Writers reveal their players of the season so far

As we near the conclusion of the 2025/26 Premier League season, we want you to decide who has been the best player this season so far. Here, five of our writers give us their choices and explain the reasons for them.

Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United)

Dan Edwards: Few players encapsulate consistency like Fernandes. At no stage during this season has the Man Utd captain gone more than two matches without a goal or assist – a remarkable feat considering the topsy-turvy nature of the club’s campaign to date.

Having spent much of the first half of the season in a deeper midfield role under Ruben Amorim, Fernandes has been unleashed once more in a No 10 role under Michael Carrick.

The result has been a surge in creativity, with Fernandes now leading the Premier League assists chart with 14, six more than his nearest challenger, Rayan Cherki (eight). Indeed, if he can assist seven more goals across Man Utd's remaining nine games, he would set a new record for a Premier League season, surpassing the 20 assists of Thierry Henry in 2002/03 and Kevin De Bruyne in 2019/20. 

Incredibly, Fernandes leads all Man Utd players in more than 20 separate data metrics in 2025/26. It is impossible to overstate his importance.

Fernandes' stats among Man Utd players, 2025/26

Erling Haaland (Manchester City)

Sam Cunningham: Perhaps there is slightly less buzz around Haaland this season because supporters have grown accustomed to seeing him dominate the Coca-Cola Golden Boot race since arriving in the Premier League.

A nine-match spell in which he scored only one goal, a penalty, didn’t help the narrative either.

Even so, Haaland remains far ahead across almost every major attacking metric. He is the league’s top scorer with 22 goals, including eight match-winners – more than any other player.

The Norwegian's role at Man City has evolved slightly, too: he is dropping deeper, linking play and creating more chances for team-mates. He has contributed seven assists – ranking him third – and he leads the combined goals-and-assists chart.

This hasn’t stopped him from scoring a staggering 37.3 per cent of Man City’s league goals, keeping them in the title race. Haaland leads the league for goals per 90 minutes with 0.85 and also tops the charts for several expected-goals metrics.

There simply hasn’t been a more consistently dangerous attacking player in the Premier League this season.

Gabriel Magalhaes (Arsenal)

Adrian Clarke: Arsenal fans serenade Gabriel with a terrace anthem that perfectly encapsulates the Brazilian centre-back's influence.

“You'll fall in love, I know you will
Our number 6 is the king of Brazil
Our centre-half, he'll give you hell
Our wall at the back is Gabriel”

The words of this ever-popular chant ring true, as the 28-year-old has been magnificent throughout 2025/26.

Gabriel’s desire and love of a clean sheet has set the tone for Arsenal’s outstanding defensive record. He has been domineering, brave and brilliant in both boxes, at the back and in attack.

No team-mate comes close to the number of blocks or clearances he makes, and those interventions have played a huge part in helping the Premier League leaders face just 69 shots on target, 33 fewer than anyone else.

Arsenal players' defensive actions compared, 2025/26

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Gabriel also has seven direct goal involvements, the most of any centre-back.

He scored the winner at Newcastle United, as well as crucial goals in victories against Aston Villa and AFC Bournemouth.

In recent weeks, two wonderful assists have stood out.

Gabriel split the defence with a through-ball to set up Piero Hincapie at Wolverhampton Wanderers, and his athletic leap and knockdown for William Saliba against Chelsea was another big moment.

As the leader of the best defensive unit in world football, Gabriel must be a contender for player of the season.

Declan Rice (Arsenal)

Alex Keble: Rice is the beating heart of the Arsenal team, the de facto leader in the middle of the park who sets the tempo both on and off the ball.

The stats back this up as Rice has made the fourth-most recoveries and has created the third-most chances, with 150 and 55 respectively, of any player in the Premier League.

He is not just an engine but a complete midfielder, as comfortable carrying the ball through the thirds as he is sweeping up in front of the back four; as impactful when swinging corners into the box as he is when passing his way out of trouble.

But most of all, Rice is a contender for player of the season so far because he embodies the values of the club at the top of the Premier League table.

What defines Arsenal also defines Rice: defensive strength, elegance in possession, and set-piece mastery.

Antoine Semenyo (Manchester City)

Tom Hancock: Semenyo has hit new heights in 2025/26, underlining himself as one of the most complete wide forwards in the Premier League. 

Having begun the campaign with Bournemouth – signing off with a last-gasp winner against Tottenham Hotspur – the Ghana international hit the ground running following his January move to Man City. With 15 goals and four assists overall, Semenyo ranks joint-third in the top flight for goal contributions this season. 

The 26-year-old is up there with the very best finishers in the division: his 15 goals have come from an Expected Goals (xG) total of 9.7. For comparison, the two players with more Premier League goals than Semenyo this season (Man City team-mate Haaland and Brentford’s Igor Thiago) have netted 22 times from 20.7xG and 18 times from 15.6xG respectively. 

And with six goal involvements in his first eight Premier League games for Man City, Semenyo only seems to be getting stronger.