Stephen Varanko III and I very rarely agree on anything when it comes to Premier League football but there is one thing which we actually have agreed on and that is who wins the Premier League player of the year award. In terms of who actually wins I suggest that this may become clearer once we know who has won the title, but for us it makes no difference. Let’s take a look at who is in contention for the award, and then we’ll let you know who we think should win.
The Favorites
As you can probably guess there are already 2 stand-stand-out favorites as to who will win this year’s award and they are Raheem Sterling and Virgil van Dijk. In the case of Sterling we have seen him become twice the player that he was last season, and given that he was already amazing it is startling that he has managed to improve so much. Sterling has added goals to his game as well as outstanding attacking play which is part of the reason why City are where they are. In terms of Van Dijk we have never seen a player transform a team like he has, he has pace, he’s tall and strong, he can play football and he has outstanding wisdom for the game, the perfect defender and a man who gives other players in the team confidence and freedom.
The Best of the Rest
These two aren’t the only options of course and there are some very good players who are also in the running. For the bookies they have put Sergio Aguero in at 3rd favorite, the City talisman has been outstanding this season and looks set to win the Golden Boot if he continues this form. Behind Aguero we have last year’s winner Mo Salah who has taken on a different role in his team this year, still scoring but looking to be more of a team player, his last minute goals of late could push his odds far shorter. Other mentions should go to Pogba, Eden Hazard and of course Heung-Min Son who was able to stop in with aplomb when Harry Kane got injured. Eden Hazard has just fallen short this year but he has still been Chelsea’s best player without question.
Who Wins It?
As unfashionable as it may be to choose a defender the only player who should be lifting this trophy by the end of the season is Virgil Van Dijk. This won’t depend on Liverpool winning the title for us because as far as we are concerned he has produced more than any other player on this list. VVD’s average rating is probably up in the high 8s or even 9s and he would walk into any team on the planet, be chosen as captain and instantly transform them. The money Liverpool paid seemed a lot at the time, right now it looks like bargain of the Century!
