With less than 10 days until the start of the 2024/25 Premier League season, it’s time for some predictions!
In this article, I’m going to break down my picks for each of the six major awards given following the Premier League campaign. Without further ado, let’s get into it.
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Player of the Season
Erling Haaland — Manchester City
It’s a boring pick, but a safe one.
The last FIVE Player of the Season winners have come from Manchester City, as the club has established one of the greatest domestic dynasties this sport has ever seen. More often than not, the team that wins the league will feature the Player of the Season, and it should come as little shock that I expect City to do it again this time around.
Now, I know what some of you are thinking. SURELY they can’t win a fifth straight title, right?
Yes. They can. Especially considering the possibility of this being Pep’s final season with the club.
Haaland put together a somewhat subpar 2023-24 campaign by his standards, but the Norwegian giant still claimed the golden boot with 27 goals, providing five assists as well. He also had to sit and watch as a number of his teammates made deep runs in Euro 2024 while Norway failed to qualify.
If you don’t think all of those factors will drastically motivate him to bring his A-game this year, you don’t know Erling Haaland.
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Young Player of the Season
Alejandro Garnacho — Manchester United
There are a myriad of options to choose from this year, and I strongly considered Jeremy Doku and Bukayo Saka in particular. That said, we’re venturing a little down the board in terms of obvious candidates and rolling with Manchester United’s young star.
It’s worth noting that I rate Kobbie Mainoo higher than his teammate, but the path to him winning this award is much more difficult.
Garnacho was one of the bright spots amidst an otherwise tumultuous campaign for United last year, racking up seven goals and four assists in 36 matches. If the Red Devils find a little more consistency this season under Erik Ten Hag, his production could skyrocket. Not only would that put him among the top contenders for this award, but his standing as one of the best players on England’s most popular club should certainly propel his case.
Manager of the Season
Pep Guardiola — Manchester City
A manager not named Pep Guardiola or Jurgen Klopp hasn’t won this award since 2017, and I don’t expect that to change this year.
Klopp, of course, is no longer at Liverpool, which means there’s only one option remaining.
Guardiola has so many factors working for him in this particular race. Not only has he established the greatest Premier League dynasty of all time — sorry Sir Alex Ferguson fans, this just feels like a virtual fact at this point — but he also has nostalgia working in his favor. Pep has been quite ambiguous about his future at City, but his contract ends at the conclusion of this season and there is a strong chance he leaves. If that does prove to be the case, voters will be eager to reward the Spaniard for his truly incredible tenure in Manchester.
The other candidate I considered for this award was Mikel Arteta, but he would only be the pick if Arsenal wins the league. As I stated above, I do not expect that to happen.
Golden Boot
Erling Haaland — Manchester City
No real analysis necessary.
As explained above, I expect Haaland to bounce back from an underwhelming 23/24 campaign with a vengeance. As long as he stays healthy and plays at least 30 matches, he will almost certainly win the golden boot for a third consecutive season.
Golden Glove
David Raya — Arsenal
The first Arsenal player to appear in these awards predictions!
To be clear, the lack of their presence among my picks should not be taken as an insult. I still expect the Gunners to firmly finish second this season, but to the victor belong the spoils.
That said, Raya is the reigning Golden Glove winner with 16 clean sheets in 2023/24. Arsenal boasts the best defensive line in England, and they only bolstered it with the addition of Riccardo Calafiori. Arteta’s side will hold their opponents scoreless more than any other squad once again this year.
Playmaker of the Season (Most Assists)
Kevin De Bruyne — Manchester City
Rounding out the Manchester City awards extravaganza with another player who could be suiting up for his final year at the club.
City legend Kevin De Bruyne isn’t at the peak of his powers anymore, but his best form is still arguably a top five player in the world. As has been the case for years with KDB, health will play a significant factor in his campaign.
The superstar played just 18 Premier League matches last season but still finished with 10 assists, three shy of the leader Ollie Watkins, who played more than double the games. With the seemingly endless weapons at his disposal in City’s offense, if De Bruyne suits up for at least 20 matches he should firmly be in this race. If he plays closer to 30, he could run away with it.
Those are my awards predictions for the 2024/25 Premier League season! Stay tuned for more content over the coming weeks.
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