Arsenal trio Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli have all been nominated for the Premier League young player of the season award, with the stars among eight in the running for the prize.
The Gunners have enjoyed a stellar campaign, in the running for the Premier League title for much of the season before eventually being caught by Manchester City as they lost form at the worst possible moment.
Central to their improvement from last season’s fifth-place finish have been Saka, Martinelli and Odegaard, with all three having managed to score 13 or more goals this season, as well as providing a combined 24 assists.
Between the three and the return of William Saliba from loan, Mikel Arteta’s side have swept away most before them, and were on course for over 100 points at the halfway stage of the season.
They have been named alongside Newcastle duo Alexander Isak and Sven Botman, as well as Brighton pair Alexis Mac Allister and Moises Caicedo.
However, none of those seven are expected to scoop the award, with Manchester City star Erling Haaland currently the runaway favourite to claim it, and as short as 1/10 to be awarded the prize with some bookmakers.
🚨| The Premier League have announced the nominees for the Young Player of the Season award:
🇳🇱 Sven Botman
🇪🇨 Moisés Caicedo
🇳🇴 Erling Haaland
🇸🇪 Alexander Isak
🇦🇷 Alexis Mac Allister
🇧🇷 Gabriel Martinelli
🇳🇴 Martin Ødegaard
🏴 Bukayo Saka pic.twitter.com/rPoodugF8U— Football Daily (@footballdaily) May 18, 2023
Arsenal’s future is bright, though, with Martinelli having signed a new contract earlier in the season and Bukayo Saka on course to do likewise before the end of the season, and at 21 and 22 respectively, they could feature on this list again next year.
