Young Player of the Season Award: Arsenal dominate selections; Newcastle, Brighton usurp Man City

The Premier League has officially announced the nominees for the ‘Young Player of the Season Award,’ with three Arsenal players making the shortlist. 

Players from Brighton and Hove Albion and Newcastle United get two places a piece, while league-leaders Manchester City take the final spot.

Man City’s player is arguably the most obvious selection. Indeed, 22-year-old Erling Haaland has had a near-supernatural debut season in England.

So far, he has scored a stunning 36 goals in 33 appearances, firing the Cityzens towards a third consecutive title.

The tally is already a new record in the Premier League era, and Man City still have three games left to play.

Newcastle’s two selections are 23-year-old centre-back Sven Botman and 23-year-old attacker Alexander Isak.

Both players have played a vital role under Eddie Howe this term, with the Magpies sitting in third place in the Premier League table.

Similarly, Brighton have had an outstanding season, too. The Seagulls are dreaming of European football for the first time in their history and that is in no small part down to Alexis Mac Allister (24) and Moises Caicedo (21).

Both players have been heavily linked with moves away from the Amex. So, it will be interesting to see if Roberto de Zerbi can fend off the interest in his two young midfielders.

READ MORE: Newcastle prepare mega-money offer to beat Arsenal to Barcelona star; Catalans ‘happy’ to let him leave

Arsenal trio nominated for award

However, it is Arsenal who are the most represented team in the nominations. Statistically, the Gunners have the youngest squad in the Premier League. And yet, they have given soon-to-be champions Man City a great run for their money.

The three players are Bukayo Saka (21), Gabriel Martinelli (21) and Martin Odegaard (24).

Firstly, Saka has had a remarkable campaign. So far, in 36 league appearances, the winger has scored 13 goals and made 11 assists. This gives him an impressive average of 0.66 goal contributions per match.

Martinelli has been equally impressive too. He has notched 15 goals along with making five assists and has played a key role in the Gunners’ success this term.

Arguably, though, Odegaard has been the pick of the bunch. In 35 Premier League outings, he has scored 15 goals, as well as making eight assists. The attacking midfielder has also captained Arsenal this season and it’s fair to say he’s done a pretty good job.

If these nominees are anything to go by, the Gunners should have a top-quality squad for many years to come. So, it’s certainly an exciting time to be an Arsenal fan – even if they do miss out on the Premier League title.

READ MORE: Fierce Man Utd, Arsenal transfer battle heating up with dominant RB Leipzig star ‘definitely’ a target for Arteta