PFA Player of the Year Odds: Jack Grealish favourite for the award at 6/1

The new Premier League season begins on August 13 and here at BettingOdds.com we’ve been taking a look at various outright markets ahead of the coming campaign. Today we’re taking a look at the PFA Player of the year odds for the 2021/2022 season and with major transfer news breaking today, there’s been a shift in the market.

Jack Grealish is now the 6/1 favourite to be crowned the PFA Premier League player of the year with bookmaker bet365, after various reputable journalists announced that his transfer from Aston Villa to Manchester City would be announced in the coming days.

Manchester City superstar Kevin De Bruyne was the pre-season favourite prior to 4 August and has won the award on the last two occasions. De Bruyne was priced as big as 50/1 with Sky Bet just weeks before the award was awarded last season and is currently priced at 7/1 this time round.

We’ve taken a look at some of the past winners and tried to pick out any trends, along with some names who catch the eye. You can view the full market below.

PFA Player of the Year - Previous Winners

• 2020-21: Kevin De Bruyne 
• 2019-20: Kevin De Bruyne
• 2018-19: Virgil Van Dijk
• 2017-18: Mohamed Salah
• 2016-17: N’Golo Kante
• 2015-16: Riyad Mahrez
• 2014-15: Eden Hazard
• 2013-14: Luis Suarez
• 2012-13: Gareth Bale
• 2011-12: Robin Van Persie

Does the award always go to a member of the team that wins the league?

Having a look back at the last 20 winners of the PFA Player of the year award and surprisingly it’s a complete even split, with 10 of those having played for the team that won the title that season.

How is the award decided?

The annual award is given to the player to have been judged the best that season in the Premier League. It’s decided by a vote from the members of the Professional Footballers’ Association, the PFA. The awards ceremony is normally in April or May, but was delayed until 6 June last year due to the global pandemic.

Eye-Catchers

Jack Grealish - 6/1

With news currently breaking that Manchester City’s pursuit of Jack Grealish could be coming to a successful conclusion there’s a new favourite in the Player of the Year market. After opening up at around 10/1, Grealish has now been cut into the 6/1 favourite with the player being on the verge of a potential £100m switch to the Etihad.

There’s no denying that this transfer looks to be good for all parties with Villa receiving a healthy £100m and Grealish now having the chance to win some serious silverware and perform on the biggest stages such as the Champions League. His performances last season were monumental, drawing 4.2 fouls per game on average; no other player in the league registered an average above three for some context.

In terms of creation, Grealish’s figures speak volumes, the 25-year-old provided 10 assists from just 24 league starts last term. Grealish also ranked second in the league for key passes with 3.1 per game and with him now featuring in a team such as City, one would only expect his figures to rise! 16/1 was available from Sky Bet on 3 August for Grealish to have the most assists in the league this season, a price that has now shortened into 10/1.

Kevin De Bruyne - 7/1

When considering those at the head of the market it’s impossible not to be drawn to Kevin De Bruyne, even if he is only a single figure price at 7/1. A two-time winner of this award and in my opinion, on his day, the best player in the league. 

King Kev’s range of passing is quite frankly, ridiculous. A player who can thread balls through the eye of a needle and scream in a volley from 25-yards, there’s not many better in the football world than the Belgian at putting a smile on fans faces. Should he remain injury-free, it’s hard not to see him playing a pivotal role for City once again as they go in pursuit of a fourth title in five seasons.

Kai Havertz - 33/1

Chelsea proved a serious issue for Manchester City in the latter stages of the 2020/21 season, knocking Pep’s men out of the FA Cup and breaking Manc hearts with a defeat of the Cityzens in the Champions League final. Thomas Tuchel’s side can be serious players in the battle for the league this season and should Kai Havertz continue his upward trajectory that he showed at the back end of the last campaign I think he could look a big price at 33/1 for the award.

The young German attacker had a tough time of it when he first moved to Chelsea, arriving with a huge price tag and in the middle of a global pandemic which could not have been easy for a boy of just 20 at the time. I expect him to be much more settled this season and we saw glimpses of what he has to offer under Thomas Tuchel in the second half of the season. 

During March, April and May Tuchel often opted to play Havertz in the forward role at the head of a false-nine with Timo Werner out wide. To demonstrate just how much more prominent Havertz was having chances at the back end of last season, 4.5 of his total of 6.3xG all season in the Premier League came in April and May! The potential arrival of a big-name striker to Stamford Bridge before the end of the window could hamper this a little but at the current prices I wouldn’t put anyone off.

View the full market from various bookmakers below.