Arsenal duo to battle new Chelsea star for PFA Young Player of the Year award as shortlist revealed | OneFootball

Three of Chelsea’s domestic Treble winners are in the running for women’s Young Player of the Year

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Arsenal duo Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri have both been nominated for the PFA Young Player of the Year award, alongside new Chelsea striker Liam Delap.

The 18-year-old made 42 appearances across all competitions in total and earned a place in the senior England squad, handed three caps so far by Thomas Tuchel and scoring on a dream debut against Albania in World Cup qualifying at Wembley in March.

Fellow Hale End product Nwaneri, meanwhile, featured 37 times for Arsenal in 2024/25, scoring nine goals.

Neither player was nominated for the Premier League Young Player of the Year award, which this season went to title-winning Liverpool midfielder Ryan Gravenberch.

Delap was in the running for that prize and has also been nominated by the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) following a season in which he scored 12 Premier League goals for relegated Ipswich, earning a £30million transfer to Chelsea, for whom he registered an assist off the bench on his debut in the Club World Cup win over Los Angeles FC on Monday.

Other Premier League Young Player nominees also up for the PFA honour claimed by Chelsea’s Cole Palmer last year are Aston Villa’s attacking midfielder Morgan Rogers and Spain defender Dean Huijsen, whose excellent form for Bournemouth led to an early £50m summer switch to Real Madrid, where he also debuted at the Club World Cup in a 1-1 draw with Al-Hilal on Wednesday.

Huijsen’s former Bournemouth team-mate Milos Kerkez - who is expected to join Liverpool soon in a deal worth around £45m - is also nominated.

Gravenberch, Arsenal’s William Saliba, Brighton forward Joao Pedro and Nottingham Forest winger Anthony Elanga are not up for the PFA award, though were nominated by the Premier League last month.

The PFA have also confirmed the nominees for the women’s Young Player of the Year award, which features three of Chelsea’s domestic Treble winners in forwards Aggie Beever-Jones and Maika Hamano, and midfielder Wieke Kaptein.

They are joined by Manchester United’s Grace Clinton, the winner last year, Mary Fowler of Manchester City and Liverpool forward Olivia Smith, with the winners of both prizes to be announced at the 52nd edition of the PFA Awards to be held in Manchester on August 19.