Defenders of the Month for May: The Nominees

Laurent Koscielny, Arsenal and France

The return of the Frenchman to the Gunners’ starting XI has seen them win nine of their last eleven games. He was crucial in helping the Gunners secure a narrow win away at relegated Queens Park Rangers before putting another workmanlike display in a 4-1 win at the Emirates that sent Wigan Athletic to the Championship.

But he saved his best performance for the last day of the season as he kept Newcastle at bay and then prodded home the game’s only goal from Per Mertesacker’s flick-on in the 52nd minute to allow the Gunners a shot at playing in the Champions League next season.

Mamadou Sakho, Paris Saint-Germain and France

The only team to go unbeaten in France during the month of May, Sakho is the third Frenchman to enter this five-man list. He was solid at the back in the capital side’s 1-1 draw against Valenciennes as he held the line after Thiago Silva was sent off, before marshalling his team in a 1-0 win away at Olympique Lyonnais in a match that saw PSG seal the title.

The France international was benched for the penultimate game of the season but was forced to come off the bench and stand in goal as Roman Le Crom was sent off on his professional debut. Despite the best attempts of the skipper, Arnaud Le Lan converted the resulting spot kick in his final professional game.