Two Players From Arsenal And Manchester City Are Among The Nominees For The Premier League Player Of The Season Award.
Two standout players each from Arsenal and Manchester City are among the contenders for the 2023-24 Premier League Player of the Season accolade. These two clubs have once again engaged in a gripping battle at the top of the league standings this season, largely due to the outstanding performances of several key players.
Defending champions Manchester City, aiming for an unprecedented fourth consecutive title, have maintained their impressive form on the Premier League stage. Among their standout performers are attacking talents Phil Foden and Erling Haaland.
Foden, recently honored as the Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year, is experiencing arguably his finest season in a Manchester City jersey. He has contributed significantly with 24 goals and 11 assists across all competitions, including 16 goals and eight assists in 32 Premier League appearances so far.
Meanwhile, Haaland is leading the race for back-to-back Golden Boots after netting 25 Premier League goals in 28 games, despite missing approximately two months of the campaign due to injury. The Norwegian striker has recorded two hat-tricks, including a four-goal spree against Wolverhampton Wanderers last weekend, and has also provided five assists, making him one of only three players to achieve 30 goal involvements this season.
Foden and Haaland are part of the eight-player shortlist, which also includes Arsenal duo Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice. Rice has made a notable impact at the Emirates Stadium following his high-profile transfer from West Ham United last summer.
Rice and Odegaard are in contention for the Premier League award. Rice has swiftly become a pivotal figure in Mikel Arteta’s setup, evolving from a defensive midfielder into a versatile powerhouse contributing to 15 goals (seven goals, eight assists) this season. Additionally, he has tallied 79 tackles and 43 interceptions.
Meanwhile, Arsenal’s captain Odegaard has once again demonstrated leadership this season as the Gunners strive for their first league title since 2003-04. The 25-year-old has been a consistent presence in Arteta’s squad, registering eight goals and eight assists in 33 league appearances. He has also created 94 chances, the second-highest in the division.
The sole defender nominated for Player of the Season is Liverpool’s commanding captain, Virgil van Dijk. He has returned to top form this season after a challenging period in the previous campaign. Widely recognized as one of the premier centre-backs in the league, van Dijk has completed the third-highest number of passes (2,721) and won the second-most duels (186) in the division. Remarkably, he has only been dribbled past twice all season.
Foden and Rice are part of the quartet of English players nominated for the prestigious Premier League award, alongside Aston Villa’s standout performer Ollie Watkins and Chelsea’s rising talent Cole Palmer.
Watkins has reached new heights under the guidance of Villa manager Unai Emery this season, leading the league with the most goal involvements (31). His 19 goals in 35 appearances have propelled him into contention for the Golden Boot, while he currently leads the league in assists with 12 and is on track to claim the Playmaker award.
Palmer joins three other contenders vying for recognition in two Premier League award categories. Since his move from Manchester City last summer, Palmer has rapidly become Chelsea’s standout player. The versatile attacker has notched 21 goals and provided nine assists in 31 Premier League matches. Notably, he is only the third player in the league’s history aged 21 or younger to achieve 30+ goal involvements in a single season, following in the footsteps of Robbie Fowler and Chris Sutton.
Last but certainly not least, Newcastle United’s striker Alexander Isak is also in the running for Player of the Season honors after an impressive campaign in front of goal. Isak becomes the first Newcastle player since club legend Alan Shearer in 2002-03 to breach the 20-goal mark in a Premier League season. Additionally, his minutes-per-goal ratio of 101.3 is second only to Haaland’s 91.8 among players who have scored at least twice.
Both Isak, 24, and Palmer are also nominated for the Premier League’s Young Player of the Season award, alongside Foden, Haaland, Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka and William Saliba, Manchester United’s Kobbie Mainoo, and Tottenham Hotspur’s Destiny Udogie.
Voting is open to the public on the Premier League’s official website, with results being a combination of public votes and those from a panel of football experts. The winners will be announced on May 18.
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