The Premier League has announced the five candidates up for the Manager of the Season award for the 2023-24 campaign.
Ever since the 2017-18 season, Manchester City's Pep Guardiola and Liverpool's Jurgen Klopp have shared the accolade between them exclusively, scooping four and two prizes respectively.
Guardiola won his fourth Manager of the Season prize last term and is unsurprisingly up for the accolade again this time around, as Man City go in search of a fourth straight title.
The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich coach has overseen 25 wins from 35 top-flight matches so far, leaving the Citizens second in the table behind Arsenal but in control of their fate.
The reigning champions are just one point adrift of the Gunners with a game in hand, and winning each of their remaining three games would see them become the first side in Premier League history to win four successive titles.
© Reuters
Mikel Arteta, Jurgen Klopp among nominees
Guardiola's previous Manager of the Season triumphs in 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2023 means he has won the second-most end-of-season awards out of all Premier League head coaches, only behind Sir Alex Ferguson's 11.
The Catalonian's departing nemesis Klopp is also one of the five nominees for the 2023-24 award, which would be his third accolade after also taking home the trophy in 2019-20 and 2021-22.
In what is his last season in the Anfield hotseat, Klopp has taken an injury-hit Liverpool back to the Champions League and - until recently - masterminded a Premier League title push alongside Arsenal and Man City.
The Reds, who sit third in the table, can still mathematically still be crowned English champions, but they will be eliminated from contention if Man City or Arsenal win just one of their remaining matches.
Gunners boss Arteta, yet to win the Manager of the Season award, joins Klopp and Guardiola on the list of nominees as his side lead the way in the standings, with a record number of wins (26) goals scored (88) and conceded (28).
Unai Emery, Andoni Iraola complete five-man shortlist
© Reuters
As well as the three title-contending head coaches, Aston Villa manager and ex-Arsenal boss Unai Emery is nominated on account of the Lions' unforeseen challenge for Champions League football.
The Lions will pip Tottenham Hotspur to a top-four finish should they win just one of their remaining two games, and Emery already has a Manager of the Month prize to his name from December.
Finally, Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola completes the five-strong shortlist thanks to his stellar work on the South Coast since replacing Gary O'Neil, a controversial change at the time.
The Cherries have achieved a record 48 points in the 2023-24 season - their highest in a Premier League season - to occupy 10th place in the rankings, and Iraola was also named March's Manager of the Month.
Earlier on Thursday, the Premier League also revealed the nominees for the Player of the Season and Young Player of the Season, which will be announced on May 18, three days before the Manager of the Season is named.
