3 Southampton players miss on a deserved Championship POTS nomination

A look at three Southampton players who missed out on a deserved nomination for the Championship Player of the Season award.

Southampton’s 5-1 hammering of Wrexham has established them as favourites to seal the final playoff spot up for grabs. While this matchday has narrowed the Championship playoff race, the EFL has followed it with a major announcement regarding the award nominations.

Recently, the EFL confirmed the nominees for the Championship Player of the Season award. Although Southampton faithful expected the recency bias of their massive Wrexham win to go their way, no Saint has made the final four-man shortlist.

Instead, the nominees for the Championship Player of the Season are:

Hayden Hackney – CM (Middlesbrough)

Carl Rushworth – GK (Coventry City)

Femi Azeez – RM (Millwall FC)

Žan Vipotnik – CF (Swansea)

On that note, here’s a look at three Southampton players who got overlooked for the Player of the Season award.

Léo Scienza

The most stinging miss for Southampton fans is the absence of fan favourite Léo Scienza. Despite comfortably making the provisional Team of the Season, he has been excluded from the final Player of the Season nominations.

Léo Scienza’s season tally reads 6 goals scored and 8 assists provided. Though he trails behind Femi Aeez, who boasts 8 goals and 7 assists, Scienza’s creative playmaking has arguably been the best in the league.

That’s because Scienza is unrivalled in big chances created in the Championship this season. Beyond that, the 27‑year‑old ranks among the league’s best for using his dribbling efficiently to create a threat up front.

Additionally, Scienza has outperformed his xG(Expected goals) and xA(Expected assists) to deliver 14 goal contributions in just around 2000 minutes this season. That efficiency, better than even Azeez’s, makes Scienza’s absence difficult for Saints fans to accept.

Finn Azaz

The next name on the list is Southampton’s top scorer, Fin Azaz. After a blistering performance against Wrexham, he has moved to 11 goals and 7 assists, breaking into the top five for most goal contributions in the Championship this season.

Azaz has had some inconsistent spells, but his final output has been second to none among attacking midfielders. Though Hayden Hackney earned his nomination for attacking contributions from a central role, Azaz could have been a deserving candidate as well.

Azaz’s role in Southampton’s mid‑season turnaround has been unrivalled statistically. As the club’s biggest attacking threat, he has been the glue that drives the Saints’ attack.

The fact that Azaz got overlooked within a day of his exceptional performance against Wrexham would surprise fans. Southampton would expect Azaz to respond to this snub by winning promotion to the Premier League.

Taylor Harwood-Bellis

The final name that will leave Southampton fans gutted is Taylor Harwood‑Bellis. Like Scienza, the Saints defender was named in FotMob’s provisional Team of the Season but missed out on the Player of the Season nomination.

Harwood‑Bellis has been Southampton’s most regular backline member. While 10 clean sheets in his presence isn’t the best in the league, his aerial threat and defensive prowess made him a likely contender for the award.

It’s no secret, however, that Harwood‑Bellis had the least chance among the three Southampton players to make the nominee list. That’s because EFL nominations have favoured attacking players much more than defenders.

Although Carl Rushworth is an exception here, Harwood‑Bellis had little realistic chance of displacing a keeper who has had an outstanding season with title favourites Coventry City.

For now, Harwood-Bellis remains another miss from Southampton to make it to the Player of the Season nominations. The defender will aim to continue playing his part in the Saints’ promotion hunt to strengthen his case for the club’s own Player of the Season award.