Who has Everton’s player of the year been so far?

The player of the year award at Everton is a prestigious award to receive, with the last recipient being Brazilian forward Richarlison for his outstanding season during the 2019/20 campaign. In the 2020/21 campaign, there are some names that I think would are front runners for the award. The names that come to mind for me are Ben Godfrey, Abdoulaye Doucourè, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, James Rodriguez and Michael Keane. Of course, winning games in the premier league is a team effort, but for me, those 5 players have stood out like a sore thumb this season. 

I’ll start with Ben Godfrey. Arguably one of the greatest bits of business the club has done for years. The ex  Norwich defender has had a tremendous first season with the blues, and has established himself fully into Carlo Ancelotti’s plans and first team. Brought in on deadline day, Godfrey has performed with physicality and leadership, something which the club lacked before he signed. I think in the future seasons ahead, Ben Godfrey would become our main centre back, perhaps partnering the highly rate Jarrad Branthwaite, who’s currently on loan at Blackburn Rovers. 

Moving on to one of the most underrated and under appreciated midfielders in the league, Abdoulaye Doucourè is a monster in the midfield. Joining from Watford for a total of £20m, the french man made an instant impact on Merseyside and has been a rock in the midfield for Ancelotti. Having missed only 1 league game due to suspension, Doucourè has been one of the more consistent players for the club. Throughout the period that Allan was injured, Doucourè really stepped his game up and proved his worth, having scored 3 goals and set up 3 so far this season. Things can only improve for the ex Watford man. 

Dominic Calvert-Lewins revelation at Everton is one to be admired. Having gone from playing right wing-back under Ronald Koeman, the English striker now leads the line for Carlo Ancelotti and has netted his best amount of goals so far, having found the net 18 times in 26 appearances, picking up just 1 assist in this period. Without this mans key goals, we would not be where we are in the current table, and would struggle to make the top 8. Praise has to be shone on assistant manager Duncan Ferguson; the Scot has always trusted in Dom and it has been paid off. Dom is arguably our most important player, and any injury to him would be devestating. 

James Rodriguez is an Everton player. I know. I can’t quite believe it myself. Yes, that’s correct, the World Cup golden-boot winner James Rodriguez. The 2x champions league winner with Real Madrid. The man oozes class from his boots, with many goals coming from his visionary switches over to Lucas Digne on the left side of the pitch. For the majority of the season, Rodriguez has been playing as a wide playmaker in the 4-3-3 system, his role has slightly changed into a central playmaker during Dominic Calvert-Lewins injury, partnering with Richarlison up front. The Colombian has found the net 5 times and has 8 assists for the blues, he’s turning out to be one of the greatest free transfers of all time. Without his quality, we would lack massively in the final third, and in the summer, we must add another attacker to the ranks to help to support this. 

Finally, we move on to England’s best defender. Michael Keane has been one of the best defenders in the league this season, he has found his consistency under Ancelotti and has received many plaudits from the likes of Rio Ferdinand and Jamie Carragher. The ex Burnley man has developed from a confidence-less shell to a real top quality defender, and has proven his worth. Whilst we operate a low block system, Keane has played his best football. This suits a player of his type, a slower player but one that can read the play easily. Keane has also found the net 4 times this season, proving to be a real threat off corners. A man of the match performance in the historic 0-2 win at anfield only cemented his place in the team, Keane has been exceptional this season. 

Honourable mentions: Lucas Digne, Tom Davies, Allan, Jordan Pickford and Richarlison. 

Overall, after discussing and reviewing my points, I believe that the player of the season at this current moment would have to go to Ben Godfrey. The 22 year old has shone at right back, left back and centre back this season. Considering this is his first season with the club, he seems to understand what it means to play for Everton football club and demonstrates this weekly. He is a leader of men and has a passion for the game that reminds me of Phil Jagielka. Ben Godfrey is a top player, and he will only improve from here. So for me, Ben Godfrey is my player of the season so far, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin a close second, followed by James Rodriguez.