Ian DarkeApr 16, 2025, 05:00 AM ET
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- Darke, who referred to as video games for the community all over the 2010 FIFA Global Cup in South Africa, is ESPN lead football voice in the USA. He has lined the Barclays Premier League and the Champions League since 1982, and has one of the vital international’s maximum recognizable football voices.
Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah will certainly stroll away with each glittering prizes for being the highest participant within the 2024-25 Premier League season. However are there are different severe contenders?
You’ll be expecting Salah, these days most sensible of the charts with 27 league targets and 18 assists thru 32 video games, to assemble the PFA Participant of the Yr award (as voted for via his fellow execs), and in addition the historical Soccer Writers’ Affiliation Footballer of the Yr trophy (awarded via the country’s soccer writers and primary gained via the mythical Stanley Matthews in 1948.)
In all probability issues can trade within the ultimate month of the season when the trophies are passed out, however actually, it is been an entertaining, up-and-down season by which just a selected few have constantly sprinkled stardust on lawsuits. Chelsea ahead Cole Palmer, as an example, began the season sensationally, however he suffered a dip in shape after Christmas.
So right here is going with my brief record of the season’s superstar gamers:
1. Mohamed Salah, FW, Liverpool
Quicksilver reactions and scoring instincts were Salah’s hallmark, and he has regularly produced match-winning or match-saving moments simply when his crew wanted him to. He has 32 targets and 23 assists in all competitions (46 video games), and now that his contract has been prolonged some other two years, the temper at Anfield is buoyant to mention the least. The Egypt global turns 33 in the summertime, however he turns out to nonetheless be in mint situation. It’s going to be a deal with for us to look what he can do subsequent 12 months and past.
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2. Alexander Isak, FW, Newcastle United
Balletic and fatal, the 24-goal Sweden global has been nearly unstoppable now and then and fittingly scored a excellent target at Wembley as Newcastle lifted their first home trophy in 70 years once they gained the Carabao Cup in opposition to Liverpool. His switch price £63 million from Actual Sociedad in 2022 and can be value a minimum of double that now. Isak can be a goal for many most sensible Eu golf equipment if he was to be had, which is why it is vital for Newcastle to provide him Champions League soccer subsequent season.
3. Nikola Milenkovic, DF, Nottingham Wooded area
His switch from Fiorentina handiest price round £12m in summer time 2024, however he has proved to be a key part within the Wooded area good fortune tale. He and younger Brazil global Murillo were the rocks on which opposition assaults founder, sparking the swift counterattacks that experience helped to boost the unsung outsiders right into a dizzying 3rd position within the desk. Others equivalent to prolific striker Chris Wooden and playmaker Morgan Gibbs-White may simply have made this record, however Milenkovic has been enormous.
4. Morgan Rogers, MF, Aston Villa
As soon as part of Manchester Town’s academy, however not able to damage into the primary crew, Rogers has blossomed right into a dynamic attacking midfield participant who isn’t happier than when operating dangerously on the center of worried defenses. One of the vital nice bargains of new years, his switch price an preliminary £8m from Middlesbrough on the finish of the 2024 wintry weather window and he has delivered 14 targets and 10 assists in 46 video games (all competitions) as Villa have stormed into the ultimate 8 of the Champions League and reached the FA Cup semifinals. He’s very a lot a part of the England scene as smartly now.
Milos Kerkez has been a standout performer for Bournemouth this season. Alex Davidson/Getty Pictures
5. Milos Kerkez, DF, Bournemouth
Kerkez’s raids from left-back were an indicator of Bournemouth’s wonderful season. The Cherries signed him from AZ Alkmaar in 2023, when Richard Hughes was once doing the recruiting, and Hughes is now at Liverpool, so there can be no wonder if the very good Hungary global became up at Anfield subsequent season in a £45m deal.
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6. Virgil van Dijk, DF, Liverpool
He had a unprecedented off day within the contemporary defeat at Fulham, however the Liverpool captain has been the most efficient defender within the Premier League for a couple of years now and that has no longer modified at age of 33. He appears to be like in cruise keep watch over at the box and is a wonderful ambassador off it. Liverpool have by no means invested £75m higher than once they introduced within the Netherlands global from Southampton in January 2018.
7. Carlos Baleba, MF, Brighton
The extremely spectacular 21-year-old Cameroon global is the most recent midfield powerhouse to emerge at Brighton and infrequently misses a recreation. Like Alexis Mac Allister, Moisés Caicedo and Yves Bissouma ahead of him, his switch will constitute a large benefit when he sooner or later leaves as he arrived from Lille for simply £23.2m in 2023. He can be a summer time goal for some heavy hitters upper up the league desk.
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Darke: Lewis-Skelly may well be England’s left-back for a decade
Ian Darke explains why Arsenal’s Myles Lewis-Skelly made his record of the highest Premier League gamers of the season, and predicts a good brighter long run for the younger superstar.
8. Myles Lewis-Skelly, DF/MF, Arsenal
No person out of doors Arsenal had heard of him a couple of months in the past and people who had noticed him play most commonly as a central midfielder. Now the 18-year-old academy graduate is a fixture for his membership and seems like he could be England’s left-back for the following decade. Like midfielder Ethan Nwaneri, who has additionally had a breakout season for the Gunners, Lewis-Skelly has been a revelation and may finally end up following within the footsteps of Ashley Cole.
9. Ryan Gravenberch, MF, Liverpool
At the fringes of the Liverpool crew beneath Jurgen Klopp ultimate season, the Netherlands global have been an attacking midfielder when he moved from Ajax for £34.3m in 2023, however has made himself indispensable within the deep-lying No. 6 function at Anfield beneath Arne Slot. He has been the entire bundle this marketing campaign, breaking apart opposition assaults and discovering modern passes to get his aspect transferring ahead.
10. Dan Burn, DF, Newcastle
One of the vital absolute best tales of the season, Burn was once stacking grocery store cabinets and enjoying non-league soccer for Darlington in 2011, however he battled his approach up the pyramid and moved to Fulham, then Wigan and Brighton, ahead of touchdown at Newcastle for £13m in 2022. The 6-foot-7 defender was once most often situated at center-back however transformed to left-back and scored a vintage header in Newcastle’s Carabao Cup triumph ultimate month (to finish the membership’s 70-year look forward to a home trophy) and gained his first England cap a couple of days later. He will get on this most sensible 10 on that foundation on my own.
Dan Burn helped Newcastle spoil their lengthy trophy drought this season. Stu Forster/Getty Pictures
Additionally in attention:
Bruno Fernandes (MF, Guy United)
Marco Asensio (MF, Aston Villa, on mortgage from Actual Madrid)
Youri Tielemans (MF, Aston Villa)
Chris Wooden (FW, Nottingham Wooded area)
Morgan Gibbs-White (MF, Nottingham Wooded area)
Matz Sels (GK, Nottingham Wooded area)
Ola Aina (DF, Nottingham Wooded area)
Moises Caicedo (MF, Chelsea)
Cole Palmer (FW, Chelsea)
Liam Delap (FW, Ipswich)
Jean-Philippe Mateta (FW, Crystal Palace)
Antonee Robinson (DF, Fulham)
Bruno Guimarães (MF, Newcastle United)
Jordan Pickford (GK, Everton)
Bryan Mbeumo (FW, Brentford)
Mikkel Damsgaard (MF, Brentford)
Christian Norgaard (MF, Brentford)
