The Race for the Championship Golden Boot in 2022-23

We all know that the Championship is one of the toughest football leagues in the world, and it’s incredibly difficult to predict who will gain promotion or face the dreaded drop. That said, the division is a great place for goalscorers to flourish, as demonstrated by Aleksandar Mitrović last season, who bagged a mammoth 43 goals during the 2021-22 campaign for Fulham. 

Looking at this season’s Golden Boot odds Championship strikers will be pleased that Mitrović is no longer on the scene. It’ll be an interesting battle for the top scorer accolade, so let’s have a look at a few players who have made early claims to be in the running. 

Óscar Estupiñán

It’s been an interesting summer for Hull City. Under new ownership, the club have made some quality acquisitions, one of which is Óscar Estupiñán, who arrived from Portuguese side Vitória Guimarães. The Colombian has taken to the Championship like a duck to water and has 7 goals to his name at the time of writing.

If Estupiñán can continue in that vein of form, he’ll be a firm contender for the Golden Boot, and Hull fans will be hoping he can fire the team to a solid season.

Ross Stewart

Scotland international Ross Stewart has excelled for Sunderland since joining from Ross County in 2021, and after scoring 24 goals in League One last season, Stewart has continued that form in the Championship following Sunderland’s promotion. 

With five goals to his name so far this season, Stewart has a big part to play if Sunderland are to establish themselves in the second tier and build towards an eventual return to the Premier League.

Josh Sargent

It’s fair to say that Josh Sargent’s introduction to English football was a bit of a challenge. Seemingly out of his depth in the blood and thunder of the Premier League, the American struggled to find his feet for Norwich City and only managed two top-flight goals.

With Norwich’s relegation to the Championship, Sargent seems to be more at home at this new level, and has already notched five goals this season. The American will be hoping to fire the Canaries to promotion and earn another shot at proving himself in the Premier League.

Jay Rodríguez

Burnley are one of the favourites in the Championship outright tips, and with the experienced Jay Rodríguez leading the line, Vincent Kompany’s side have every chance of winning promotion straight back to the Premier League. 

Rodríguez knows what it takes to score goals at Championship level, and having struck four times so far, he could be the man that Burnley come to rely on this season.

Ben Brereton Díaz

The rise of Ben Brereton Díaz in recent seasons has been remarkable. Now an established international for the Chilean national team, the 23-year-old has become a hugely important player for Blackburn Rovers after notching 22 goals last season.

Blackburn’s promotion challenge ultimately faded last season, but if Brereton Díaz can stay fit and keep up his scoring form, Jon Dahl Tomasson’s side may have a better shot at reaching the play-offs this time around.