Premier League Player of the Year favourites & team of the 2024-25 season so far

We’re almost a third of the way through the Premier League season and it’s shaping up to be one of the closest we’ve ever experienced. 

Liverpool are currently top of the table, five points clear of Manchester City. But below those two, Chelsea in third are separated by just a single point from Aston Villa down in ninth, while from second to 16th, there’s a gap of just nine points.

It’s a similar picture in the Golden Boot race, with Erling Haaland out in front on 12 but chased by a pack including Mohamed Salah, Chris Wood and Bryan Mbeumo on eight goals, and Cole Palmer and Yoane Wissa on seven.

Whether it’s title glory, Champions League qualification or avoiding relegation, some big performers are going to have to emerge to carry their team over the line. And whoever does it best might well find themselves picking up some individual awards as well, such as the PFA Player of the Year award, that was won last year by Phil Foden.

The Man City star was the first Englishman to win the award since Wayne Rooney in 2009/10 but he might not be the last, with Cole Palmer the current favourite at 11/4 according to Sky Bet.

Who are the PFA Player of the Year award favourites?

2024/25 Premier League team of the season so far

Here’s our Premier League team of the season so far based on the Squawka Score, featuring a number of the players at the forefront of the PFA Player of the Year chase.

GK: Mads Hermansen

Club: Leicester City
Squawka Score: 74%

Mads Hermansen has conceded 21 goals in 11 games this season, keeping just one clean sheet. Right, now that’s out of the way… Mats Hermansen is second among Premier League goalkeepers for saves (43) and punches (9), while he’s faced the most XGTC (expected goals on target conceded) and the second-most shots (197).

In short, the Dane has been kept very, very busy but despite all that action, he’s yet to make an error leading to a goal. In fact, Leicester would be much worse off than their current 15th placing without him.

The club he plays for, their position in the table and lack of clean sheets will stop Hermansen from winning any awards, but don’t sleep on his quality as a goalkeeper.

RB: Pedro Porro

Club: Tottenham Hotspur
Squawka Score: 75%

There was a time when Pedro Porro was on the verge of becoming a major flop at Spurs but nowadays, he’s one of the top right-backs in the Premier League, even battling his way into the Spanish national team.

Porro has a goal and an assist to his name so far this season, while he’s second only to Dejan Kulusevski (30) among Spurs players for chances created (20). But more importantly, he’s second for tackles (25), interceptions (15) and recoveries (56) and third for clearances (23).

The former Sporting CP man has really brushed up both sides of his game and is one of Ange Postecoglou’s most important players.

CB: Virgil van Dijk

Club: Liverpool
Squawka Score: 78%

No shocks here, right? If anything, Virgil van Dijk seems to be getting even better with age and his colossal presence at the back has been key to seeing Liverpool move five points clear at the top, with just six goals conceded in 11 matches.

Liverpool supporters will be praying the club can get their Dutch wall signed to a new contract.

CB: Nikola Milenkovic

Club: Nottingham Forest
Squawka Score: 76%

Second only to Van Dijk among Premier League centre-backs, Nikola Milenkovic has been a huge hit at Nottingham Forest since his summer arrival from Fiorentina.

Rather than being standout in one area, the Serbia international has been putting in 8/10 performances across multiple areas, currently second among Forest players for aerial duels won (28), interceptions (10), possessions won in the defensive third (22) and clearances (38).

It’s hard to imagine Forest fifth with the Premier League’s second-best defensive record without him.

LB: Josko Gvardiol

Turns out Josko Gvardiol’s crazy scoring run at the end of last season was no fluke. The Croatian has already found the net three times this season, amazingly leaving him second only to Erling Haaland (12) among Man City players. Gvardiol has also weighed in with 10 chances created, while defensively, he’s second among City players for tackles (20) and first for interceptions (15) and clearances (27).

There’s a strong argument that Gvardiol has been City’s best player so far this season. He needs his teammates to catch up or the title race might be over quite quickly.

CM: Ryan Gravenberch

Club: Liverpool
Squawka Score: 77%

There’s been so much to admire about Liverpool under Arne Slot but perhaps the biggest revelation so far has been Ryan Gravenberch’s conversion to a No.6. The Dutchman has been Liverpool’s metronome in midfield, controlling games with precision passing and perfect positioning. So impressive has Gravenberch been that former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher even labelled him the ‘new Patrick Vieira’ during the Reds’ 3-0 demolition of Manchester United at Old Trafford. That sort of comparison might be a little premature, but it’s certainly not without merit.

CM: Moises Caicedo

Club: Chelsea
Squawka Score: 75%

From a Liverpool star to someone who should have been a Liverpool star but decided to sign for Chelsea instead.

Moises Caicedo has been one of the biggest winners of the Enzo Maresca era at Chelsea so far, going from potential flop to midfield general in double-quick time. The Ecuador international has been a destructive monster in midfield, sitting first among Chelsea players for tackles (38), interceptions (18), blocks (16) and recoveries (59). But he’s not a one-trick pony and for good measure, he’s chipped in with a goal and two assists, while creating nine chances and completing seven take-ons. His hefty price tag is finally starting to look worth it.

W: Mohamed Salah

Club: Liverpool
Squawka Score: 80%

With eight goals and six assists in 11 appearances, Mohamed Salah is on a mission to prove to everybody that he’s nowhere near being finished yet, despite turning 32 last June. The Egyptian has been the Premier League’s best player of the last decade and one of the greatest of all time, with the sight of him cutting onto his left foot continuing to leave defenders trembling in their boots.

Like Van Dijk, supporters are craving the sight of Salah putting pen to paper.

AM: Cole Palmer

The current favourite to win the PFA Player of the Year award, Cole Palmer continues to be a force of nature for Chelsea. It’s just the seven goals and five assists on the board so far for the England international, who has been pulling out mind-bending passes and ice-cold finishes game after game once again.

Palmer is very quickly establishing himself as one of the first names on the teamsheet for the England national team and one of the leading lights in European football. There seems to be no stopping him and if someone doesn’t find a way soon, he might well find himself firing Chelsea to full title contender status.

W: Bukayo Saka

The top performer in the Premier League right now on the Squawka Score, Bukayo Saka has struck gold when it comes to creativity this season. The England star has already provided seven assists in the Premier League this season, reaching that total after just seven games. For context, the single-season record is 20, set by Thierry Henry (2002/03) and Kevin De Bruyne (2019/20) in 37 and 35 games, respectively. There’s still a very real chance that Saka could break that record, while his three goals scored suggests he’s going to have another prolific campaign in that department, too.

S: Erling Haaland

Club: Manchester City
Squawka Score: 80%

No surprises here. Erling Haaland has scored just two goals in his last six Premier League games and yet still has 12 goals in 11 appearances to his name, sitting four clear of any other player. As soon as he rediscovers his golden touch — and gets better service — City will forget all about their current slump and be right back nipping at the heels of leaders Liverpool.

There are criticisms of Haaland’s all-round game, but as a pure goalscorer, there’s nobody better.

How do Squawka player ratings work?

Squawka’s new player rating system is completely stats-based. Player scores are based on the numbers they put up across a range of on-ball events, from goals scored to tackles won.

Using extensive research and our expertise, we tailored each score to the players’ respective positions. For example, forwards are rated on metrics like shots on target, touches in the opposition box and big chances created. Meanwhile, centre-backs are rewarded for winning aerial duels, making blocks, successful long-range passes and so on.