Ten Premier League Player of the Season Winners Face Summer Exit, Arsenal Dump Odegaard

A significant clear-out looms across the Premier League this summer, with ten top-flight players who have previously won Player of the Season accolades potentially departing their clubs when the transfer window opens.

Bernardo Silva (Manchester City)

Pep Guardiola's insistence that Silva will "stay forever" has only amplified speculation surrounding the midfielder's future. The Portuguese playmaker's contract expires at the end of the season, with Barcelona reportedly his preferred destination. Guardiola's comments about sleeping better with Silva in his side and the midfielder being "important to my health" suggest a parting of the ways might suit everyone involved.

Martin Odegaard (Arsenal)

Arsenal appear ready to cut ties with their captain, and there's little argument to be made against the decision. Since returning from injury last term, Odegaard has largely mislaid the creative spark that once defined his game. This season has been no better, with his performances marked by a frustrating inability to unlock defences or execute the incisive passes required of a top-flight playmaker. Sideways balls to Bukayo Saka hardly constitute the standard expected from someone orchestrating a title challenge, and the frustration among supporters grows daily – particularly with Eberechi Eze languishing on the bench.

Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)

Saturday's defeat to Bournemouth provided another unwelcome reminder of Van Dijk's struggles this season. His error for the opening goal – subsequently blamed on the wind – prompted the inevitable pub debate about his astronomical wages. Fair enough, wind does complicate clearances struck from over the shoulder. What requires no meteorological explanation, however, is his failure to block Alex Jimenez's subsequent cross or his persistent attempts to shift blame elsewhere. As captain, taking the hit would have been the mark of leadership.

The lethargy in both body and mind has become all too familiar. It grows harder to envisage him anchoring a future title-winning defence.

Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)

Salah cut an almost invisible figure in Bournemouth's victory, barring a couple of wildly inaccurate attempts that merely reinforced questions about his commitment since signing his new bumper contract. The narrative that he's eased off the throttle entirely deserves scrutiny, though. A year older and slightly less razor-sharp, combined with the settling-in period required by fresh faces in the squad, likely explains his dip more convincingly than simple complacency.

Nonetheless, the contribution has been minimal, and the friction generated by his bench tantrum after two games out hardly endears him to those questioning his value.

Cole Palmer (Chelsea)

Palmer remains "very, very happy" at Stamford Bridge, according to manager Liam Rosenior, who claims to have held "numerous conversations" with the England international. Reports of homesickness and Manchester United interest apparently amount to nothing. Rosenior's intense one-to-ones – the sort where unbroken eye contact dominates proceedings – have supposedly settled the matter entirely.

Luke Shaw (Manchester United)

The 30-year-old has started all 23 of United's league matches this season, his recent displays hinting at another redemptive chapter in an 11-and-a-half-year Old Trafford career characterised by peaks and troughs. With his contract running until 2027, offloading Shaw while he remains in decent form represents sensible business.

Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa)

Though Martinez failed to force through a summer switch to Manchester United, Villa have now slapped a £40m price tag on their goalkeeper, hoping to strengthen the balance sheet. His shot-stopping this term stands at 76.1% – the league's best – yet he's also responsible for three errors leading to goals, more than any other keeper.

Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United)

Fernandes holds considerable leverage heading into the summer window. United must either hand him a substantial new deal before he turns 32 in September or gamble on replacing him. Allowing him to run down his contract and depart for nothing in 2027 remains unthinkable, particularly with well-funded clubs circling.

Micky van de Ven (Tottenham)

Thomas Frank's insistence that "Micky is a Tottenham player for us now and for the future" carries all the conviction of a house seller promising the parquet flooring stays put. Spurs' £100m valuation seems designed to keep the centre-back exactly where he wants to leave – nowhere near north London.

Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa)

After a dreadful start yielding just one goal in thirteen matches, Watkins has rediscovered his touch of late, netting seven times in his last ten outings. Yet transfer rumours dog his every season. The window for a move to genuine heavyweight opposition may have closed, but Villa's imminent recruitment of striking competition and Watkins' lingering sense that pastures elsewhere might prove greener could prompt a more determined push for the exit.