The nominees for the Premier League's annual awards are out, with the Player of the Season list catching everyone's eye. Eight names in total were shortlisted for this coveted prize and while the nominees have had excellent seasons, two key players were unexpectedly snubbed.
No club had more than two nominations, with the Premier League's two best teams Arsenal and Manchester City getting two inclusions each. They were Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice for the league leaders and Phil Foden and Erling Haaland for the reigning champions.
Eight outstanding nominees, but there can only be one winner...
— Premier League (@premierleague) May 9, 2024
It's time to vote for your 2023/24 @EASPORTSFC Player of the Season #PLAwards
Meanwhile, Chelsea's Cole Palmer and Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins, who were going toe-to-toe with Haaland in the Golden Boot race until recently, also got the nod while Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk and Newcastle sensation Alexander Isak complete the list.
However, fans were left shocked over two omissions. There was no room on this list for Manchester City's Rodri, regarded by many as the best defensive midfielder – or midfielder, in general – in the world, and Arsenal's top scorer Bukayo Saka.
Saka was nominated for the Young Player of the Season prize, alongside Phil Foden, William Saliba, Erling Haaland, Alexander Isak, Cole Palmer, Kobbie Mainoo, and Destiny Udogie. However, his absence from the Player of the Season shortlist has not gone down well with everyone.
Not only is the English winger Arsenal's top scorer but he is also their top assists provider, with his 25 goal contributions (16 goals and 9 assists) outranking everyone else at the Emirates Stadium. The attacker's form has dipped during the title run-in, with Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard grabbing all the headlines recently, which may have contributed to this.
Rodri, meanwhile, has been exceptionally influential for his team as they are the favorites to win the Premier League for a fourth year running. In fact, Manchester City have lost only three games in the league this season and all three defeats came in the Spaniard's absence due to suspension.
The Manager of the Year nominees were also announced and there were no controversies there. The obvious names were included (Arsenal's Mikel Arteta, Manchester City's Pep Guardiola, Liverpool's Jurgen Klopp, and Aston Villa's Unai Emery) while Andoni Iraola also made the cut thanks to his fantastic season with Bournemouth.
Mikel Arteta
— Premier League (@premierleague) May 9, 2024
Unai Emery
Pep Guardiola
Andoni Iraola
Jurgen Klopp
Vote now for your 2023/24 @BarclaysFooty Manager of the Season!#PLAwards
As for the Premier League season, just over a week is left before the campaign comes to a close. Arsenal currently sit top of the table with a one-point lead over Manchester City but the Cityzens have a game in hand and thus hold the advantage. The Gunners face a wounded Manchester United in their next fixture while Haaland and Co. travel to Craven Cottage to face Fulham.