Chelsea, Spurs dominate Premier League player nominations
(Reuters) - Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur each have three players among the eight nominations for the Premier League Player of the Season, while the coaches of both teams have also been shortlisted for the Manager of the Year award.
Chelsea midfielder N'Golo Kante is the favourite for the players' prize, having already been named the PFA (Professional Footballers' Association) Player of the Year and the FWA (Football Writers Association) Player of the Year.
Belgium international Eden Hazard and Spain full back Cesar Azpilicueta are the other Chelsea players on the list, while Tottenham are represented by striker Harry Kane, midfielder Dele Alli and defender Jan Vertonghen.
Arsenal striker Alexis Sanchez has also been included, along with Everton's Romelu Lukaku, who currently leads the league's scoring charts with 24 goals.
Chelsea secured the title on Friday and lead the table by seven points from Tottenham Hotspur going into the final games of the season.
Antonio Conte, who guided Chelsea to the title in his first season in charge, faces competition from Paul Clement, who took over with Swansea City four points adrift at the bottom in January but guided them to safety with a game to spare.
Mauricio Pochettino, whose Spurs team are guaranteed a second-place finish, Burnley's Sean Dyche, Bournemouth's Eddie Howe and West Bromwich Albion's Tony Pulis are the others on the Manager of the Year shortlist.
(Reporting by Simon Jennings)