Arsenal
Bukayo Saka
Saka won the club vote by a landslide and it’s not hard to see why. The 21-year-old finished the 2021-22 campaign as Arsenal’s top scorer and is again among the goals this time around, with five goals and six assists spearheading the Gunners’ unlikely title bid. Has now made more than 100 appearances for Arsenal despite his young age. Oh, and not forgetting the World Cup, where Saka scored three goals and ran the France defence ragged in the quarter-final.
Aston Villa
Ashley Young
It’s been a tricky 12 months at times for the Villa Park faithful, but they’ve recognised the ability and commitment of Ashley Young to crown him as the club’s Fans’ Footballer of the Year. In one of the tightest races going, Young pipped Jacob Ramsey by just SEVEN votes after a year which saw the 37-year-old produce assured, consistent performances in a number of positions.
Bournemouth
Dominic Solanke
Solanke finished the 2021-22 campaign with 30 goals to his name and it was only the outstanding goalscoring feats of Aleksandar Mitrovic that prevented more being made of his achievements.The Cherries fans have recognised his importance to the cause, however, with cheeky flicks, superb hold-up play and invaluable defensive contributions combining with the goals to produce a much more rounded player than the one that arrived on the south coast from Liverpool.
Brentford
Ivan Toney
He wouldn’t have missed that penalty against France. That he didn’t even get a chance was a major bone of contention, certainly among Bees fans. Started the year with eight goals in the space of eight Premier League appearances and has hit form again in the 2022-23 season, with 10 in 14 Premier League appearances. Dogged by off-the-field issues, he continues to do his talking on the pitch.
Brighton & Hove Albion
Leandro Trossard
It didn’t happen for Trossard and Belgium at the World Cup but that won’t deter a host of interested clubs when the January transfer window comes around. Trossard is in red-hot form with 11 goals in his last 20 matches, including five assists. Unplayable on his day, he has benefited from being pushed higher up the pitch. The Brighton fans saw firsthand just how good he was in 2022, but unfortunately, so did Graham Potter, with Chelsea just one of the clubs sniffing around the 27-year-old.
Chelsea
Thiago Silva
A legend of the game who just continues to make a mockery of Father Time. Silva may now be 38, but he’s as cool, calm and composed as ever. A rock at the heart of Chelsea’s backline, he’s played more Premier League minutes than any other Blues player this season and still oozes class.
Crystal Palace
Wilfried Zaha
Fifteen goals last term and six already in 2022-23, Zaha continues to be the Eagles’ talisman - but for how long? Out of contract in the summer, he has been repeatedly linked with moves away from the club, with Arsenal, Tottenham and Bayern Munich all linked with the Ivorian. Palace fans are enjoying him while they have him, however, with Zaha finishing well clear in the club poll. His last move away from Palace didn’t work out well, but at 30 years old and in the form of his career, this could be his last chance to secure a move to one of Europe’s powerhouses.
Everton
Jordan Pickford
The consistency shown by the Everton shot-stopper has been one of the few plus points in a difficult 12 months for the Toffees. Where there were once worries over Pickford’s maturity, he has shown his leadership credentials in 2022 and been handed the captain’s armband on occasions by Frank Lampard. That’s all aside from his performances, with some incredible saves on show including a wonder-stop against Chelsea earlier this year.
Fulham
Aleksandar Mitrovic
Did any Fulham fans vote for anyone other than Mitrovic? Well, yes they did, but not many. A record-breaking Championship campaign saw the Serbian propel Fulham to the title on the back of 43 goals in 44 games. Given a chance to prove himself in the top flight under Marco Silva, he has added a further nine in 12, taking his tally to the calendar year to 30 league goals in 33 games. There’s also been eight in his last seven for Serbia including two at the World Cup. Prolific.
Leeds United
Tyler Adams
In the tightest race we had among the clubs, USA skipper Adams came out on top by just ONE vote, beating Ilian Meslier to snatch the award. Adams may have only been with the club since the summer but he has made an instant impact with the Elland Road faithful with his leadership and quality in the centre of the park and has meant the departure of Kalvin Phillips has barely been felt.
Leicester City
James Maddison
Maddison may be viewed as a luxury player by Gareth Southgate but to the Leicester City fanbase he is indispensable. Maddison picked up twice as many votes as his three rivals put together and surely deserved to be higher up the national vote after a standout 2022. Twenty-three goals and assists in 30 Premier League games speak for his contribution on a purely statistical level but it’s his ability to light up a game with a moment of magic that makes him such a hit with fans.
Liverpool
Mohamed Salah
Salah once again strolled to the Liverpool Fans’ Footballer of the Year award. Would that still have been the case if Sadio Mane had remained at Anfield? After all, the Senegal forward matched him for goals in the second half of 2021-22 and outshone him at the Africa Cup of Nations. Who knows? But what is for certain is that Salah continues to be Liverpool’s go-to man. The 2021-22 Golden Boot winner (alongside Heung-min Son) has been less prolific in the league this term, but seven goals in his last five Champions League appearances show he is still the standard to which all other goalscorers should aspire.
Manchester City
Kevin De Bruyne
De Bruyne will be happy to be back in the bosom of his Manchester City teammates after Belgium’s World Cup campaign imploded around him in Qatar. And that’s not just because he is supplying chances for Erling Haaland rather than Romelu Lukaku, though eight key passes and no assists over the course of Belgium’s three games speaks volumes. Contrast that with his 2022-23 domestic form which sees him on 10 assists, already half-way to the Premier League record of 20. Third in the Ballon d’Or and Manchester City’s reigning player of the year, he remains on top of his game for Pep Guardiola’s side.
Manchester United
Lisandro Martinez
What does Martinez’s victory say about United when he only joined them in the summer? The only outfield player to start all 14 Premier League games this season, such has been his impact that Patrice Evra hailed him: “one of the best signings we’ve had for years at Manchester United”. The diminutive centre-back is proving size (or number of appearances) is not important when it comes to gaining United fans’ backing.
Newcastle United
Bruno Guimaraes
Guimaraes hasn’t single-handedly transformed Newcastle from relegation strugglers to Champions League challengers but he has certainly had a major influence on their rise. He says he wants to 'be a legend' on Tyneside and he is already well on his way to that with eight goals and three assists in 29 appearances for the Magpies. Newcastle writer Lee Ryder said he brings "Champions League quality" to St James' Park. Soon he may be bringing Champions League football there as well.
Nottingham Forest
Ryan Yates
NottinghamshireLive writer Sarah Clapson argued that “there can really only be one winner when it comes to picking Forest’s Player of the Year for 2022” and the fans have agreed. Yates amassed more than double the votes of nearest rival Brennan Johnson thanks to a year of committed performances in Forest’s midfield. The 25-year-old flourished under the tutelage of Steve Cooper, scoring six Championship goals in 2022 on the way to a memorable Wembley promotion. Didn’t start the first two games of the Premier League campaign but has been an ever-present since, and arguably Forest’s best player on their top-flight return.
Southampton
James Ward-Prowse
Ward-Prowse retained the HampshireLive’s Fans’ Footballer of the Year award after again producing for the Premier League strugglers. Without his 10 goals in 2021-22, Southampton would have been relegated. And that they find themselves struggling again is through no fault of Ward-Prowse, with the fans again deeming him Saints’ best player. Their loyalty mirrors his own, with the midfielder having shunned several opportunities to move on from the south coast. Having again missed out on an England tournament spot, he may now be rethinking his decision to remain at one of the top-flight’s unfashionable clubs.
Tottenham Hotspur
Harry Kane
Still the main man, still the best his country has got. Forget the penalty miss against France, it’s still been an outstanding year for Kane and one which Spurs fans have recognised. Twenty-five Premier League goals and eight assists in the calendar year meant he fought off some stiff competition for the Tottenham title. Where would the club be without their inspirational No 9?
West Ham United
Declan Rice
The cringe-worthy adverts for a certain dessert aside, it has been another impressive year for Rice (rice, baby). The driving force behind the Hammers’ run to the Europa League semi-finals and seventh place in the Premier League last term, he is one of only a handful to have come out of the first half of this season with much credit. One of England’s top performers at the World Cup, he will be in demand again come the summer.
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Ruben Neves
When Wolves writer Alex Dicken wrote that Neves was “the main contender to win this award”, he was clearly trying to be diplomatic: Neves was just about the only contender. Taking over the Wolves captaincy following Conor Coady’s departure, Neves has thrived on the extra responsibility. Neves has four of the club’s eight goals this season and without him, Wolves would be in an even worse predicament than they are now. It doesn’t bear thinking about how they will cope if one of a host of admirers finally prises him away from Molineux.