With the Premier League nearing its conclusion, the candidates for the 2023/24 player of the season are starting to emerge.
There is still plenty to play for in this Premier League season, with a three-horse race for the title, Champions League spots and the relegation battle all still to be decided.
However, it is around this time of year when debate starts to circulate about who should be considered the standout player of the year, so we decided to make a shortlist of the players who will be in contention for the award.
Phil Foden
Following on from his man of the match performance in the 4-1 win against Aston Villa last night, Foden is now tied with the likes of Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard and Cristiano Ronaldo for Premier League hat-tricks (3).
Sharing a record with that sort of company shows how much Foden has progressed his game this season, emerging from the shadows of Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva and staking his own claim in this City side.
It is now 21 goal contributions in 30 league games for Foden this season and the 23-year-old is a clear candidate for player of the year, especially if City can win a record fourth consecutive league title.
Cole Palmer
This feels like a rogue suggestion considering how poor his team have been this season, but there’s no denying Palmer has been the bright spot in what has been another dull season for Chelsea.
Embed from Getty ImagesChelsea currently sit 11th in the Premier League table and if it wasn’t for the 13 goals Palmer has scored for them in the league, the Blues’ situation would be much more concerning. Deciding to leave Manchester City and the mentorship of Pep Guardiola behind for a team in disarray seems, at least individually, to have been a shrewd move for the 21-year-old.
Declan Rice
Many eyebrows were raised when Arsenal forked out a record £105 million to West Ham for Rice’s services, but the return on investment has been hugely profitable.
Rice has taken Arsenal to another level this season and his performances, particularly in big games, his availability and the odd crucial match-winning goal makes Rice a standout candidate for player of the year.
The transformative effect he has made on the club will be further amplified if he can spearhead Arsenal to their first Premier League title since 2004.
William Saliba
Saliba has been the bedrock of Arsenal’s title charge alongside Gabriel this season and at the time of writing the Gunners have conceded a league-leading 24 goals this season.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Frenchman is a large reason for that astounding defensive record, playing virtually every minute for Arsenal and delivering some exceptional performances, most recently in the stalemate with Manchester City, where Arsenal prevented their title rivals from scoring at home for the first time in 47 games.
Virgil Van Dijk
A large reason for Liverpool’s decline last season was the plummeting form of Van Dijk. This season, the Dutchman has returned to his usual prowess and has been the centrepiece for Liverpool’s latest hunt for Premier League glory.
Embed from Getty ImagesVan Dijk has relished wearing the captain’s armband this year following the departure of Jordan Henderson and it has propelled his game to a new level. If Liverpool do go onto win the Premier League this season, Van Dijk’s return to elite form will be a primary reason for it.
Mohamed Salah
Due to a combination of AFCON duties and an injury, Salah has missed a handful of Premier League games for Liverpool this season but is still firing on all cylinders.
Embed from Getty ImagesWith 16 goals and nine assists in the league, only Ollie Watkins (26) has more goal contributions than the Egyptian this campaign. Jurgen Klopp is blessed in that he has more options in attack this season, but Salah remains the main man and could prove pivotal for Liverpool’s run-in with some big games on the horizon.
Rodri
The performances of Rodri over the past few seasons have been the foundation of Manchester City’s dominance in the league.
Guardiola’s side are still in contention to make it a record breaking four league titles in a row and Rodri is once again playing a leading role.
Embed from Getty ImagesTo outline the impact he has on the team, Manchester City’s 3-1 victory over Manchester United at the start of March made it 59 consecutive appearances for Rodri without defeat — breaking Ricardo Carvalho’s 58-game unbeaten run with Chelsea held from November 2006 to February 2008.
Martin Odegaard
Odegaard recently said that missing out on the Premier League last season has made Arsenal a stronger and more mature side.
Embed from Getty ImagesAt the age of just 25, Odegaard possesses all the qualities of a leader and has been pivotal to Arsenal’s mission to recover from last season’s heartache and go again. His 13 goal contributions in 27 league games is enough evidence alone to highlight his impact, but his leadership qualities have been particularly evident this season.
