Updated: 19 May 2026 21:32 BST |
5 min read
The 2025/26 Premier League season is almost in the books.
It has been a thrilling campaign of ups and downs at both ends of the table. Despite some wobbles, Arsenal successfully fended off Man City’s late title challenge to win their first Premier League crown in 22 years.
Liverpool, who went into the campaign as reigning champions, have endured a disastrous campaign, as have Chelsea, who have burned through two managers and will be led by Xabi Alonso next season. Man Utd, on the other hand, have been revived by club legend Michael Carrick.
Elsewhere, Aston Villa, Brentford, Bournemouth, Brighton and Sunderland have exceeded expectations, while Newcastle and Nottingham Forest underperformed. Worse of all, though, have been Tottenham and West Ham, with both stuck in an unexpected relegation battle.
Below, we have selected our 2025/26 Team of the Season…
GK: David Raya (Arsenal)
David Raya has emerged as arguably the best goalkeeper in world football over the past 12 months. A leader at the back, an exceptional shot-stopper and good with the ball at his feet, the Spain international is the full package and the ideal goalkeeper for Arsenal.
Data analytics firm SciSports believes that Raya is by quite some distance the most complete goalkeeper anywhere in the world right now, illustrating his exceptional development since joining Arsenal from Brentford in 2023. He has kept a whopping 19 clean sheets this term.
RB: Jurrien Timber (Arsenal)
At the peak of his powers, Ben White was a very good right-back for Arsenal. However, Jurrien Timber has been an upgrade on the Englishman in almost every sense. What the Netherlands star lacks in height, he makes up for in tenaciousness.
In addition to being brilliant defensively, Timber has also contributed offensively to Arsenal’s successful season, notching six assists. This tally has only been bettered by Matheus Nunes, who has been converted from midfielder to right-back by Pep Guardiola at Man City.
CBs: William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes (Arsenal)
The best defensive partnership in football right now, Arsenal’s success has been built on the solidity of William Saliba and Gabriel. They are also responsible for making the clean sheet statistics of the aforementioned Raya look outstanding.
The Frenchman and the Brazilian complement each other perfectly, with the former a classy operator on the ball, while the latter is more of a front-footed destroyer. With the Gunners overly reliant on dead balls, Gabriel’s aggressiveness has been a cheat code on attacking set-pieces.
LB: Nico O’Reilly (Man City)
Arsenal have the best defensive record in the Premier League, so naturally the defenders we have chosen primarily ply their trade in North London, but Man City wonderkid Nico O’Reilly is the one exception.
The 21-year-old has been converted from midfielder to left-back, and he has been nothing short of sensational. A full-time England international now, O’Reilly has added unpredictability to Man City’s attacking with his devastating runs from deep.
CM: Declan Rice (Arsenal)
Declan Rice is perhaps the most well-rounded midfielder in world football right now. A good passer with the endurance of a marathon runner, the England star has taken his game to another level over the past 12 or 18 months.
The signing of Martin Zubimendi has allowed Mikel Arteta to unleash Rice a bit further forward, which has given the 27-year-old license to flourish offensively. The midfielder is in with a great shout of winning Player of the Season.
CM: Dominik Szoboszlai (Liverpool)
There aren’t many positives to take from Liverpool’s season, but Dominik Szobozlai is one of the few Reds players who can look back at 2025/26 with his head held high.
The Hungary international has been Liverpool’s lifeline. Despite being so classy on the ball and originally a No.10, Szoboszlai has shown a willingness and maturity to fully put himself at the service of the team, even helping out as a makeshift right-back when needed.
CAM: Bruno Fernandes (Man Utd)
Bruno Fernandes has easily had the most remarkable individual campaign of any player this term. Despite Man Utd’s underwhelming start to the season under Ruben Amorim, the Portugal international has managed to be consistently impressive for nine months.
Fernandes has equalled the Premier League’s single-season assist record with 20 and been voted the Football Writers’ Association Player of the Season. Need we say more?
RW: Antoine Semenyo (Bournemouth/Man City)
The only player to have changed clubs mid-season, Antoine Semenyo has managed to impress in two very different systems. His goals have dried up towards the end of the campaign, but he still showed up on the biggest stage recently, scoring a sensational winner in the FA Cup final.
He notched a very impressive 10 league goals for Bournemouth in the first half of the season before making a January switch to Man City. He initially carried his form over, scoring five times in his first eight league games for the Cityzens.
ST: Erling Haaland (Man City)
No surprise here: Erling Haaland leads the line in our Team of the Season after bagging 27 goals and (most likely) winning his third Golden Boot in four seasons. The Norwegian has netted 162 goals in 198 appearances for Man City across all competitions, and he is showing no signs of slowing down.
Even in a season in which Pep Guardiola has tinkered with his approach, which hasn’t always maximised Haaland’s potential, he has managed to score consistently. He is simply a force of nature.
LW: Joao Pedro (Chelsea)
There haven’t been many standout left-wingers in the Premier League in 2025/26, so we have decided to honour Chelsea summer signing Joao Pedro, who has impressed despite the turmoil at Stamford Bridge.
In many ways, Pedro has been the Blues’ insurance policy. Without his goals – an impressive 15 in the Premier League – their season would have been an even bigger disappointment than it ended up being.
View full bio
