The England international has led these rankings for most of the season, and thoroughly deserves to win the prize
Arsenal pushed Manchester City hard in the Premier League title race last season, before Pep Guardiola's side's superior resources and elite mentality allowed them to pull away and eventually secure a famous treble. This time around, the Gunners have done the same again, with Mikel Arteta's side still in with a shot of ending their trophy drought going into the final day.
To keep pace with Guardiola's charges, Arsenal have had to get even better this season, with their recent victory over Manchester United making sure they have now improved their previous seasons' points tally in each of Arteta's full campaigns at the helm. As well as getting stronger as a collective, the players have also undergone a process of rapid, individual development.
And over the last few months, GOAL has been tracking all of the runners and riders for Arsenal's Player of the Season award. Now, it's finally time to assess who most deserves to receive the prestigious honour at the end of the campaign – and it's very tight at the top…
Getty Images22Jurrien Timber (N/A) ↔️
Timber looked like being an ideal addition to Mikel Arteta's backline when he arrived from Ajax for £40 million ($49.5m) this summer. He performed well in the Community Shield, but an ACL injury sustained in the Gunners' Premier League opener against Nottingham Forest condemned him to a season on the sidelines.
AdvertisementGetty Images21Aaron Ramsdale (2/10) ↔️
Ramsdale would have been sweating when David Raya was signed in the summer, and his fears were justified. Following a sketchy display against Fulham, Raya replaced him against Everton and the Spaniard hasn't relinquished the gloves since.
Publicly, Arteta outlined a utopian vision where the pair would rotate – sometimes even during a game. However, it's pretty clear who the No.1 is and it's not Ramsdale. The situation initially created plenty of debate, and the England international had his supporters, but now almost everyone has accepted that Raya represents a significant upgrade. It's time for Ramsdale to move on.
Getty Images20Reiss Nelson (2.5/10) ↔️
The Arsenal youth-team graduate continues to struggle to break into the senior side. Nelson has earned a handful of starts, notably setting up Eddie Nketiah's goal in a Champions League dead rubber against PSV, but generally this season has represented a step backwards after a 2022-23 campaign which included some iconic moments.
The winger is rarely a detriment to the side when he does come on, but he's hardly set the world alight either. Now 24, you'd imagine he'll be looking to depart in the summer, even though he has signed a new contract fairly recently.
Getty Images19Fabio Vieira (3/10) ⬇️
After a pretty uninspiring debut season at the Emirates, Vieira seemingly came out with a point to prove this campaign. Establishing his reputation as one of Arteta's second-half 'finishers' early on, he provided assists in successive Premier League matches against Fulham and Manchester United.
However, he could not maintain that momentum. Vieira soon dropped out of the starting XI and was then dealt a double blow, seeing red against Burnley in November before picking up a serious groin injury. Those issues essentially ended his season, with the midfielder scarcely being seen again.