoovered up quickly. I’d still be taking the 33/1 with SkyBet and William Hill – in all honesty, I expected 20/1-25/1 across the board. Bet365 go 20/1, which is about right in my eyes.
Best Bets
Championship 2020/21 – Troy Parrott to be Top Goalscorer (33/1 each-way Bet365)
Championship 2020/21 – Kieffer Moore to be Top Goalscorer (33/1 each-way Bet365)
Championship 2020/21 – Adam Armstrong to be Top Goalscorer (40/1 each-way BetVictor)
