POLL : PFA player of the year 15/16

[BOF]

Leicester trio Vardy, Kante and Mahrez on PFA Player of the Year shortlist

 

The ESPN FC crew discuss the revelation of Leicester's season and how they've all but wrapped up the Premier League title.

The PFA Players' Player of the Year award nominations have been announced with Dimitri Payet, Harry Kane, Jamie Vardy, Mesut Ozil, N'Golo Kante and Riyad Mahrez named.

Three Leicester players -- Vardy, Kante and Mahrez -- are in the final six and the Foxes trio make up half of the shortlist for the award, which is voted for by their peers, with Tottenham's 22-goal striker Kane, Arsenal midfielder Ozil and West Ham's Payet the other names in the frame to succeed 2015 winner Eden Hazard.

Kane is also in contention to retain the Young Player of the Year gong he won 12 months ago and he features on a six-player shortlist alongside Spurs teammate Dele Alli, Everton duo Romelu Lukaku and Ross Barkley, Stoke's Jack Butland and Liverpool's Philippe Coutinho.

The winners for each category will be announced on Sunday, April 24 and the strong Leicester presence on the shortlist for the men's award is a reflection of the league leaders' improbable season, which has already seen them secure Champions League qualification and could yet culminate in a Premier League title.

Vardy is one goal behind England colleague Kane in the race for the division's golden boot while Mahrez has chipped in with 16 goals and 11 assists and recent France cap Kante's role in defensive midfield has earned widespread praise.

Like Kante, Payet has enjoyed a fine first campaign after coming across the Channel last summer while 27-year-old German international Ozil has contributed a league-leading 18 assists for the Gunners this term.

Eight times in the previous 11 seasons the Players' Player of the Year has played for Chelsea, Manchester United or Liverpool yet, just one year from those clubs having four players on the half-a-dozen strong shortlist, there are no representatives from any of those clubs.

Reds forward Coutinho was up for the main award last year and he could yet win the Young Player of the Year award, a title which 20-year-old Alli will hope to earn just one year after he was named the Football League's Young Player of the Year.

Last year's Women's Players' Player of the Year Ji So-Yun is in the running for this year's award along with Chelsea Ladies teammates Hedvig Lindahl and Gemma Davison, Manchester City Women's Izzy Christiansen and Sunderland Ladies' Beth Mead, who is also up for the Women's Young Player of the Year Award, for which she faces competition from City duo Nikita Parris and Keira Walsh, Chelsea's Hannah Blundell and Arsenal Ladies' Danielle Carter.

[Demitri_C]

Vardy going to win this by a country mile

[tonyh29]

they do the voting in Feburary for this so I wonder if Vardy's goals drying up a bit at the turn of the year will play a part ?

 

I went for  Mahrez and Butland

but I expect with the current wankfest over him it would be Alli  for young player

[BOF]

I went Mahrez/Alli.  I imagine Lukaku's goals are the only real threat to Alli in that category, or possibly a sympathy vote for Kane if (when) he doesn't win the senior award.

[Swerbs]

Vardy and Alli.

[Wainy316]

I'd be inclined to go with Payet.

Alli should be a shoe in.

[PaulC]

Its one of three Leicester players but I have gone for Vardy although I think Mahrez will be the players choice. Alli easy choice for young player of the year.

[ml1dch]

1 hour ago, Demitri_C said:

Vardy going to win this by a country mile

Get your money on it then if I were you. Mahrez is odds-on favourite with Vardy a pretty distant second.

Should be Mahrez and Alli. Will be Mahrez and Alli.

[Gary Thomas]

Can't believe Gabby is not on this list, scandalous.

[zak]

Has Alli been better the Kane this season? Id give young player to Kane

[VillaChris]

4 hours ago, Wainy316 said:

I'd be inclined to go with Payet.

Alli should be a shoe in.

Payet's been brilliant...but only since xmas.

Vardy and Mahrez have been consistant for vast majority of the season.

You have to give it to Mahrez surely, only 5 fewer goals than Vardy and a shed load of assists.

Ali no brainer for Young player.

[PaulC]

Actually Chris when you combine the goals and assists of Vardy and Mahrez it comes out even so you can make a case for both. And I think Mahrez has taken more penalties! i could be wrong there but i know Mahrez has missed at least 2

Edited April 13, 2016 by PaulC

[villa4europe]

Usual moan about the youth award -

Coutinho is 23, playing in his 8th full season as a professional, in his 4th season in the prem, in his 4th country, been playing international football for 6 years

He's not comparable to Dele Ali

[PaulC]

2 minutes ago, villa4europe said:

Usual moan about the youth award -

Coutinho is 23, playing in his 8th full season as a professional, in his 4th season in the prem, in his 4th country, been playing international football for 6 years

He's not comparable to Dele Ali

I agree young should be 21 or under at the start of the season. I think Milner won it at 24 when he had been playing pro football for about 7 years. 

Edited April 13, 2016 by PaulC

[The_Rev]

Mahrez and Kane for me.  If the young player award was for a breakout season then Delle Ali instead of Kane.   I think Lukaku is unlucky not to have made shortlist for the main award. 

[The_Rev]

3 minutes ago, PaulC said:

I agree young should be 21 or under at the start of the season. I think Milner won it at 24 when he had been playing pro football for about 7 years. 

Maybe adding a cut off point of number of appearances or starts too.  Players who have played fewer than, say, 75 games on the opening day of the season. 

[villa4europe]

I think they should just change it to a breakthrough award, open it up to people in their first / second year in the prem

[VillaChris]

Only thing on Kane is he's established now and I'd just put those sort in the main category and save young player for the genuine breakthrough acts like Ali.

[PaulC]

13 minutes ago, VillaChris said:

Only thing on Kane is he's established now and I'd just put those sort in the main category and save young player for the genuine breakthrough acts like Ali.

Yes so what about Barkley? Its his third full season.

[VillaChris]

Barkley shouldn't even be on the list imo. Different players but Eric Dier should be on the young players list.