Who will win the January Premier League Player of the Month award?

The Premier League is soon set to award their next Player of the Month award for January, with the accolade being hotly contested amongst some of England’s most in-form footballers.

So far this season, Erling Haaland, Marcus Rashford, Miguel Almiron, and Martin Odegaard have already claimed the title. Seven of the Premier League’s best performers will be contesting joining the pack for January's award.

With that said, let’s take a look at exactly who’s been nominated for January’s Premier League Player of the Month award and their respective chances of winning the award.

Dan Burn

It’s no secret Newcastle have been the surprise package of the Premier League this season, vastly exceeding most people’s expectations and establishing themselves as real top-four contenders. Their success has been built primarily on a robust defense, with their solidarity in January intrinsic to their season.

Despite traveling to London to face Arsenal and Crystal Palace and welcoming Fulham to Tyneside this winter, the Magpies are yet to concede a goal in 2023. Their run of clean sheets in the Premier League goes back as far as early November.

Burn has been a mainstay in this time, playing every available minute as an unorthodox 6ft 6” left-back as Newcastle continue to disrupt the usual top six. But with no goal contributions and defenders typically being overlooked for individual awards, Burn will more than likely miss out on the prize, however, he is still one of this month's top performers.

Marcus Rashford

Marcus Rashford is the only player vying for his second Premier League Player of the Month award in the 2022-23 season. The Englishman has enjoyed a fantastic campaign thus far, with his three league goals in January taking his tally to nine for the season.

Rashford found the net in Manchester United’s 3-0 victory against Bournemouth and their disappointing 3-2 defeat at Arsenal, but his most notable contribution came in the Manchester derby. Despite trailing against rivals Manchester City, inspired mainly by Rashford, the Red Devils fought back to win the game 2-1 putting a massive dent in City’s title hopes.

The winger played an integral role in United’s controversial equalizer, before bagging one of his own with just minutes left on the clock to seal the points at Old Trafford.

Whilst Rashford has had a fine month, just three goal contributions may ultimately see him miss out on the prize this time around. But considering his form this season don’t be surprised to see him nominated again sometime soon.

Riyad Mahrez

Riyad Mahrez is perhaps the favorite to claim January’s Premier League Player of the Month award, with the Algerian enjoying a sensational spell since the turn of the year. Featuring in each of Manchester City’s four games, the winger helped his side win three games in an effort to keep the pressure on league-leaders Arsenal.

Mahrez has made defining contributions in each game bar the loss at United, scoring the winner in a tight game against Chelsea at the start of the month. He also inspired his side's comeback against Tottenham Hotspur with two goals and an assist in the second half.

He also set up Haaland for his third goal in their recent 3-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers. Compared to his fellow nominees, the winger has a strong case to take away the prize.

Solly March

2023 has been perhaps the best year of Solly March’s footballing career so far, enjoying a fine run of form this January. He has been instrumental in continuing the success of new manager Roberto De Zerbi. The midfielder was part of a Brighton & Hove Albion side who boasted two wins and a draw against Liverpool, Everton, and Leicester City.

March chipped in with a goal during his side's 4-1 demolition of Everton before making his mark on the other half of Merseyside. The Englishman put in a man-of-the-match performance against Liverpool, registering two goals and an assist as the Seagulls flew to a statement win over the Reds.

January has certainly been a good month for March, possibly even the best of his career. Given his team’s performance in tandem with his own, he could be an outside shout to scoop the award.

Bukayo Saka

Bukayo Saka is now establishing himself as one of the Premier League's deadliest wingers. He is being likened to Arjen Robben owing to his tendency to cut in from the right and bend a trademark curling shot to the far post.

Saka did just this in Arsenal’s recent win over Manchester United, and came inches away from doing so again only for his second effort to cannon back off the post. He was also instrumental in Arsenal’s North London Derby victory. His troublesome cross forced Hugo Lloris to turn the ball into his own net and he provided another assist for captain Martin Odegaard’s long-range strike.

While the 21-year-old has enjoyed a fine month, his numbers aren’t as impressive as some of his counterparts, meaning he may just miss out, but his time will come soon.

Brennan Johnson

Nottingham Forest have made a fine start to 2023, unbeaten in four and creating daylight between themselves and the incoming relegation battle. Brennan Johnson played his part, assisting goals in Forest’s 1-0 win at then-relegation rivals Southampton and also in their 1-1 draw against Bournemouth.

But Johnson’s biggest contribution this January came as his team bested a struggling Leicester City side, with the Welshman scoring both goals as Forest claimed an important three points.

With his aforementioned two goals and assists, Johnson is certainly a candidate for January’s Player of the Month award. But even if he doesn’t win, his goals this winter could prove vital in securing Forest’s survival later this season.

David Raya

The only goalkeeper to make this list, David Raya has enjoyed a strong month with Brentford playing all three games as the Bees have remained undefeated. The Spaniard has kept two clean sheets against Leeds United and Bournemouth. He also helped his side to a historic 3-1 victory against Liverpool which saw him concede his only goal of the month.

Moreover, Raya has made an impressive 11 saves, and his fine form has even sparked links with a summer move to Manchester United, Chelsea, or Tottenham. Ultimately, goalkeepers are often overlooked for individual accolades such as this, and whilst Raya is definitely deserving of his nomination, he likely won’t take home the prize.