PFA Player of the Year Nominees

Charlie Adam – Blackpool

Hardly anybody had heard of Charlie Adam a year ago and he rose to fame in January when he was a transfer target for Aston Villa, Liverpool and Spurs.  Blackpool manager, Ian Holloway, dismissed Aston Villa’s £ 3.5 millio n bid and stated ‘I w ant him to go to a strong club with a strong manager who will love him and where he will be able to win things’.  Charlie Adam has played a vital part in Blackpool’s relegation struggle this season making 28 appearances and scoring 9 goals and claiming 7 assists so far for a team which he captains.  Blackpool are demanding a minimum of £14 million for Charlie Adam who has put in so many excellent performances this season , resulting in him being nominated for this award.

Click on the picture to see Charlie Adam's season highlights

Gareth Bale – Tottenham Hotspur

This season has proved to be a revelation for Gareth Bale as he has transformed himself from a domestic joke (playing a record 24 Premier League games without being on the winning side)  to a player who has taken the breath away from fans all across Europe.  The incredible performance against Italian champions Internazionale, in which he scored a superb hat-trick, was repeated a fortnight later.  Gareth Bale has equally impressed domestically this season scoring a remarkable volley against Stoke and scoring a goal against Arsenal which sparked a comeback which will live long in the memory of all Spurs fans.  Bale has played 25 games in this breakthrough season scoring 7 goals and claiming 1 assist so far.

Click on the picture to see Gareth Bale’s season highlights

Samir Nasri – Arsenal

A major concern for Arsene Wenger at the start of the season was who to use in the central role if Cesc Fabregas does move to Barcelona in a move which has looked eminent for a long time.  However, this is not such a serious problem now as Wenger and Arsenal can both see that the potential that Samir Nasri has is starting to be fulfilled.  An integral part of Arsenal’s creativity in the absence of Cesc Fabregas and showing that he was equally able to take his skills out to the wings with the same amounts of success when Fabregas was present in the Arsenal starting 11.  Nasri has played 24 games so far scoring 9 goals and claiming one assist in a season which has seen him second only to van Persie in terms of goals for Arsenal.

Click the picture to see Nasri’s season highlights

Scott Parker – West Ham

Parker’s fine form this season has finally been rewarded by Fabio Capello as Parker’s England career finally has lift-off, 8 years after making his debut for his country.  Parker has enjoyed a superb season and has been as influential on the field for West Ham as when he is in the dressing-room.  Parker gave an inspirational half-time team talk when West Ham were 3-0 down to relegation rivals West Brom in a game which saw West Ham recover from this 3-0 deficit to draw 3-3.  This team talk prompted teammate Carlton Cole to say ‘We were diabolical but Scott was inspirational’.  Scott Parker has played 29 league games so far scoring 5 goals and providing 3 assists in a season which is undoubtedly the best of the 30-year-old’s 14-year and 5-club career.

Click on the picture to see Scott Parker’s season highlights

Carlos Tevez – Manchester City

If the voting for this award had taken place earlier in the season, then Carlos Tevez would have been the most likely to win. However, Tevez scored only his first goal in the last 8 games with a penalty against Sunderland last weekend.  This season, like last, has seen so many exceptional performances from the Argentinian striker who has obtained a reputation for being a prolific scorer.  This reputation is not without sufficient justification as Tevez has scored 19 league goals in 27 league starts so far with a further 6 assists.  On top of this, 6 of the 19 goals have been match winners for Manchester City which goes to show just how valuable he is to his club.

Click on the picture to see Carlos Tevez's season highlights

Rafael Van der Vaart – Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham fans will consider £8 million a bargain buy for a player who has put in performances the likes of which Rafael Van der Vaart has put in this season.  The Dutchman showed versatility as he immediately settled into Tottenham playing just behind a lone striker.  An excellent understanding with Peter Crouch has been established through this formation and Van der Vaart regularly profits from Crouch’s hold-up style of play.  For a foreign player playing his first season in English football, 10 league goals of 21 league games so far is an excellent record and something that Van der Vaart can look to build on next season.

Click on the picture to see Rafael Van der Vaart's season highlights

Nemanja Vidic – Manchester United

Centre-backs are often the least appreciated of all the footballers but Nemanja Vidic is indispensable to Manchester United.  Everything he lacks in terms of creativity, he makes up for through his outstanding defensive work, both in the air and on the ground.  Nemanja Vidic has held the Manchester United defence together in a season which has seen Rio Ferdinand hampered by injury.  Vidic has played 29 league games so far this season scoring 4 goals.

Click on the picture to see a Nemanja Vidic compilation