Prem Top Scorer

I’ve held off for as long as possible before getting stuck into the top goalscorer market this season, with so much transfer speculation left unresolved, but we’ve got to a point where I can wait no longer and there’s one player that I really want to be with at the prices.

Injured for nearly all of last season, Robin van Persie’s absence throughout the campaign could well have cost Arsenal the title and his return will feel like a new signing to Arsene Wenger. Brilliant on his day, he appears to have been forgotten by most and should never be double the price of his striker partner, Emmanuel Adebayor.

van Persie returned to fitness in time to play a part for Holland at Euro 2008 and with a full pre-season behind him should be raring to go.

The Gunners first ten games or so look very winnable and van Persie will be relishing getting a run of matches under his belt. He’ll certainly like the look of some of the defences he’ll come up against in the opening weeks, starting with West Brom’s on Saturday, and providing he can stay fit enough then the 19.0 will look very generous. I appreciate that his injury record is taken into account in his price but it’s a risk I’m willing to take.

Of the market leaders, Fernando Torres and Cristiano Ronaldo hold obvious claims having dominated the charts last season. The Spaniard might share the goals with Robbie Keane to some extent, however, while Ronaldo is likely to miss up to a quarter of United’s league games through injury.

Of course he has the ability to overcome that absence, and claim Golden Boot honours once again, but it will be asking an awful lot of him to do so and should Dimitar Berbatov arrive at Old Trafford, as anticipated, then Ronaldo may not be quite as prolific.

With that in mind, Berbatov is also overpriced, at 15.0 with Coral to end the season having bagged most goals. His transfer to Manchester United looks increasingly more likely by the day and as United’s main man will be supplied with the most chances, bar none, of any forward in the Premier League throughout the season.

We know he has the ability to take them and were, for some reason, his move to collapse then he is still a runner for his current club. He has scored plenty wherever he has been and is one of few genuine goal scorers in the top flight.