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We’re approaching the halfway stage of the English football campaign, with most top flight teams having played at least fifteen matches. As usual, the Premier League can only be won by champions Manchester United or Chelsea, with both showing the sort of consistency required to land the title. However, it’s a different story when we look at the Top Goalscorer market, with no less than five players being quoted at single figure odds by the bookmakers.

This market traditionally goes down to the wire, with Nicolas Anelka winning the Golden Boot on the final day of last season. However, it’s his Chelsea strike partner who is proving to be prolific this term, managing 11 in the Premier League to date. Didier Drogba might be a great bet at 3/1 (Sporting Bet) if it wasn’t for the fact that he’ll be jetting out to Angola for the African Cup of Nations in January. This will see him miss at least four matches for the Blues and it could knock the player out of his stride.

It’s Tottenham striker Jermain Defoe who leads the way at the moment, with the pocket-sized Spurs striker managing 12 goals this season. He looks to be in great form as he looks to cement a place in Fabio Capello’s England squad, although it’s worth noting that five of his dozen goals came in one match. I often think that it’s better to back players who score on a game-to-game basis rather than lots of goals in one go. Ladbrokes share the same view and go 4/1 that he finishes at the top.

It’s possible that Fernando Torres would be top of the tree had injury not played a part this season. The Spaniard has missed the last few games for Liverpool, although he has a tremendous scoring record when he has played in a red shirt this season. A tally of ten league goals sees him just two off the pace and it appears he’ll be back for the visit of Arsenal on Sunday. El Nino has pretty much returned to the odds (4/1 Sky Bet) that were given to him at the start of the season but can he now stay fit and kick on?

The other player to have hit double figures in the Premier League this term is Wayne Rooney, who is certainly what you’d describe as streaky in front of goal. Before United’s game at Portsmouth on 28th November, the England striker had scored just one goal in six games, although class is permanent and he’s now up to eleven goals this season after a hat-trick at Fratton Park. If he stays free of injury, he should easily reach the 20 goals mark, a tally which has been enough to win this contest on two of the past three seasons. Victor Chandler go 3/1 that he goes into the World Cup looking for a Golden Boot double.

Will the top goalscorer come from this group of four? You have to go back to the 1999/2000 season to find the last time a player from outside the ‘Big Four’ won this market, with Kevin Phillips banging in 30 for Sunderland. The Black Cats have a new prolific striker this term, with Darren Bent on the tails of the leaders with nine goals. Although the England hopeful has failed to score for the last three matches, he is the penalty taker for the Wearside club and won’t have the distraction of Europe in the New Year. Ladbrokes offer 10/1 that the former Spurs striker lands the spoils.