Adebayor - can finish as top scorer.

By Dave Tindall

Sky Bet's Odds Compare All Prices

BETTING BOX
FIXED ODDS
	5pts e.w. Emmanuel Adebayor at 10/1 (Coral 1/4 1,2,3,4).	Tied 2nd (24 goals) with Torres last year but more than twice the price of the Spaniard this time.
	1pt e.w. Frank Lampard at 66/1 (Ladbrokes, Sportingbet 1/4 1,2,3,4).	Tied fourth in this market in two of the last three seasons and great penalty taker.
	1pt e.w. Carlos Tevez at 25/1 (Ladbrokes, Sportingbet 1/4 1,2,3,4).	Could bag plenty of early golas with Ronaldo and Rooney sidelined. Worth an each-way punt.

I started last year's Golden Boot preview with the line: "The idea of the 20 goal-a-season Premier League striker is something of a myth."

How wrong I was!

The departure of Thierry Henry and Ruud van Nistelrooy from the Premier League and the fact that only Didier Drogba (with exactly 20) had reached that landmark the previous season had persuaded me that goals were now shared out much more than they used to be.

But 31 goals from the amazing Cristiano Ronaldo and 24 apiece from Emmanuel Adebayor and Fernando Torres proved that those with a real eye for goal can still make hay in the Premier League.

It also showed that the odds are seriously against you if you're backing players not strutting their stuff at one of the Big Four clubs.

Blackburn's Roque Santa Cruz had to play out of skin to finish fourth in the charts last year and it could well be that anyone backing outsiders again this year only has a realistic shot at the fourth and final payout place.

So rather than looking for a needle in a haystack, my focus this year is on the leading four clubs.

I can't work out why Adebayor is more than twice the price of Torres.

Yes, the Spaniard had a stunning first season and scored the winner in Euro 2008. But the fact that his stock is so high means his price is severely cramped at 4/1.

Adebayor may have played with Arsenal's fans' emotions by doing little to squash rumours of a move to AC Milan or Barcelona but he's now pledged his future to the Gunners and will want to prove his loyalty to those he may have upset by kissing the badge as often as possible.

He did just that when scoring the winner in the pre-season win over Real Madrid while the Togo striker bagged two more in the 3-2 friendly victory against Ajax.

And to give us a final confirmation of his well-being he also netted in Arsenal's Champions League qualifying win over FC Twente.

He got off to a flying start last season with six goals in Arsenal's opening four Premier League games so taking the 10/1 now could look very good if he continues his current form - and there's every chance of that given the Gunners' soft looking early fixture list.

A more speculative each-way bet is Frank Lampard but the 66/1 triggers a punt.

The Chelsea midfielder has finished in a tie for fourth in this market in two of the last three seasons so has pedigree.

He's a superb penalty taker which always bumps up his tally and he could also benefit from a more attacking style of play under Felipe Scolari.

After a pre-season of speculation about his future, the England man has finally committed himself to Chelsea and, with a clear head, Lampard should prove just why the Blues were so keen to keep him.

The two others players from the Big Four who could be worth an each-way punt are Robbie Keane and Carlos Tevez.

Keane reached double figures in all his six seasons at Spurs with two of his biggest tallies (15 in 2005/6 and 16 in 2007/8) coming in the last three seasons.

A Torres injury would make his 33/1 look a big, big price while if Benitez chooses to play him as the Spaniard's regular strike partner he should again score in the 'teens.

Tevez scored 14 Premier League goals in his first season at United and might just hit the ground running with Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney set to miss the Red Devils' early-season games.

The Argentine striker may not come across as the most natural finisher in the world but he bagged 21 league goals in Brazil in 2006 so if he gets plenty of chances he'll score his share.

It would ne nice to know if Dimitar Berbatov is signing for Manchester United as that would surely have an impact on Tevez' goal tally but, at the time of writing, the Bulgarian's transfer remains speculation.

Tevez, at 25s, is worth a small each-way punt.