Tom Clark: Three contenders for Player of the Year but the £100m bargain Declan Rice should take the accolade
Rice's phenomenal first season at Arsenal should see the England midfielder named Player of the Year
As we enter the final throes of an enthralling campaign not only will the main prizes be decided but as awards season approaches, individual gongs will be handed out too and Declan Rice should be top of that list.
Unlike last season, when Erling Halaand was the runaway winner of the men’s award from both the Football Writers’ Association and the Professional Footballers' Association, this year's choice is less certain and there are several contenders in the mix.
The current 6-4 favourite for the PFA award is Phil Foden after a superb season, particularly in the second half of the campaign when minds begin to concentrate on who to vote for.
Foden would be a worthy winner and is likely to collect at least one of the awards but he is not even my Player of the Year for Manchester City - that accolade that goes to Rodri - let alone the league.
The Spaniard is on a run of 66 matches unbeaten for club and country, stretching well over a year, which just goes to underline his importance to Pep Guardiola’s side. Stats alone do not do Rodri justice but the old-fashioned eye test tells you that he is the heartbeat of the City juggernaut, and the control he brings to that side is phenomenal.
As fantastic a player as Rodri is, as an FWA member I have voted for Rice. The Arsenal midfielder joined the club in the summer for an initial £100 million, a fee West Ham manager David Moyes has since declared a bargain, and who is to say the Scot is wrong?
Rice has transformed Arsenal into serious title contenders. Mikel Arteta’s team may end up finishing lower than their second-placed spot of last season but they are unlikely to crumble in the run-in again and there is no doubt the team are better equipped to compete domestically and in Europe, and Rice is the key.
His move to Arsenal has worked out for everyone. He is now playing at the top table and with better players around him has taken his game to another level and shown he is more than just a holding midfielder. West Ham got the transfer fee they demanded and invested it wisely to bring in Edson Alvarez, Mohammed Kudus and James Ward-Prowse. Arsenal, despite paying a premium, got the player their midfield so desperately needed.
Guardiola has admitted that he wanted Rice and it would have been an easy move to make. City are as close to a guarantee of trophies as you get in England but how the Spaniard would have fitted him into the side with Rodri was not immediately clear and would have been fascinating to watch. However, there is more to a transfer than just football. Rice preferred to stay in London and he was sold a vision by Arteta of how he would fit in the team and the direction Arsenal are heading and leapt at the chance.
Even if the Gunners end the season trophyless it is a move that has been a huge success for both parties and with the number of talented young players alongside Rice at Arsenal it looks as if they are set for a spell among the big boys once more. Despite Jurgen Klopp’s imminent departure, Liverpool have their own bunch of youngsters coming through and have coped admirably in what looked like being a transition season. And, of course, Manchester City aren't going away.
In such a close title race, who is eventually crowned champion will have little impact on the individual awards and a fair argument could be made of any of the current favourites.
Despite making the case for Rice, I believe Foden will take the FWA accolade - there has always been a slight English and attacking bias in that award - and Rodri the PFA trophy. Both are great players but I’m sticking with my pick of Rice.
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