Granit Xhaka has been nominated for Premier League Player of the Month for October, along with seven others.

Arsenal's Swiss midfielder Granit Xhaka runs with the ball during the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium in London on October 9, 2022. (Photo by ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images)
Arsenal’s Swiss midfielder Granit Xhaka runs with the ball during the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium in London on October 9, 2022. (Photo by ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images)

Arsenal’s Granit Xhaka has received a nomination for the Premier League Player of the Month award for October, after starting every game for the Gunners throughout the month.

Miguel Almiron, Bruno Guimaraes, Kieran Trippier (Newcastle United), Kevin De Bruyne, Erling Haaland (Manchester City), Kepa Arrizabalaga (Chelsea), and Leandro Trossard (Brighton) are the other players nominated for the award.

Xhaka scored two goals for Arsenal in October, one in the north London derby against Tottenham Hotspur, and the other away to Southampton. He also scored a vital goal against PSV in the Europa League, but that won’t count towards this award.

With Xhaka playing all but the final 15 minutes of Arsenal’s Premier League fixtures in October, the Gunners won four and drew one of their matches.

Even in the one match Arsenal didn’t win, against Southampton, Xhaka was voted as Man of the Match on the Premier League’s official site.

arsenal fc v psv eindhoven group a uefa europa league
LONDON, ENGLAND: Granit Xhaka of Arsenal acknowledges the fans following victory in the UEFA Europa League group A match between Arsenal FC and PSV Eindhoven at Emirates Stadium on October 20, 2022. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)

But Xhaka faces stiff competition, particularly considering that a lot of the work he does for table-toppers Arsenal isn’t quite as flashy as his competitors.

Almiron’s six goals for Newcastle United surely make him the favourite to win, as that’s how these things tend to go.

Haaland’s own six-goal tally would probably have had him as the front-runner if not for his blank against Liverpool followed by an injury late in the month, taking some of the shine off his October.

You can vote for your favourite here.