Arsenal duo among nominees for Premier League Player of the Month

By Ben Knapton, Senior Reporter | 23 March 2023

Arsenal attackers Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard are among the nominees for the Premier League's Player of the Month award for March.

Arsenal attackers Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard have both been nominated for the Premier League's Player of the Month award for March.

The Gunners opened up an eight-point lead over Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table before the international break, having claimed four wins from four against Everton, Bournemouth, Fulham and Crystal Palace.

Saka was unsurprisingly a driving force in Arsenal's winning streak, scoring three goals and setting up two more in those four matches, starting with one strike and one assist in the 4-0 win over Everton.

The England international failed to directly contribute to wins against Bournemouth or Fulham, but he had a hand in three of his side's four goals during their 4-1 thumping of Palace at the weekend.

Saka bagged a brace after setting up Gabriel Martinelli's opener, becoming the first player in the current Premier League season to reach double figures for both goals and assists.

Arsenal's Leandro Trossard celebrates scoring their first goal with Granit Xhaka on February 11, 2023 © Reuters

Another key component of Arsenal's attacking trident, Trossard continued to impress in the absence of Eddie Nketiah and Gabriel Jesus, having also overcome a groin problem to make Premier League history at Craven Cottage.

Trossard did not find the back of the net in March, but he set up five goals in Arsenal's four Premier League fixtures, firstly assisting Martin Odegaard's strike against Everton.

The Belgian came off with a worrying groin injury against Bournemouth, but he made a rapid recovery to set up all three of Arsenal's goals in their win over Fulham - becoming the first Premier League player to assist three goals in the first half of an away game.

Despite Jesus's recovery, Trossard retained his place at the tip of the attack for the visit of Palace, where he claimed another assist for Granit Xhaka to help Arsenal extend their lead at the summit.

Arsenal are the only club with more than one nominee for March's POTM award, but Saka and Trossard are facing stiff competition, particularly from Liverpool talisman Mohamed Salah.

Liverpool's Mohamed Salah celebrates scoring their second goal on February 28, 2023 © Reuters

The Egyptian scored three goals and provided two assists in his three fixtures, netting in a 2-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers before making Liverpool history during their emphatic victory over Manchester United.

Salah scored twice and provided two assists in a 7-0 demolition job, surpassing Robbie Fowler to become Liverpool's highest Premier League scorer of all time with 129 top-flight strikes.

Meanwhile, Trossard's former Brighton & Hove Albion teammate Alexis Mac Allister is also up for the award, having scored twice and provided one assist in three top-flight games for the European-chasing Seagulls.

Newcastle United's Alexander Isak represents the fifth attacking name in the nominees list, with the Swede netting three goals, including a brace in last Friday's 2-1 win at Nottingham Forest.

Finally, Aston Villa centre-back Tyrone Mings completes the list after helping the Lions keep two clean sheets in three matches, while also claiming an assist in the weekend's 3-0 triumph over Bournemouth.

PREMIER LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE MONTH NOMINEES

Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)
Leandro Trossard (Arsenal)
Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
Alexis Mac Allister (Brighton & Hove Albion)
Alexander Isak (Newcastle United)
Tyrone Mings (Aston Villa)