Premier League 2023-24 Season Awards

EPL Season Awards

Now that the Premier League has left us with a hole in our souls until August, we here at EPLNews have taken stock of everything that happened over the course of the season and will be handing out our Premier League Season Awards today.

Matchday 38 has brought us plenty of conclusions and we have given it proper attention in our dedicated awards article as well.

We also have our 2023-24 season conclusions that you might like to check out here.

But today it’s about celebrating the best of what this season brought us. Naturally, there are the big awards, for Player, Manager and Goal of the Season. But we do have some other categories too.

Continue reading to find out who and what stood out for us during this historic Premier League campaign.

Best Player

So many great contenders for this one.

Arsenal’s Martin Ødegaard and William Saliba have been absolutely vital for the Gunners’ title push, Chelsea’s Cole Palmer dragged his club to a finish in the European spots, and Manchester City’s Rodri showed time and time again just how important he is to Guardiola’s team.

All this before even bringing up Bukayo Saka, Alexander Isak, Virgil van Dijk or Eberechi Eze and their individual brilliance.

But the award can only go to one man and it is Phil Foden. ‘The Stockport Iniesta’ found another level during 2023-24, truly cementing himself as the best product of Manchester City’s academy.

He has made 35 Premier League appearances this season, scoring 19 goals and laying on 8 assists. In terms of goals, this was by far his best return in a domestic season. 2 of those strikes came when it mattered most: on the last matchday, clinching the title for City against West Ham.

After winning the Premier League Young Player of the Season twice (2020-21 and 2021-22), he has been crowned Player of the Season by the Premier League as well, and our own award also goes to him for the way he has delighted us this season.

City have barely missed De Bruyne’s quality when he was out with injuries, thanks to Foden and his brilliance. And that really is the biggest compliment possible for the young Englishman.

Best Manager

Again, plenty of great candidates. Guardiola won the title, Arteta guided his young Arsenal team outstandingly to a final day decider, Iraola steered Bournemouth to a more than comfortable finish, and Postecoglou got Spurs back into Europe after last season’s 8th place finish.

Having said all that, the winner of our Best Manager award is Unai Emery.

The Spaniard guided Aston Villa to a Champions League place for the first time in over 40 years, and they were seen as dark horses in a title race in early winter. Sure, the second half of the season saw a decline in their form, but they kept their nerve to secure 4th.

And all this was done while also competing in the UEFA Europa Conference League, where they reached the semi-finals.

Truly impressive work from Emery.

Best Young Player

This one goes out to Cole Palmer.

Chelsea have been an expensive mess since the Boehly-powered takeover, and this season, despite European qualification, was not too much better than the last, given the lofty standards of the West London team.

But the way Palmer led the team, despite not being captain, and his goalscoring heroics (22 strikes to go with his 10 assists) make us wonder just where Chelsea would have finished in the table without him.

Best XI

This was the hardest category to decide. To pick 11 players out of so many deserving candidates was a thankless task, but we had fun regardless.

GK – Guglielmo Vicario (Tottenham Hotspur)

While Raya had more clean sheets for Arsenal, Vicario was a transformative signing for Tottenham, and one that came at a reasonable price too.

RB – Ben White (Arsenal)

With 4 goals and 4 assists from right-back, White was an integral part in the Gunners’ push for the title this year.

CB – William Saliba (Arsenal)

Playing a part in all 38 games for Arsenal, Saliba helped his team keep 18 clean sheets and contributed with 2 goals at the other end, showing his quality in almost every situation this season.

CB – Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)

This was a campaign in which the Liverpool captain elevated his game close to his imperious best. He helped the Reds stay in the title race until late in the season, while the pre-season expectations were focused on a return to the Champions League.

LB – Josko Gvardiol (Manchester City)

The Croatian defender contributed to City’s title win with 4 late-season goals, as well as an assured display in defending. This went a long way in justifying Guardiola’s decision to make him the most expensive defender in history.

DM – Rodri (Manchester City)

Yet another season in which the Spanish midfielder showed why no other ‘number 6’ on the planet is on his level. It speaks volumes that his suspension in December 2023 was City’s darkest time.

CM – Declan Rice (Arsenal)

The record signing from West Ham had an outstanding first season with Arsenal, playing in all 38 games and directly contributing 15 goals for his team (7G, 8A). We say he was worth the money.

CM – Martin Ødegaard (Arsenal)

The Norwegian has been a joy to watch this season, proudly displaying his range of passing and work ethic every time he took to the pitch. 8 goals and 10 assists this season don’t even scratch the surface when discussing his game.

RW – Cole Palmer (Chelsea)

The numbers really do say it all: 22 goals, 11 assists, and only the 3rd player in history to reach 30 or more goal contributions in a season that he started aged 21 or younger. Chelsea have a proper gem on their hands.

LW – Phil Foden (Manchester City)

Naturally, the Best Player award winner makes it into the Best XI of the season.

ST – Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa)

Sure, the striker spot could have gone to Haaland or Isak, but Watkins has been the closest thing to a ‘complete striker’ this season in the Premier League. While he only finished 4th in the Golden Boot race (19G), the 13 assists he registered make him our pick for the ‘number 9’ in our team of the season.

Best Goal

So many outrageous candidates: Rashford’s thunderbolt at the Etihad, Solanke’s cool turn and finish against Luton, Mac Allister’s long range stunner against Fulham at Anfield… The list can go on and on.

But there can only be one winner. And that is Alejandro Garnacho’s overhead kick at Goodison Park. Everything about it was just perfect.

Here it is, in all imaginable angles.

GARNACHO OVERHEAD KICK 🤯 | ALL THE ANGLES 👀

Best Signing

There are 2 big candidates here: Declan Rice and Cole Palmer. Both made a great impact for their new teams.

Our winner is Palmer, simply because he made a bigger difference. Arsenal challenged for the title before the former West Ham captain arrived, but Chelsea were truly awful last season. Although they spent most of this season in mid-table as well, they have Palmer to thank for getting to the European places.

Best Game

Once again, plenty of worthy contenders. Aston Villa vs Liverpool (3-3) had plenty of thrills and spills, Tottenham vs Chelsea (1-4) in November was crazy, and the 4-4 draw between Chelsea and Manchester City offered outstanding entertainment.

But the one we enjoyed the most was Liverpool vs Fulham, a 4-3 win for the Reds back in December 2023. The late drama, with Fulham leading 3-2 as late as the 86th minute, before Endo and Alexander-Arnold snatched victory for the hosts to send Anfield into raptures.

Another reason why this wins our Best Game award is the sheer quality of the goals scored, especially by the Liverpool players.

Mac Allister, Endo & Trent Score 4 FANTASTIC Goals! Liverpool 4-3 Fulham | Extended Highlights

Just prime Premier League viewing.