Exclusive: Fabrizio Romano names Chelsea star and Arsenal duo as player of the year contenders

Fabrizio Romano has admitted he’s not yet made a final decision on who his player of the season in the Premier League would be, but he has about four main names in contention, including Chelsea sensation Cole Palmer, and two Arsenal players.

Speaking exclusively to CaughtOffside, Romano suggested that Palmer may be his favourite on pure individual form alone, but he also suggested he could be tempted to pick any one of Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice or Erling Haaland, depending on whether it’s Arsenal or Manchester City who end up winning the Premier League title.

It’s an extremely close race between City and Arsenal at the moment, with the Gunners showing no sign of slowing down as we head towards the final few games of the season.

However, Pep Guardiola’s side still have a slight edge as they have a game in hand and also look in unstoppable form at the moment, meaning Arsenal can’t afford any slip-ups.

Fabrizio Romano on player of the year candidates

It’s clearly going to be a bit of a wait before we know who ends up winning the league, but Romano has suggested that will influence his decision, even if Palmer’s superb form for Chelsea also certainly warrants attention.

“We’re nearly at the point now where choosing the player of the season will be a topic of conversation, and I have some of my own candidates in mind, but for me it will also be crucial to see who wins the Premier League title – my vote will be based on that,” Romano said.

“As of today, Chelsea’s Cole Palmer is the one who impressed me the most but Erling Haaland, Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice also have a good chance to win as they deserve it. Let’s see who’s going make an impact in the final games, for my vote that’s a crucial step!”