Women's Super League top scorers: 2023/24 Golden Boot contenders

The 2023 World Cup was a celebration of the very best the women's game has to offer and many hope the exploits down under will inspire a generation.

Crucial to the rise of women's football in the UK has been the increase in prominence of the Women's Super League (WSL), which has emerged as a superpower of a division able to attract the most majestic talent.

The 2023/24 WSL season was forced into a delayed start as a result of the aforementioned major tournament, but the eagerly-anticipated campaign is now past the halfway mark. The WSL is home to some of the world's premier goal-getters, including Sam Kerr and Vivianne Miedema, although both are out of contention to win the competition's Golden Boot this season.

Here are the current leading scorers in the 2023/24 WSL.

Women's Super League 2023/24 top scorers

10. Chloe Kelly (Man City)

Games: 14
Goals: 5
Assists: 4

England's Euro 2022 hero is enjoying a fine season for Man City as they attempt to hunt down Chelsea at the summit.

Versatile and adept off both flanks, Kelly has not only provided a sharp edge during City's title charge but also offered a creative outlet.

9. Rachel Daly (Aston Villa)

Games: 13
Goals: 6
Assists: 0

Villa endured a wretched start to the season, but their form has picked up as of late and last season's Golden Boot winner is starting to find the back of the net again.

Daly netted the winners in victories over West Ham and Leicester, although she's still some way behind the division's leading scorers.

8. Jill Roord (Manchester City)

Games: 11
Goals: 6
Assists: 2

A supreme performer wherever she's been, Jill Roord scored on her Manchester City debut against West Ham United and has found the back of the net regularly since.

However, the former Arsenal midfielder has had her assault on the Golden Boot cut short by an ACL injury.

7. Lauren Hemp (Man City)

Games: 13
Goals: 6
Assists: 3

There's a throwback element to Hemp's game which makes her such an endearing performer. A direct winger with an eye for goal, Hemp has worked superbly in tandem with Kelly down City's flanks and a certain striker has undoubtedly benefitted.

Hemp has several goals of her own this term, although she's more likely to play a leading role in her teammate winning the Golden Boot.

6. Martha Thomas (Tottenham)

Games: 14
Goals: 7
Assists: 2

Martha Thomas was never prolific in the WSL with West Ham and Manchester United, but a move to Tottenham Hotspur has ignited her goalscoring juices.

The Lilywhite striker has already achieved her best scoring return in England's top flight with plenty of the campaign left to play.

5. Amalie Thestrup (Bristol City)

Games: 14
Goals: 8
Assists: 0

2023/24 has so far been a campaign of little joy for Bristol City, but Thestrup has been a bright spark.

The 28-year-old Dane is an unlikely Golden Boot contender, but she's nonetheless scored almost half of Bristol City's WSL goals so far.

4. Nikita Parris (Man Utd)

Games: 13
Goals: 8
Assists: 1

In the space of seven days as January bled into February, Nikita Parris matched her scoring haul from the entirety of last season. Consecutive braces against Aston Villa and Brighton doubled Parris' tally for the current campaign but wasn't enough to earn a recall to the national team.

Sarina Wiegman may be unconvinced but Manchester United's Marc Skinner is a big fan of the nippy forward and even believes that Parris has been "spurred on by [the] disappointments of not being selected".

3. Elisabeth Terland (Brighton)

Games: 14
Goals: 9
Assists: 1

Young Norway international Elisabeth Terland enjoyed a promising debut season with the upwardly mobile Seagulls and her sophomore year has started brightly, too.

Terland inspired Brighton to victory over Everton on Matchday 1 which set the tone for a prolific campaign. She's right in the Golden Boot mix.

2. Lauren James (Chelsea)

Games: 13
Goals: 12
Assists: 1

With Golden Boot favourite Sam Kerr succumbing to an ACL tear, Chelsea will turn to superstar James to fill the void.

The England international, who was named in the 2023 FIFPro World XI, netted a hat-trick against former club Man Utd to take her WSL tally for the season into double figures. Chelsea boss Emma Hayes is not alone in hailing the 22-year-old as a "genius".

1. Khadija Shaw (Man City)

Games: 13
Goals: 14
Assists: 3

Kerr's injury renders James a strong candidate for Golden Boot honours, but Jamaican international Shaw is currently leading the way.

The towering forward has been ever so reliable in front of goal since she joined the club, and this looks like her best chance to top the WSL's scoring charts.

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