Arsenal have opened the vote for their men’s Player of the Month for October, and the four-man shortlist says plenty about how the Gunners got to the top of the table.
Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard, Noni Madueke and Ezri Konsa are the nominees. The club announced the shortlist on Monday, with fans now picking the winner.
It was a strong month to judge. After an extended international break, Arsenal came back with a comeback win over Leeds United, then beat Nottingham Forest and Everton to make it three from three in the Premier League. In the Champions League there was a 3-0 win over Lille and a draw away at Bayern Munich.
Who are the Arsenal Player of the Month nominees for October?
Four players, four very different routes on to the list. One is the captain chasing a second award in a row, one is a midfielder who kept turning up in big moments, one is a winger who took his chance with both hands, and one is a defender who is fast becoming a fan favourite.
Declan Rice
Rice had a hand in almost every big moment of the month. His superb flick sent Bruno Guimaraes through for the winner against Leeds, and a week later he set up Madueke for the only goal at the City Ground.
Then came his first goal of the season, drilled into the bottom corner at the Allianz Arena to earn the draw against Bayern. We made the case recently that Rice is the best midfielder in the Premier League, and October did nothing to weaken it.
Martin Odegaard
Martin Odegaard won last month’s prize, and the skipper is back on the list. He pulled the strings in all three league wins as Arsenal made it seven wins from eight matches.
His standout moment came in Germany: a superb ball over the top for Eberechi Eze, who fired in the opening goal against Bayern. That night is a big part of how Eze’s Arsenal story compares with Michael Olise’s.
A match-winner and a centre-back with a goal
Noni Madueke
Injuries on the wing have handed Madueke plenty of minutes, and he has made the most of them. He came on at half-time against Nottingham Forest and won the game with a goal in the last 10 minutes.
The England international also set up Jurrien Timber for the opener in the 3-0 win over Lille.
Ezri Konsa
Konsa’s stock keeps rising. Alongside Gabriel Magalhaes he has helped build the meanest defence in the league, with three clean sheets across six matches in October.
He also opened his Arsenal account, poking home his first goal for the club in the 2-0 win over Everton at a rainy Emirates Stadium. His form has already given Mikel Arteta a nice problem now William Saliba is closing in on a return.
Who should win Arsenal’s October award?
There is no wrong answer here, but our vote goes to Rice. Two assists that decided games and a goal that rescued a point in Munich is the kind of all-round month that wins these polls, and he did it while carrying the midfield.
Madueke has the best single moment, and Konsa’s case grows with every clean sheet. Odegaard winning back to back would surprise nobody either. The fact that a captain who won September’s prize is not the clear favourite says a lot about how many Gooners are playing well at once.
