Jamie Carragher already thinks Arsenal star could win the Player of the Year

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Only 13 games of the Premier League season have been played, but Jamie Carragher is already getting his end-of-year predictions in.

The 2025/26 campaign has started rapidly, and Arsenal will very much hope to remain as they are, sitting top of the Premier League table and unbeaten in the Champions League.

Mikel Arteta’s side look the real deal this term, with some players standing out above others, one of whom is Declan Rice. 

It’s no surprise that Arteta wants to award Rice with a new contract, given how crucial the midfielder is to the project, with his achievements being recognised beyond his club.

Jamie Carragher thinks Declan Rice will win the Premier League Player of the Year award

Bayern Munich discussed Rice after his performance against the Bavarian club in the Champions League, with the 26-year-old earning the headlines whenever he steps out on the pitch.

It’s rare for a player to be as consistently brilliant as Rice, which makes Jamie Carragher’s prediction about the midfielder unsurprising.

Speaking on The Overlap, Carragher assessed Rice’s chances of winning the 2025/26 Player of the Year, as well as the 2026 Ballon d’Or.

“I’m not quite sure about the Ballon d’Or, but I could see if Arsenal win the league this year, I think Declan Rice would probably be seen as the guy who’s not won them the league, but I would imagine he would get Player of the Year.

“I would say Declan Rice. So then that does put him in that conversation with those midfield players, and I do believe Arsenal probably will win the league and Declan will get that trophy.”

A player of Rice’s defensive midfield role hasn’t won the prize since N’golo Kante did in 2016/17, which says a lot about the level the Arsenal star is performing at right now.

Arsenal sweep up the awards at the 2025 Football Supporters’ Association Awards

If Rice’s performances on the pitch weren’t enough to indicate how highly rated he is, then his latest achievement is.

At the 2025 Football Supporters’ Association Awards, Rice collected the Men’s Player of the Year award, beating the likes of Erling Haaland, Moises Caicedo and Ryan Gravenberch to the prize.

It was an all-Arsenal occasion at the awards ceremony, as Alessia Russo collected the Women’s Player of the Year award for her many contributions.

The question on Arsenal fans’ minds is what Rice could go on to win if the Gunners do go all the way this season, with a silverware-laden campaign projected for the midfielder.