The Football Writers’ Association have confirmed that Manch115ter City attacker Phil Foden is the FWA Player of the Year for the 23/24 campaign with Arsenal’s Declan Rice and 115 FC’s Rodri finishing second and third respectively.
Martin Odegaard, who came third last season, was amongst the top six alongside Chelsea’s Cole Palmer and Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins.
No doubt Bukayo Saka, who finished second last year and has registered more goals and assists in all competitions this season, will be disappointed not to have garnered more votes.
Likewise, Erling Haaland. The Norwegian won a clean sweep of individual awards in the UK last season but failed to impress the FWA’s 900 members despite having 32 goals to his name this time around.
Double success for Manchester City as @PhilFoden and Bunny Shaw win the Football Writers' Association's Footballer of the Year awards – full story here: https://t.co/D5mrrJIPvQ #FOTY24 pic.twitter.com/rzJ2CSXgAB
— The Football Writers' Association (@theofficialfwa) May 3, 2024
Foden, who has 24 goals and 10 assists, secured 42% of the votes.
For Rice, coming second represents a very decent return on a promising first season at the Emirates since making his £100 million move from West Ham United.
He’ll probably have a wry smile knowing he pipped Rodri into third. In an interview published by The Athletic earlier this week, Rice said the Spaniard was “the best in the world” in his preferred number 6 position.
Arsenal didn’t have any players up for the women’s award which was won by City’s Bunny Shaw.
Why would Saka be disappointed not to have more votes?
I’m a massive fan and I know he’s a favourite but I think he’s been pretty poor this season and could name at least 5 of our players who have had better seasons than him.
If you remove penalties, his goals adjusted for minutes and shots has been no better than Martinelli, despite playing on the far more functional side of the pitch.
Odegaard, Rice, Gabriel, White and Havertz have all had been seasons for us than Saka
He’s scored a lot of important goals man. But all this best player stuff will vary from person to person.
Yes he’s scored goals, but thats his job, so he should score them.
I don’t think his goal record this season has been good when you remove penalties and as i said before when adjusted for minutes it’s no better than Martinelli. This is despite the fact he plays within 10 yards of our best player and the most creative in the League, Martin Odegaard.
He can and should do better. Foden’s 16 league goals have all been from open play
I tend to agree, we all want to root for our own but anyone who’s watched Saka this season knows he’s not been as good as last season, and had very few proper *good* games. His end product has been good mainly because he takes penalties and corners, take those away and his goals and assists get more or less cut in half. I love Bukayo but let’s be objective here, he has much better seasons ahead of him.
I’d much rather see Gabriel, Saliba and/or White up there, unlike Saka they’ve all been incredibly consistent and consistently incredible this season
I’m a massive Saka fan, and I agree. I think he’s been good, but not great; there is room improvement on Saka’s season.
Ødegaard is the one that should feel hard done by here. He’s been the best player in her league this season and to not even be in the top three is very disappointing. Rice definitely deserving of a top 3.
Exactly, Saka like any player should have his performances scrutinised.
Factoring in this is the highest scoring Premier League in history, we’re the top scorers and the performances of his peers I certainly don’t think Saka should feel snubbed in the player of the year awards.
Leon Bailey for instance who also plays right wing has 10 open play goals and 9 assists in the league in only 1900 minutes compared to Saka’s 2700.
Jarod Bowen has 16 open play goals and 6 assists in the league playing on the right as well for comparison.
When did penalties and corners stop counting? Also, Saka is exclusively double marked for us, because we don’t have many players that consistently hurt opposition. Who do you double up on at City? Doku? Grealish? Foden? Haaland? Silva? De’Bruyne? Alvarez?
As far as the teams concerned all goals are the same but when evaluating a players numbers you can’t possibly weight a dead ball from 12 yards out against the keeper with an 80% chance of success as an open play goal. The club made that mistake when they signed Pepe.
James Ward Prowse is probably the best dead ball taker in the league, we’re not all screaming for the club to sign him!
You ignored my second point and then put Saka into a category with James Ward Prowse. Dude….
Dead ball is bread and butter stats for all the best players. Very very good players can suck at them. I value the fact Saka can do it from open play one season, and dead ball the next, all while being shin kicked by two players.
I didn’t put him in the same category as Ward Prowse, i said if we valued set pieces the same as open play goals we’d be shouting to sign him.
All players get kicked and i don’t particularly think he gets double team any more then anyone else. And even if he does that’s the challenge he has to overcome
I’m converted, Leon Bailey has played better this year, whilst facing exactly the same defensive challenges. Saka’s form in this title chasing season is nothing more than the highlight reels of James Beattie & James Ward Prowse.
He’s been alright, take today’s game and penalty aside he was about average. He’s doing his job. He was very busy yes but none of his open field play led to a goal. He scored the penalty, which is his job, that was expertly won by Havertz. He didn’t score with any of his 5 open field shots, 1 of them which was set up by Havertz had him completely alone (so much for always being double marked!). A player in player of the year form should have done considerably better and really should have scored. Saka has now scored… Read more »
He’s been terrible, 15 goals and 9 assists*. Foden has blown him away with 16 goals and 7 assists.
*top for both in Arsenal.
10 open play goals for Saka, 16 open play goals for Foden.
Havertz has 11 open play goals for us and Trossard also has 10 despite playing almost half the number of minutes.
Saka has scored 10 from 94 shots
Havertz has scored 11 from 57 shots
Trossard has scored 10 from 54 shots
Martinelli has 6 from 55 shots
Saka can and should have scored more
Way to look at raw superficial stats without a single bit of nuance because it helps support your case, never mind how he actually played during games. But I bet when people quote advanced stats you’re the sort of person who gets angry and says “what about watching the games instead?” (I don’t know this about you specifically but often that’s the case)
You’re being harsh. The boy is being kicked to death all the time, playing through pain, exhaustion and injury and still being decisive in key moments. We all know he has potential for more, but if this is a poor season for him, I’ll take it until the end of his career.
I’m not being harsh, our fan’s are, perhaps understandably, overly defensive of him but that doesn’t mean he should be above criticism.
The article suggested that Saka should somehow feel hard done by for not having more votes as if he’s had some vintage season, which i don’t believe he has. For me he’s performed about par for the position he plays and team mates he has around him.
Not counting penalties is ludicrous John. Massive high-pressure situations that can sway a game the other way if not converted.
I think Saka has been outstanding given the amount of football he plays and the way the opposition double up and kick him about, every single game.
I wish he had the summer off, but I’m looking forward to him ripping it up at the Euros.
It’s not ludicrous because adjusting for all factors, penalties are still 80% likely to be scored and considering his open play shots go in at a rate of 9.4%, penalties are scored at a wildly disproportionate percentage.
Ah but if he had been hacked down in the penalty box, he has clearly been denied a open play goal scoring opportunity has he not? So he gets a penalty and dispatches it!!! See what I am getting at?
Maybe, but not sure thats what happened when Jesus got taken down for the last penalty he scored
Or the penalty he scored when Ben White’s goal bound shot was stopped on the line against Spurs
Or the penalty he scored against Fulham when Vieira got fouled
Or the one he scored against Burnley when Trossard got fouled
If you want to truly measure a player’s worth then yes, penalties should be counted, but as a separate thing, not as part of your goals scored. And same for assists from corners, you’re just not comparing clementines with clementines if you say Saka has been much better than another winger this season who had more open play goals and assists, just because Saka gets to take penalties and corners and has the luxury of a Big Gabby and brilliant set piece coach to help us convert them. If Odegaard had taken all our penalties would we have likely converted… Read more »
About par is not poor. It’s about par, and I’m happy with that. It’s not like Bukayo was throwing a tantrum for not being higher up in the voting…
We don’t know how he feels, I’m questioning this particular sentence in the article
“No doubt Bukayo Saka, who finished second last year and has registered more goals and assists in all competitions this season, will be disappointed not to have garnered more votes.”
I asked why would he be disappointed and i don’t think he has grounds to be so
Actually agree with you John. Saka was better last year. Removing penalties and corners makes his goal contributions look very average. However his overall game is brilliant, and he rarely makes poor decisions or mistakes. That is impressive in itself.
He’s a fantastic player, but the author suggested he should somehow feel aggrieved in not being in the discussion for the leagues player of the year.
For me he’s not even in the discussion for the clubs player of the year award. I’d place Odegaard, Rice, Gabriel, White and Havertz all above above him this season.
Saka is a man! The man.
Saka’s G+A are way, way better than most 22 year olds. Consider that he’s generally doubled up on, as well as his elite defensive contributions for a winger, and he’s had another excellent season. Foden is well over a year older than Saka, and 23 to 24 is usually when forwards blossom in terms of consistent output. (Cole Palmer at his age has had an incredible season, for sure.) Saka has not had a poor season by any stretch of the imagination, the opposition has largely changed their approach (except for Ange, of course), and expect next year to be… Read more »
I don’t disagree but these are the challenges players have to find solutions for.
Martinelli has got the same treatment on the left hand side and is widely believed to have had a poor season despite the fact that after removing penalties, adjusted for minutes played their goal output is almost identical. Why should Saka get these caveats but Martinelli shouldn’t?
I’m not saying Saka is a poor player, i just don’t think his performances this season are worthy of player of the year honours.
I remember from American football perspective- when Randy Moss was compared to Terrell Owens he just laughed it off. The quote is something like- go look at the tape- he doesn’t get the looks that I do- I’ll say it here- Phil Foden does not get the looks that Bukayo Saka does. Lol Phil Foden is good and I like the lad- but he’s not starting over Saka for England.
Saka has been “pretty poor” this season?
Not counting his penalties, despite what the lad has been through?
I mean, if you are not counting penalties, then Harry Kane does not even exist.
Really odd analysis.
Surely they shouldn’t hand out this award before the end of the season. It’s stupid.
You’re right but don’t call me Shirley.
Marty first for me, then Rice followed by Rodri.
Did they also award the title then? Strangely lazy way to run things. This type of award is only useful when it recognizes someone on a club that doesn’t win trophies.
Yep, Foden with the trophy on the twitter post as well. Do one! Not over yet
I’ve never been a fan of these individual awards since the people who decide them use funny parameters to make their call. For example no way Foden with his experience in the league would beat Palmer in his first season as a pro in the premier league . The kid could end up with the golden boot in his first season of his career in what they call the toughest league in the world but the counter argument is “but he didn’t win the league”. A league city wins by default. Look at Haaland last year, he was absolutely the… Read more »
I really think the fact Foden looks like a haunted victorian doll should count against him in this and all future awards.
And can someone please sort out what the hell is wrong with his bandaged hand? With 115 of the best doctors around, nobody can help him out?? Haha
Sorry, apparently it’s still fractured due to lifting loads of unmarked bills
For me, the two best and funniest putdowns of the Manchester 115’s of the season, so far.
Make it the three best and funniest… haunted Victorian doll… lol
😂
He has been bloody brilliant this season, to be fair.
Not convinced. Foden has had just as many games where he’s been totally anonymous as games where he’s turned up and scored 2. Still a hot and cold player.
the pfa awards, the fwa awards, the fsa awards, the premier league awards… i love england, english football and arsenal. but all these pointless individual awards you have, jesus christ… let’s make the arseblog awards happen, since it seems to be trendy
IMHO, Watkins is more deserving than Foden. He has been absolutely terrific.
Yeh Ode should be in the top 3 imo. Probably should be in the top 3. Rice deserves a spot in there though too.
I understand why Saka aint in the top 3. Hes been good but definitely not at quite the same level as before. Hope the summer break does him justice.