Premier League
Premier League

After the Premier League unveiled their 40-man shortlist for the Team of the Season, fans are outraged by some exclusions, as well as inclusions. On Monday night, the Premier League released the roster in collaboration with EA Sports and FIFA 23 and let fans to assemble their own starting lineup, which will ultimately determine the final team.

With only seven matchdays left, voting has begun and will continue through Thursday, April 20. This gives the public three days to vote on the best players in each position. There was substantial rejection of the shortlist, despite the inclusion of a number of well-known players like Erling Haaland, Bukayo Saka, and Marcus Rashford as well as respect for Kaoru Mitoma, Sven Botman, and Palhinha.

Premier League
Despite having decent seasons, United duo De Gea and Bruno Fernandes were not named on the 40-man shortlist of the Premier League team of the season. Credits: Twitter

Premier League’s shortlist raises eyebrow with surprise omissions

Fans’ outrage is understandable, more so, when they would have noticed the number of Chelsea players that were on the shortlist despite the Blues’ poor season—they are currently ninth in the table—was a major sore spot. All three of Kepa Arrizabalaga, Thiago Silva, and Kai Havertz are included.

However, title contenders with their respective clubs, Ben White, Granit Xhaka, Nathan Ake, John Stones as well as Bruno Fernandes, who has had decent season than many of those included in the list, are conspicuously absent. Ivan Toney, the Premier League’s third-leading scorer, and David de Gea, who leads in clean sheets this season, have both gone unnoticed.

Here is the full list of 40 players:

Goalkeepers

  • Alisson – Liverpool
  • Kepa Arrizabalaga – Chelsea
  • Bernd Leno – Fulham
  • Nick Pope – Newcastle United
  • Aaron Ramsdale – Arsenal

Defenders

  • Sven Botman – Newcastle United
  • Gabriel – Arsenal
  • Lisandro Martínez – Manchester United
  • Ben Mee – Brentford
  • Christian Romero – Tottenham Hotspur
  • Rúben Dias – Manchester City
  • William Saliba – Arsenal
  • Luke Shaw – Manchester United
  • Thiago Silva – Chelsea
  • Kieran Trippier – Newcastle United
  • Oleksandr Zinchenko – Arsenal

Midfielders

  • Rodrigo Bentancur – Tottenham Hotspur
  • Bruno Guimarães – Newcastle United
  • Casemiro – Manchester United
  • Kevin De Bruyne – Manchester City
  • Pierre-Emile Højbjerg – Tottenham Hotspur
  • Alexis Mac Allister – Brighton
  • James Maddison – Leicester City
  • Solly March – Brighton
  • Kaoru Mitoma – Brighton
  • Martin Ødegaard – Arsenal
  • João Palhinha – Fulham
  • Rodri – Manchester City

Attackers

  • Miguel Almirón – Newcastle United
  • Gabriel Martinelli – Arsenal
  • Jack Grealish – Manchester City
  • Erling Haaland – Manchester City
  • Kai Havertz – Chelsea
  • Harry Kane – Tottenham Hotspur
  • Riyad Mahrez – Manchester City
  • Darwin Núñez – Liverpool
  • Marcus Rashford – Manchester United
  • Bukayo Saka – Arsenal
  • Mohamed Salah – Liverpool
  • Ollie Watkins – Aston Villa

However, fans gave raised many questions on the list, even slamming it for omitting some deserving players such as the likes of De Gea, Ivan Toney, Ben White, Bruno Fernandes. Here’s how they reacted: