As the English Premier League season nears its end the discussion over who will win the PFA Player Of The Year award starts to take place.
This year has seen plenty of potential candidates put their names in the discussion for the potential winner thanks to a series of fantastic individual performances, while also helping their team go on to potentially achieve great things come the end of the term.
In this article we take a look at some of the current favourites to win the PFA Player Of The Year award and assess their odds:
Phil Foden – 1.61
Foden has often found himself being used as a rotational player during his years in Manchester City’s senior side, but this year he has taken a step further and become a crucial player in Pep Guardiola’s side.
Foden has started 31 of the 33 appearances he has made in the league and has certainly provided plenty of output to warrant Guardiola’s choice to make him a starting name on the team sheet.
His 17 goals in the league alone are more than he has ever scored across all competitions in his previous six seasons of senior football, while he has also recorded a new record of eight assists, three more than ever before.
These contributions have him as the sixth-highest for goals and assists combined in the league, and his performances throughout the term have certainly earned him a place as one of the favourites for the award.
Rodri – 4.50
While Rodri may not be the odds-on favourite to win the award many people believe his phenomenal season deserves more credit than he has been given, with it being suggested he should be the clear frontrunner for the PFA Player Of The Year.
After having such a good season last year it was hard to believe that Rodri would be able to improve this time around, but the Spaniard has certainly done exactly that.
After losing Ilkay Gundogan in the summer more emphasis has been placed on Rodri to dictate the tempo and control the middle of the pitch for Manchester City, and with the most touches, successful passes, one of the best passing accuracies compared and one of the highest percentage of duels won compared to any midfielder across the league, it’s safe to say Rodri has succeeded in doing just that.
Not only has Rodri’s defensive output been vital in City’s victories this season, but his attacking output has seen a massive increase as well. Rodri has scored seven, five more than last season, and assisted nine, three more than last season, to help City earn some crucial points along the way.
All in all, Rodri may not be the most glamourous player but his consistently outstanding performances make him more than deserving of winning this award.
Declan Rice – 9.00
After moving from West Ham United to Arsenal in the summer many people thought it may take Rice a couple of months to bed into his new side, but the midfielder has been an instant success at the Gunners.
Despite being asked to play in two different positions across the length of the season, either as the defensive number six or the more box-to-box number eight, Rice has excelled in both roles and helped Arsenal mount a second successive title challenge.
His seven goals and eight assists are more than he has ever managed across all competitions in his previous seven years at West Ham, while he also ranks as one of the top midfielders for touches, successful passes, tackles won and possession won in the final third.
At the time of writing the title could still end up in either Arsenal or Manchester City’s hands, and while the eventual winner of the PFA Player Of The Year award is likely to go to a player from the eventual victors, Rice is certainly deserving of a mention as a top candidate.
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