Manchester City striker Erling Haaland is in the running to be named the Premier League player of the season for the second year in a row. The 23-year-old Norwegian has been nominated alongside his City teammate Phil Foden, as well as Arsenal’s Martin Odegaard, Declan Rice from Newcastle, Cole Palmer of Chelsea, Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins, and Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk. The winner will be determined by a combination of public voting and a panel of Premier League experts, with the announcement set to be made on May 18th.
Last year, Haaland became the first player to win both the player of the season award and the young player award after scoring an impressive 36 goals in 35 league matches. This season, he has already scored 25 goals as City looks to secure their fourth consecutive title. Only Cristiano Ronaldo has managed to win the award in consecutive seasons, achieving the feat in 2006-07 and 2007-08.
Meanwhile, Foden has also had an outstanding season and was recently named the footballer of the year by the Football Writers’ Association. The England forward has scored 16 league goals and provided eight assists. It’s worth noting that a Manchester City player has won the player of the season award in each of the past four seasons, with Haaland following in the footsteps of Kevin De Bruyne in 2019-20 and 2021-22, as well as Ruben Dias in 2020-21.
Aside from Haaland and Foden, other notable players on the shortlist include Arsenal’s Odegaard and Rice. Odegaard has made significant contributions with eight goals and eight assists, while Rice has impressed in his first season with Arsenal, scoring nine goals and providing seven assists since joining from West Ham. Chelsea’s Palmer and Sweden’s Isak have also had impressive seasons, with Palmer scoring 21 goals and providing nine assists, and Isak netting 20 goals and one assist.
Aston Villa’s Watkins, who has enjoyed a prolific season with 19 goals and 12 assists, and Liverpool’s Van Dijk, who won the player of the season award in 2018-19, complete the shortlist. Van Dijk played a key role in leading Liverpool to the Carabao Cup this season.
In addition to their nominations for the player of the season award, Haaland, Foden, Palmer, and Isak have also been named on the Premier League young player of the season shortlist. They are joined by Manchester United midfielder Kobbie Mainoo, Tottenham defender Destiny Udogie, and Arsenal defender William Saliba.
It’s clear that this year’s Premier League player of the season race is filled with exceptional talent and deserving candidates. Whether Haaland will be able to secure the honor for the second consecutive year remains to be seen, but no matter the outcome, it’s evident that these players have made a significant impact on their respective teams and the league as a whole.