Is Success Crucial? Bbc Sport Experts Pick Their Player Of The Season

ByGary Rose

BBC Sport journalist

Who will triumph nan Premier League subordinate of nan season?

That won't beryllium announced until towards nan extremity of May but we already person a beautiful bully thought of nan contenders, based connected players' performances truthful acold this campaign.

Arsenal are starring nan measurement successful nan title title and should they win, nan likes of defender Gabriel and midfelder Declan Rice will surely beryllium successful contention.

But location person been different standout performers this season, including nan likes of Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes, and possibly somewhat much unexpected stars for illustration Igor Thiago and Antoine Semenyo will apt beryllium successful nan mix.

BBC Sport return a person look astatine who could beryllium successful statement for nan grant earlier asking its reporters who they would pick.

You besides get nan chance to ballot for your victor below.

In short - not always.

It has been that measurement for nan past 5 seasons, pinch Liverpool's Mohamed Salah nan astir caller victor and Manchester City players taking nan grant from 2020-21 to 2023-24.

However, anterior to that nan divided was much moreover pinch 11 recipients from non-Premier League winners compared to 10 for players from nan champions.

Arsenal are successful a beardown position to triumph nan Premier League this play and Rice has been a cardinal subordinate down their title charge.

No Gunners subordinate has registered much convention assists than his 5 this season, while he is besides classed apical for number of chances and large chances created.

Rice is nan favourite to beryllium crowned subordinate of nan play but pushing him difficult for nan grant is Manchester United skipper Fernandes.

This play only Manchester City striker Erling Haaland has contributed to much goals than than nan Portuguese midfielder, who has 8 goals and 16 assists successful 28 games.

Fernandes is connected people to break nan grounds for nan highest number of assists provided crossed a azygous Premier League season.

That tally is 20 - a full which has been reached by 2 players - Thierry Henry for Arsenal successful 2002-03 and Manchester City's Kevin de Bruyne successful 2019-20.

Other contenders see Arsenal defender Gabriel, who has been a captious subordinate for nan Gunners astatine nan backmost arsenic good arsenic chipping successful pinch immoderate important goals, including a 90th-minute victor astatine Newcastle backmost successful September.

Meanwhile, Semenyo starred for Bournemouth earlier slotting successful seamlessly to nan Manchester City onslaught pursuing his move to Pep Guardiola's broadside successful January, while Igor Thiago has shone up beforehand for Brentford.

Declan Rice.

Arsenal's Rice wins my ballot arsenic subordinate of nan twelvemonth for his consistently precocious value and activity arsenic Mikel Arteta's broadside spell successful hunt of elusive trophies.

Add his dead-ball expertise and Rice is nan afloat package arsenic a midfielder successful nan apical class.

He has been cardinal to Arsenal's occurrence and England caput coach Thomas Tuchel will respect him arsenic 1 of his astir important players astatine this summer's World Cup.

By

Senior shot correspondent

Declan Rice.

The midfield thrust of Arsenal's awesome trophy battle this season. Whether he's astatine No 6 aliases No 8 – he is invariably 1 of nan champion players connected nan pitch.

How his play is viewed will yet beryllium wished by nan level of corporate occurrence Arsenal person by nan extremity of nan season. But sloppy of their trophy haul, Rice has been sensational.

By

Chief shot news reporter

Bruno Fernandes.

There is nary uncertainty nan Manchester United skipper deserves to beryllium named subordinate of nan year.

He is by acold nan astir regular scorer aliases supplier of goals successful nan Premier League.

Of nan 11 games he has not done 1 aliases nan different for United this play his squad did not people astatine each successful three. In 1 of nan others, astatine Aston Villa, he had to spell disconnected astatine half-time, which was a daze successful itself because Fernandes hardly ever misses a game.

His 16 assists are doubly arsenic galore arsenic anyone else. He is associated 5th successful nan database of midfield goalscorers.

In a play wherever attacking players person mostly not stood retired consistently crossed nan full campaign, he is nan exception.

Antoine Semenyo.

A subordinate pinch 19 extremity contributions successful nan Premier League this season, Semenyo has been 1 of nan stars of nan apical formation for Bournemouth and past Manchester City pursuing his move successful January.

The 26-year-old instantly deed his strides nether Guardiola and scored connected his debut successful nan 10-1 hammering of Exeter City successful nan FA Cup, 1 of 8 goals for City since his £62.5m transportation from nan Cherries.

By featuring against Real Madrid, Semenyo became conscionable nan 4th subordinate to compete successful non-league, each 4 master divisions successful England and Europe's elite competition.

The Ghana winger would person wanted to triumph awesome silverware astatine City and did conscionable that erstwhile lifting nan EFL Cup pursuing his side's superb triumph complete Arsenal astatine Wembley.

Gabriel.

In a play wherever it seems for illustration Premier League shot has had a spot of a throwback pinch its attraction connected physicality, Arsenal's Gabriel has been superb astatine some ends of nan pitch.

You tin people him arsenic an old-school centre-half and nan Brazilian is simply a unit defensively, pinch Arsenal conceding conscionable 22 goals successful 31 convention games this season.

Going forward, nan 28-year-old has 3 goals and 4 assists. Since making his debut for Arsenal six years ago, nary top-flight defender has much goals than nan 20 he's scored.

Players for illustration Fernandes, Semenyo and Dominik Szoboszlai person had awesome seasons pinch coagulated attacking numbers but yet it is Arsenal that lead nan measurement successful nan Premier League.

Rice has notably had a awesome run excessively but successful position of importance, nary Arsenal subordinate has been much influential than Gabriel successful their quest for a first title since 2004.

Bruno Fernandes.

The Manchester United skipper deserves nickname not only for his shape this play but besides for his consistency complete respective years.

Even arsenic United person fallen short of expectations, Fernandes has delivered successful what has often been a dysfunctional environment, which has now stabilised nether interim leader Michael Carrick.

For me, Fernandes is thing of a Matt le Tissier figure, reminiscent of his Southampton days successful nan 1990s: a subordinate who could person near to triumph much trophies but has stayed loyal successful a measurement others possibly mightiness not person been.

With 8 goals and 16 assists successful 28 Premier League matches this season, he would beryllium my prime for subordinate of nan season.

Igor Thiago.

The striker's 19 goals person lifted Brentford to nan brink of European shot for nan first clip successful their history, having been pre-season favourites for relegation.

He has scored nan astir goals by a Brazilian successful a azygous Premier League play and became nan fastest Brentford subordinate to scope 10 top-flight goals.

He is 1 short of their wide Premier League grounds of 20 successful a season, scored by Bryan Mbeumo (2024-25) and Ivan Toney (2022-23).

It comes aft past play was wrecked by wounded pursuing a £30m move from Club Brugge successful 2024. A knee wounded successful pre-season ruined his chance of an early effect and past a associated infection kept him retired until nan last fewer games.

He made conscionable 8 appearances, failing to score, truthful to return astatine nan level he has this play - and gain a maiden Brazil telephone up - is simply a testament to his value and self-belief.

Gabriel.

Defenders do not often get individual recognition, but Gabriel has been a hugely influential fig successful Arsenal's march towards nan title.

I must admit that I did not complaint nan screaming Brazilian each that overmuch erstwhile I first saw him play for Arsenal successful a 2-0 conclusion astatine St James' Park a fewer years ago.

But nan much-improved centre-back has typified nan travel Arsenal person gone connected since that bruising nighttime connected Tyneside.

He has besides embodied everything that has been truthful effective astir Arteta's squad this season.

Not only has Gabriel been a lynchpin successful nan top-flight's meanest defence – he has caused nan guidance existent problems astatine set-plays.