Britt Assombalonga is the pre-season favourite to be the Sky Bet Championship’s top goalscorer during the 2017/18 campaign with leading bookmaker, SkyBet.

Middlesbrough moved to secure the service of Assombalonga earlier this summer, paying Nottingham Forest £15m for the striker, who has scored 30 goals across the last three seasons.

SkyBet have priced Assombalonga at 8/1, ahead of last season’s winner, Chris Wood, with the Leeds United man 9/1 to retain his award.

Wood scored 27 goals in the league last season and 30 across all competitions, and the New Zealand international is again expected to be Leeds’ key man in their quest for a top-flight return.

Jonathan Kodjia is also priced at 9/1, despite the Aston Villa man set to miss the opening weeks of the season, as he recovers from a broken ankle.

Sheffield Wednesday’s Jordan Rhodes is next on the betting list at 14/1, despite the striker managing to score just three goals and failing to guide the Owls to promotion, following his arrival during the January transfer window.

Reading’s Yann Kermorgant is way out at 25/1 to finish the season as top scorer, despite the Frenchman spearheading the Royals’ push for the play-offs last season.

Assombalonga’s replacement at Forest, Daryl Murphy, is priced at 25/1, whilst last season’s League One top scorer Billy Sharp, finds himself at 40/1 to top the Championship goalscoring chart.

The Verdict

It is easy to see why Assombalonga is so well fancied to finish top scorer, with Garry Monk putting together a really competitive squad at the Riverside Stadium.

The general feel is that it will be difficult for Chris Wood to replicate last season’s heroics, despite the striker expected to be Leeds’ main man yet again.

With a ball yet to be kicked in the Championship, it is hard to predict who will be the division’s leading marksman, but we could be given a clear indication during the early weeks of the season.

Who will finish top goalscorer? Let us know your thoughts!