BBC Sport Names Declan Rice Favorite for PL of the Year
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- BBC Sport convened its experts to vote on the Premier League Player of the Year and opened a public poll for readers.
- Declan Rice leads the shortlist with five league assists, the highest among Arsenal players, and tops the league for chances and big‑chance creation.
- Bruno Fernandes has eight goals and 16 assists in 28 Premier League matches, putting him on track to break the 20‑assist record set by Thierry Henry and Kevin de Bruyne.
- Gabriel contributed three goals and four assists for Arsenal, helping the club keep a record‑low 22 goals conceded in 31 league games.
- Antoine Semenyo amassed 19 goal contributions across Bournemouth and Manchester City, scored on his City debut, and lifted the EFL Cup after a win over Arsenal.
- Igor Thiago scored 19 Premier League goals for Brentford, one short of the club’s single‑season record, and became the fastest Brentford player to reach ten top‑flight goals after a previous injury‑plagued season.
- Premier League Player of the Year award has not always gone to the champions; in the past five seasons the most recent winner was Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah, while Manchester City players won from 2020‑21 to 2023‑24.
Why it matters: The poll amplifies the profiles of players whose individual brilliance stands out regardless of their clubs’ fortunes, giving Rice, Fernandes, Gabriel, Semenyo and Thiago heightened visibility and potential contract leverage as the season closes, while reminding fans that the Player of the Year can go to a non‑champion.
