Declan Rice has been named Arsenal’s Player of the Season, edging out Bukayo Saka and David Raya, who finished second and third, respectively.
The England international topped the poll with 52% of the vote to cap off an impressive second year in red and white following his big-money move from West Ham. It was a campaign that started slowly but gathered serious momentum after the turn of the year as Rice cemented his status as one of Mikel Arteta’s most influential players.
He made 52 appearances in all competitions, racking up 4,128 minutes – the second-most of any outfield player behind William Saliba – and finished the season with nine goals and 10 assists. That takes his tally in an Arsenal shirt to 36 goal contributions in 103 games; not bad for someone many assumed would spend most of his time sitting in front of the back four.
Rice admitted it took him a while to find his rhythm after a demanding summer with England at the Euros, and a contentious early red card against Brighton didn’t help his cause. But once he got going, he didn’t look back. He credited his improved off-field discipline for helping him reach peak condition, and Arsenal reaped the rewards.
His standout displays came in the Champions League quarter-finals against Real Madrid, where he ran the show across both legs. A stunning brace of free-kicks at the Emirates helped secure a 3-0 first-leg win, and he dominated again at the Bernabeu as Arsenal claimed a famous 2-1 victory. UEFA took note, naming him in their team of the tournament.
There were also fine goals domestically, including sweetly struck efforts from the edge of the box against Manchester United and Newcastle, which proved vital in securing a third straight second-place finish in the Premier League.
That Bukayo Saka finished runner-up in the voting reflects just how electric he was in the opening months of the season. With seven assists in the first seven league games, and with Martin Odegaard sidelined, he took on the creative burden. A torn hamstring suffered in December’s 5-1 win over Crystal Palace sidelined him for nearly three months, and while he returned in time for the Champions League run-in, his absence in the league invites inevitable questions of what might have been.
David Raya, meanwhile, can consider himself unlucky not to become the first goalkeeper to win the award since Jens Lehmann in 2006. The Spaniard enjoyed a brilliant campaign, producing a string of fine saves, notably away at Aston Villa, Atalanta and Manchester United, and kept 13 clean sheets to earn a share of the Premier League Golden Glove, having won it outright the season before.
Elsewhere, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes and Jurrien Timber all made strong cases of their own, but just missed out on the top three.