Arne Slot leads Premier League Manager of the Season shortlist but Andoni Iraola snubbed | OneFootball

Liverpool boss will be runaway favourite for award after delivering the title in his maiden campaign at Anfield

Strong contender: Arne Slot is sure to scoop a number of individual honours after delivering Liverpool the title in his first season

Nick Potts/PA Wire

Liverpool boss Arne Slot leads the nominees for the Premier League Manager of the Season award, but there is no place for Bournemouth’s Andoni Iraola.

Liverpool’s first title since the Covid-hit 2019/20 campaign was sealed with four games to spare and saw them move level with fierce rivals Manchester United on 20 top-flight championships each overall, following a dominant campaign in which Arsenal once again fell away following an initially spirited challenge.

The only disappointment for Slot in his first season on Merseyside came in the cup competitions, beaten by Newcastle in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley and ousted on penalties by Paris Saint-Germain in the last 16 of the Champions League to go along with a shock FA Cup fourth-round upset at Plymouth.

Joining Slot in the running for Premier League Manager of the Season for 2024/25 is Newcastle’s Eddie Howe, who currently has the third-place Magpies on track for a top-five finish and return to the Champions League next season having also sealed their first major domestic trophy since 1955.

Nuno Espirito Santo is also nominated following his fine work at Nottingham Forest, who spent a fair chunk of the season sitting third in the table and currently lie seventh with two games to go and a place in Europe now guaranteed for next term.

Forest also reached the FA Cup semi-finals for the first time in 34 years, losing to Manchester City at Wembley.

Also contending for the prize is Thomas Frank after overseeing another impressive campaign at Brentford, who are also in the mix for Europe and their current eighth place would be a highest-ever finish in the Premier League after they went from ninth to 16th in the last two seasons. The Bees also reached the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup.

Completing the lineup is Vitor Pereira, who was appointed by Wolves to replaced the sacked Gary O’Neil in December and led the club out of and away from the relegation zone, now up to 14th following an incredible recent run of six successive wins - the first time they have ever achieved that feat in the Premier League.

Among the most high-profile snubs from the Manager of the Season shortlist was Iraola, continually lauded for his work at Bournemouth, who have slipped down to 10th in the table after a drop in form this calendar year but could still seal qualification for Europe for the first time.

The Premier League Player of the Season shortlist was also announced on Thursday, with Liverpool trio Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Ryan Gravenberch joined by Nottingham Forest duo Chris Wood and Morgan Gibbs-White, Arsenal’s Declan Rice, Newcastle striker Alexander Isak and Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo.

Gravenberch is also up for Young Player of the Season, along with Arsenal defender William Saliba, Chelsea star Cole Palmer, Bournemouth’s Real Madrid-bound centre-back Dean Huijsen, Nottingham Forest winger Anthony Elanga, Ipswich forward Liam Delap, Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers and Brighton striker Joao Pedro.