The list of nominees for Professional Footballers’ Association Player of the Year award and the Young Player of the Year award have been released and not so surprisingly, two of Tottenham’s star players have been included.
The award is a traditional one and has been presented since the 1973-74 season and it is something that the players look forward to winning. The winner is chosen by voting and hence the outcome has never been questioned. This season, the award will be presented for the 44th time since its introduction.
The current holder of the PFA Player of the Year award is Leicester City star Riyad Mahrez, who was instrumental in the Foxes’ unbelievable success last season. The fairy tale was supposed to have a happy ending just like it did and there was no stopping it whatsoever.
Last year too, two Tottenham stars were nominated for the prestigious award, and the very same players have now been nominated this year as well.
Well, we aren’t going to give away prizes for guessing the names. It is obvious that Harry Kane and Dele Alli are the ones. While Kane has been nominated for both PFA Player of the Year and PFA Young Player of the Year, Dele Alli has been nominated for the latter.
Harry Kane won the Young Player of the Year award in 2014/15 season and Dele Alli won it last year for the 2015/16 season for his stellar rise.
While Alli scored 10 goals and 11 assists last season to win it, Kane scored a whopping 31 goals and 6 assists to bag home the award.
This year, though Kane has seen his game time become limited due to injuries. He has scored 24 goals and provided 4 assists in 30 games. This means he has contributed to 28 goals in 30 games. What a stellar player! He certainly deserves his nomination.
On the other hand, Dele Alli has proved that he is not a one-season wonder and has scored an amazing 19 goals and 10 assists this season so far. He would become the 4th player in the history of the awards to win the Young Player of the Year award twice in two years. Ryan Giggs, Robbie Fowler, and Wayne Rooney are the players who have achieved this elite feat earlier. It would mark an unbelievable achievement for Dele Alli, the star in the making.
Harry Kane, if he wins the Player of the Year award, would become only the 5th Tottenham player after Pat Jennings who won it in the 3rd year of the award distribution, Clive Allen, David Ginola, and Gareth Bale (who won it twice in 2010/11 and 2012/13).
Dele Alli would be aiming to make history by winning becoming the 5th player after Glenn Hoddle, Kyle Walker, Gareth Bale, and Harry Kane to win the award.
Here’s the list of nominees for the PFA Player of the Year award 2017:
- Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal)
- Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Manchester United)
- Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur)
- Romelu Lukaku (Everton)
- Eden Hazard (Chelsea)
- N’Golo Kante (Chelsea)
Here’s the list of nominees for the PFA Young Player of the Year award 2017:
- Jordan Pickford (Sunderland)
- Leroy Sane (Manchester City)
- Romelu Lukaku (Everton)
- Dele Alli (Tottenham Hotspur)
- Michael Keane (Burnley)
- Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur)
