January 06, (THEWILL) – The finalists for the Premier League Player of the Month award for December 2021 have been announced, with four London-based players among them.
Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Martinelli of Arsenal, Son Heung-min of Tottenham Hotspur, and Mason Mount of Chelsea are the four that made the cut. James Maddison of Leicester City and Manchester City’s Joao Cancelo and Raheem Sterling are the other nominees for the award.
Man City’s Cancelo and Sterling were vital pieces of a team that won all six of their December games, so it is no surprise to see them on the list of nominees. Sterling was the Premier League’s top scorer in December, scoring five goals in six games, one of which was his 100th league goal.
The presence of two Arsenal players on the list will be slightly more shocking. Truly, Mikel Arteta has helped the Gunners turn a corner recently, and the form of Odegaard and Martinelli has been crucial to that positive trajectory. In December, the duo combined for four goals and five assists.
Son Heung-min has also rediscovered his form in recent months, thanks in large part to Antonio Conte’s great work at Tottenham. In December, Son scored in four of Tottenham’s five games.
Mount and Maddison, both of whom played well for England in December, are almost set to be included in Gareth Southgate’s next Three Lions team. Maddison’s recent improvement has been particularly noteworthy, with the midfielder moving from being dreadfully under-performing to scoring three goals and providing an assist last month.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
