As the Premier League heads into the second half of 2025/26, football writer Ben Bloom has picked his team of the season so far, BUT he could only select one player from each club for his matchday squad of 11 starters and nine substitutes. Here's the 3-5-2 line-up he came up with...
Robin Roefs (Sunderland)
Few people outside of his native Netherlands had even heard of Robin Roefs when Sunderland signed him from Nijmegen in the summer and made him their first-choice goalkeeper upon their return to the Premier League.
Yet the Dutchman has been a revelation for the promoted club, keeping seven clean sheets, including one in their memorable 1-0 victory over their local rivals Newcastle United.
Roefs’ save percentage of 76.6 per cent is the highest in the Premier League, while his tally of 73 saves puts him second among all goalkeepers.
Our selection rules means there can be no place in our line-up for another of Sunderland's star performers, Grant Xhaka or any member of the excellent defence in front of Roefs.
Reece James (Chelsea)
After an injury-troubled few seasons, Reece James has been a near-constant presence for Chelsea this season, and one of their shining lights.
The club captain has been used as a defensive midfielder, but we have included him here in his more regular role of right-back. James' six goal contributions (two goals and four assists) are the most by any defender in the Premier League this season.
His selection means there can be no spots in the side for Chelsea team-mates Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo, both of whom have impressed this campaign. Jurrien Timber (Arsenal) and Daniel Munoz (Crystal Palace) were the other right-back contenders who miss out.
Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace)
The need for centre-backs - and our inability to select either Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba from Arsenal, due to Declan Rice's inclusion below - means it is Marc Guehi who gets the nod as our Palace representative, over Munoz who has arguably been their standout defender this season.
It is little surprise so many big clubs are reportedly interested in Guehi as he is one of only three defenders to record 25+ interceptions, 30+ tackles, 85+ possession wins and 100+ duel wins in the Premier League this season, along with AFC Bournemouth centre-back Marcos Senesi and Brentford right-back Michael Kayode.
Mention also must go to Guehi's team-mate Maxence Lacroix.
James Tarkowski (Everton)
The hunt for our second centre-back leads us to Everton, where James Tarkowski is quietly having one of the best seasons of his long career.
While David Moyes’s side have frequently experienced attacking problems, they have been one of the better defensive teams this season, with Tarkowski and Michael Keane forming a strong centre-back unit.
In addition to the eight clean sheets he has helped Everton to keep, Tarkowski is the only player across Europe’s big five leagues to record 30+ blocks and 150+ clearances this season.
Harry Wilson (Fulham)
More often than not last season, Harry Wilson was either deployed as a substitute or left unused on the Fulham bench.
This campaign has been an entirely different proposition, with the Welshman cementing his place in Marco Silva’s starting XI and topping Fulham’s scoring charts with seven goals.
His technique and movement is second to none, and his 11 goal involvements are the highest of any British player this season.
Declan Rice (Arsenal)
Perhaps the current favourite to be crowned the Premier League's EA SPORTS Player of the Season, Rice has been superb this season, at the heart of everything that has put Arsenal top of the table.
His fearsome set-piece delivery has helped him accrue three assists, while he has also scored four times. His 199 progressive carries are more than any other central midfielder in the Premier League this season.
Yet all of those numbers do little to detail the impact that his vision, ball-playing abilities and composure in the middle of the pitch have on this Arsenal side.
Bruno Fernandes (Man Utd)
For most of this season, Bruno Fernandes has been deployed in a deeper-lying central midfield role. That may well change under the interim replacement for head coach Ruben Amorim, but the positional shift had little impact on Fernandes' creativity.
As has been the case in recent seasons, Fernandes has been Man Utd's main attacking outlet in 2025/26, leading all players for assists (eight) and chances created (56) in the Premier League.
He is the team's talisman.
Bruno Guimaraes (Newcastle)
You know things are looking good for someone when even they acknowledge that they are having a “spectacular” season, as Bruno Guimaraes did earlier this month.
The Newcastle United captain has been a mainstay of the team for a number of years, but never before has he quite had this impact, excelling with his ball-winning and distribution.
No player has broken the opposition’s defensive line more than Guimaraes’ 34 occasions this season.
He has also added goals (eight of them) to his game, with this already being the most prolific goalscoring season of his career.
Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa)
Like all at Aston Villa – who did not win any of their opening five Premier League matches – Rogers experienced a slow start to the season. Since then, he has been imperious, scoring seven goals and assisting four.
He has also exhibited an extraordinary aptitude for shooting from range, which explains how he has scored seven times from an Expected Goals (xG) total of 3.4 in the Premier League this season – the biggest positive differential by any winger or attacking midfielder.
Igor Thiago (Brentford)
Brentford's procession of forwards is remarkable. Having lost Ivan Toney, Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa in recent seasons, they have unearthed another gem in Igor Thiago.
His 16 Premier League goals are largely to thank for the club occupying fifth place in the table when many observers predicted them to be battling relegation.
His two goals in Brentford's victory over Sunderland last week meant he became the most prolific Brazilian goalscorer in a single Premier League season, and there are still 17 games to go.
He has shown his ability as a lethal all-round finisher, adept at shooting with both feet, using his head and scoring penalties.
Erling Haaland (Man City)
What else is there left to say about Haaland, who is the biggest non-negotiable in any team?
The sheer weight of the Norwegian’s attacking exploits is perhaps best highlighted by the extent to which his run of three games without scoring at the turn of the year was deemed a drought – one he swiftly ended by netting his 20th goal of the season.
He has double the number of Premier League goals as anyone besides Igor Thiago, and has already scored twice in a game seven times this season.
Haaland's guaranteed inclusion as the only Man City player means there is no place in my team for Phil Foden or new signing Antoine Semenyo, who would have been a certain pick if he were still at Bournemouth.
Substitutes
Junior Kroupi (Bournemouth)
Jan Paul van Hecke (Brighton)
Josh Cullen (Burnley)
Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Leeds)
Dominik Szoboszlai (Liverpool)
Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest)
Mohammed Kudus (Tottenham Hotspur)
Jarrod Bowen (West Ham)
Mateus Mane (Wolverhampton Wanderers)