Eight nominees have been announced for the Premier League‘s Player of the Season award.
Arsenal and Manchester City each have two candidates in the form of Martin Odegaard, Declan Rice, Phil Foden and Erling Haaland. The remaining nominees are Alexander Isak, Cole Palmer, Virgil van Dijk and Ollie Watkins.
There was no place for Gunners star Bukayo Saka, despite the England star top scoring for his club with 16 league goals. The 22-year-old is one of the nominees for Young Player of the Year, though.
Fans have the opportunity to vote for their preferred player as they have their say on who should win the award. Voting runs until noon on May 13.
City and Arsenal are locked in a battle for top spot in the league, with less than a fortnight of the season remaining. Foden has enjoyed his best ever season in front of goal for City, while Haaland leads the scoring charts after putting four past Wolves to keep the reigning champions’ title bid alive.
As for Arsenal, captain Odegaard is joined by Rice in the list of nominees. Rice, who captained West Ham to Europa Conference League glory before joining the Gunners, has excelled since his £105m move.
Three of the other four nominees have been prolific in front of goal, with Isak, Palmer and Watkins starring for their respective clubs. Liverpool skipper Van Dijk is the only centre-back on the list, after helping his team challenge on multiple fronts for much of the season.
“The pair are in contention to scoop the division’s top individual accolade after enjoying fantastic seasons in our midfield, fueling our championship challenge with their superb displays throughout the campaign,” Arsenal said in a statement about their nominees. “Martin has been included in the list of nominees for the second season in a row after another excellent year skippering our young side.”
