Arsenal enjoyed one of their best years ever in recent memory having just fallen short of the Premier League title and made it to the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals.
It was a season of real progress under Mikel Arteta and one where the signs were again clear that Arsenal are here to challenge for many years to come with one of the best young squads in all of Europe.
Although no silverware was won this campaign, Arsenal fans have bare witness to some truly incredible moments this season, and a number of players have a legit claim of being the club’s Player of the Season.
And so, Arsenal Insider writers have picked their candidates for Arsenal’s best player in what has been an incredible year for the north London side.
Declan Rice transformed Arsenal after club-record move from West Ham
Declan Rice became Arsenal’s most expensive signing ever at £105m from West Ham last summer, and even at that eye-watering sum, there’s a reason supporters chant that we got the midfielder and half-price.
The England international has been a revelation at Arsenal and has transformed the club for the better in his first season in north London, with Arteta adapting Rice from a no. 6 into the left-sided no. 8 with fantastic results.
A personal best 17 goal contributions in all competitions saw Rice unlock a part of his game that few knew existed, and the 25-year-old midfielder showed why Arsenal forked out so much for the former West Ham captain last summer.
Should Arsenal sign a true no. 6 this summer, the Gunners could have potentially the best midfield in the Premier League and beyond, with Rice a key reason behind the north London side’s immense success this season.
Martin Odegaard again proved why he’s one of the best in the world
After a surprisingly quiet start to the season in which new signings Rice and Kai Havertz had to form an untested midfield trio, Martin Odegaard showed why he is now one of the best midfielders in the Premier League.
Odegaard led by example as club captain, and his combination of creative output and energetic work-rate made him undroppable in the last few months.
Arguably Arsenal’s most consistent performer in 2024, Odegaard oozed class in the middle of the park with his silky dribbling and incredible vision, and Arsenal almost certainly would not have challenged for the title without him in midfield.
Arsenal owe title charge to Kai Havertz’s 2024 form
Given how many pundits scoffed when Arsenal signed Havertz from Chelsea, the level of the German’s his first year at Emirates Stadium could easily be seen as that of a Player of the Season.
Without what he gave Arteta, the Gunners would have faced a huge problem. Arteta could seldom rely on Gabriel Jesus to stay fit and score in 2023/24 and Eddie Nketiah failed to find the back of a net beyond October in the Premier League.
But Havertz stepped in as a centre-forward and showed how to lead Arteta’s attack with all-round performances. Havertz offered Arsenal height in the box and someone who could bring other forwards into their attacks.
But his influence in the area stood out during the run-in with nine goals and six assists in their final 14 games. Havertz scored eight of those goals and six assists as a striker.
Gabriel Magalhaes deserves credit after ‘dominant’ season
Perhaps to call Gabriel Magalhaes Arsenal’s Player of the Season is a stretch, albeit not a huge one. However, the Brazilian centre-back was certainly the Gunners’ most improved player.
He has forged a partnership with William Saliba that is as reliable as it is dominant, and has almost entirely cut errors out of his game. He is the steel to the Frenchman’s silk, and deserves as many plaudits as his companion in the heart of the Arsenal rearguard receives.
Saliba has called Gabriel the best centre-back in the Premier League, and I wouldn’t want to argue with him.