The Norwegian is set to win this season's Golden Boot, but there is no room for him in our all-star line-up
And so, the end is near, with the final curtain set to come down on the 2023-24 Premier League campaign on Sunday. We don't yet know the identity of the champions, of course, with Manchester City and Arsenal still locked in a titanic title tussle. And while Luton are effectively doomed to relegation, along with Burnley and Sheffield United, there are also European places still up for grabs.
However, GOAL's Premier League Team of the Season is already decided – and there are a few selections that are bound to cause controversy. For starters, there's no room for either Erling Haaland or Kevin De Bruyne, while City only have half as many representatives as Arsenal. We've also included a couple of players from teams in the bottom half of the table.
So, check out our line-up below and be sure to tell us what you think in the comments section!
GettyGK: Jordan Pickford (Everton)
David Raya has already won this season's Golden Glove, having kept 16 clean sheets thus far, but Jordan Pickford managing just three shut-outs fewer is an even more impressive achievement, given Everton were locked in a relegation battle up until a few weeks ago.
The England international has had a couple of dodgy games (which keeper hasn't this season?!) and has been helped out by the sterling efforts of James Tarkowski and Jarrad Brantwaithe in front of him, but Pickford continually came to his team's rescue when they needed him most.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesRB: Ben White (Arsenal)
Is Ben White's fine form down to his decision to make himself unavailable for international duty? Hard to say. All we know for sure is that the versatile defender has played a pivotal role in Arsenal's title challenge, scoring four goals, and registering as many assists.
It's a real shame for England's Euro 2024 campaign that Gareth Southgate won't have the option of pairing him on the right flank with Bukayo Saka this summer.
(C)Getty ImagesCB: William Saliba (Arsenal)
Anyone else get the feeling that Arsenal might have won the league last season had they not lost their fantastic Frenchman to injury?!
William Saliba has been utterly integral to the Gunners maintaining this year's title challenge. No other player in the Premier League has been involved in as many clean sheets (16), while the ridiculously composed centre-back also ranks second among defenders for possession won. In short, a class act.
Getty ImagesCB: Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
The Dutchman's reign as Liverpool captain didn't get off to the best of starts, with Van Dijk dismissed for a clumsy foul in the come-from-behind win over Newcastle back in August. However, the veteran centre-back recovered wonderfully well from that setback and dismissed all suggestions that he was past his best by producing a string of almost-flawless displays for Liverpool that earned him a deserved nomination for Player of the Season.
The Reds' backline still has plenty of problems but Van Dijk, as it turns out, is far from "finished".