The final month of 2024 featured 63 games, 189 goals and saw the appointment of two new managers in the Premier League.
Amidst that confusion of festive football, the powers that be in England’s top flight managed to select eight nominees for Player of the Month and four candidates for the managerial equivalent. The Liverpool duo of Mohamed Salah and Arne Slot received these awards in November and are back in the running.
However, the rest of the division, and another figure from the Merseyside giants, can claim the final bout of individual honours.
No player can match Alejandro IsakThe prolific run of eight goals in the Premier League in December. The rubbery Swede scored in all six of Newcastle United’s games last month and bagged the first hat-trick of his England career against Ipswich City the final weekend before Christmas. No wonder the Magpies value him at £150m.
Isak’s discreet accomplice throughout this scoring explosion has been Jacob Murphy. The little-known Norwich Metropolis academy graduate scored a trio of Isak goals during this run and scored three himself. Only one player managed to accumulate more assists than Murphy: Mohamed Salah.
Liverpool’s relentless talisman balanced his huge haul of seven assists with as many goals. Very similar to the nominated companion Trent Alexander-ArnoldSalah’s uncertain contractual situation at Liverpool has not affected his performance on the pitch.
Chelsea has assured that Cole Palmer It’s not going anywhere. The Blues tied down their talented playmaker to a new nine-year deal in the summer and have seen him stroll through another impressive campaign. Despite a dip in team form (Chelsea ended December with one point from three games), Palmer has been at his best.
Nottingham Forest’s chief creator Morgan Gibbs-White He has also received recognition for his performances in December, but the glory does not belong solely to offensive-minded players. Bournemouth centre-back Dean Huijsen and Fulham’s flying full-back Antonio Robinson They have also been nominated.
With Liverpool’s lead at the top of the Premier League remaining six points, Arne Slot is an obvious candidate to retain his managerial award. However, Holy SpiritEngland’s Nottingham Forest had a better record than the Reds in December, topping the festive period table with 15 points from six games.
Five consecutive wins to close the year took Forest to the heady heights of second place, their highest position at this point in a top-flight season since 1994. Ever the realist, Nuno quashed any early dreams of Champions League qualification. insisting: “It doesn’t mean anything. “We haven’t achieved anything yet.”
Unlike Forest, who lost to Manchester Metropolis (something rare nowadays), Andoni IraolaBournemouth remained unbeaten throughout December. The Cherries were limited to three draws, but their high-speed football and impressive thrashing of Manchester United earned the Spanish manager a moment in the spotlight.
Eddie Howe completed the trio of Newcastle nominees this month. As well as securing qualification for the Carabao Cup semi-finals, the Magpies boss led his team to four consecutive league victories without conceding a single goal; the last of which was only the club’s third top-flight victory at Previous Trafford since 1950.
