Premier League manager of the month shortlist for January revealed

West Ham boss David Moyes has been nominated for January’s Premier League Manager of the Month award in recognition of the Hammers’ recent form and surge in to the top five.

Moyes is joined by Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and Brighton’s Graham Potter, all of whom also oversaw good runs in January.

West Ham won four consecutive games in January and were only beaten by reigning champions Liverpool as the busy month drew to a close. That run included wins over Everton, Burnley, West Brom and Crystal Palace.

Moyes is a 10-time former winner of the Manager of the Month award. Only Sir Alex Ferguson (27) and Arsene Wenger (15) have ever won it more often, although he hasn’t actually received the accolade since he left Everton nearly eight years ago.

For Guardiola’s City, January brought six wins from six games and is part of a longer winning streak of nine consecutive victories that began in December and continues now into February.

City beat Chelsea, Brighton, Crystal Palace, Aston Villa, West Brom and Sheffield United during the month in question. They conceded only one goal and won all those matches by a combined aggregate score-line of 18-1.

Guardiola is another serial Manager of the Month winner, taking home the trophy seven times.

Arteta, who is yet to win it in his fledgling managerial career, guided Arsenal to an unbeaten month in January, during which the Gunners took 11 points from a possible 15 to climb back into the top half of the table and start making up for a dreadful first half of the season.

The Gunners thrashed West Brom and Newcastle, beat Southampton comfortably, drew with Crystal Palace and held a resurgent Manchester United to a stalemate.

Potter’s Brighton lost to Manchester City in January but the struggling Seagulls were otherwise unbeaten and a string of improved results served to put distance between them and the Premier League relegation zone.

Brighton kicked off the month with an important draw against Wolves, before a win against Leeds was their first in the Premier League for around eight weeks. They finished January with a draw against Fulham and an impressive 1-0 win over Tottenham.

Should Potter win it be a second month in a row that an Englishman has scooped the prize after Dean Smith was recognised in December. The last time two English managers to win back-to-back awards were Sam Allardyce and Alan Pardew in 2014.

Fans can vote for the January Manager of the Month on the Premier League website until 6pm (GMT) on Monday 6 February.

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