Seven Premier League matchweeks gone. A tiny sample size, sure, but enough to start drawing lines. The table looks like a toddler’s finger painting, bright colours everywhere, no clear pattern, but through the blur, a few names glow with consistency, chaos, or sheer quality.
This isn’t the list of best players necessarily, but it’s the ones shaping the rhythm of 2025–26, twisting the stories of their clubs and, in some cases, their own careers.
The, far too early, Premier League Team of the Season so far
Nick Pope, Newcastle United
Nick Pope isn’t making the acrobatic highlight reels this season, which is kind of the point. Newcastle’s defensive record owes plenty to his steadiness. Five clean sheets from seven, 19 saves, and a save percentage hovering just under 80%. Those numbers don’t lie: Newcastle defend well because they trust the bloke behind them.
He commands his box like it’s a small country, and Newcastle’s improved build-up play starts with his sensible distribution. Pope doesn’t just stop goals; he stops panic.
Jurrien Timber, Arsenal
Mikel Arteta has turned his back line into a Swiss army knife, and Jurrien Timber might be the most versatile blade. Seven matches in, he’s essentially Arsenal’s plug-in module: tucks into midfield, covers the channel, overlaps when needed, and rarely loses a duel.
Statistically, he’s part of the stingiest defence in the league with just three goals conceded all season. But what stands out is the control. Timber completes around 90% of his passes and has one of the highest progressive carry rates among Premier League defenders. Arsenal’s entire tempo on the right side depends on his judgment of when to sit, when to step, when to drive. After last season’s cruel injury, he’s not just back; he’s reinvented himself as the hinge in Arteta’s new defensive puzzle.
William Saliba, Arsenal
No fuss, no frills, no forwards getting through. Saliba has become the embodiment of defensive composure. Arsenal are again near the top of every defensive metric with fewest shots faced, lowest xG conceded, and Saliba is the algorithm’s dream: passes completed at 94%, virtually never dribbled past, and still offering the occasional line-splitting ball that starts an attack.
What you won’t find in the data is his psychological impact. There’s a visible calm that ripples outward when he’s in the XI. The midfield dares to push higher. The full-backs invert with confidence. Even the crowd seems to breathe easier. He’s not shouting orders; he’s dictating the mood.
Marcos Senesi, Bournemouth
Andoni Iraola’s high-wire football shouldn’t work on paper, especially having sold their whole back line. Yet after seven games they’re fourth, unbeaten since opening day, and playing like caffeinated hornets. The quiet hero? Marcos Senesi.
The Argentine has become the pivot point in Bournemouth’s brave build-up. His progressive passing and calm under pressure allow them to escape presses and launch those Semenyo-led counters that end with defenders gasping for air. Senesi’s forward-pass accuracy sits near the league’s elite, and his defensive actions per 90 are up there with Saliba’s. He’s not the flashy one; he’s the reason the flashy ones have the platform.
Riccardo Calafiori, Arsenal
The Italian has barely unpacked, yet he’s already shaping matches. His header at Old Trafford to seal a 1-0 opening-week win set the tone for Arsenal’s title intent. But beyond the headline, his data profile is fascinating: top five among full-backs for progressive passes per 90 and among the best for recoveries.
Calafiori’s comfort drifting into midfield makes Arsenal’s left side unpredictable. He looks equally comfortable slicing diagonal balls as he does sprinting back to shut down transitions. There’s a reason Arteta looks so calm when Zinchenko isn’t on the pitch, it’s because Calafiori’s picked up the hybrid brief like it’s second nature.
Moisés Caicedo, Chelsea
Three goals from outside the box already. Madness. The Ecuadorian who made his name tackling everything in sight has turned into Chelsea’s most unlikely goal threat. His thunderbolt against Liverpool was vintage Caicedo: aggression, timing, confidence.
Under Enzo Maresca, his role has evolved. He leads the Premier League in combined tackles and interceptions, but he’s also completing more forward passes and shooting more than at any point in his career. The result? A Chelsea midfield that actually has bite and incision.
Ryan Gravenberch, Liverpool
This is the leap. Last season he was a talented but slightly lost midfielder, shuffling minutes behind others. Now he’s central to Arne Slot’s design. Two goals, one assist, and leading Liverpool’s midfielders in both progressive carries and key passes.
Slot’s system suits him. Gravenberch has freedom to glide through pressure, and his defensive work rate has shot up, too. There’s something almost Thiago-esque about how he turns tight spaces into calm ones. He’s not the loudest player on the pitch, but Liverpool’s tempo shifts when he touches the ball.
The U23 Power Rankings are in for the month of September!
— 365Scores (@365Scores) October 1, 2025
Barcelona two stars Pedri and Lamine Yamal lead the table while Ryan Gravenberch takes a huge leap to third. pic.twitter.com/O1XdtAJqzj
Jack Grealish, Everton
If you’d told anyone last year that Jack Grealish would be Everton’s creative heartbeat, they’d have laughed. But here we are. On loan from City, he’s leading the league in chances created from open play (16), has already bagged four assists, and scored his first goal in blue in a wild comeback against Palace.
There’s something poetic about it. A player accused of overthinking rediscovering freedom in chaos. David Moyes has handed him the keys, and Grealish looks liberated. For a club that’s flirted with despair, he’s painting joy back into Goodison’s Saturdays.
Mohammed Kudus, Tottenham
The £55 million summer signing has become Tottenham’s jolt of adrenaline. He sits near the top of Europe’s take-on charts and already looks integral to Thomas Frank’s version of Spurs, who’ve gone from ponderous to vertical overnight.
Kudus offers something Spurs lacked last season: unpredictability. He can drop in as a playmaker or burst beyond the line as a finisher. His numbers, leading the Premier League in assists, prove he’s not just dazzling for the cameras. He’s decisive.
Erling Haaland, Manchester City
Nine goals in seven. Eighteen in eleven across all competitions. City’s Norwegian juggernaut remains, well, inevitable. What’s interesting is how he’s scoring them: more headers, more first-time finishes, and fewer touches overall. Guardiola’s tweaks have made City more direct, and Haaland’s thriving.
He’s now cracked City’s all-time top-10 scorers list, and his Player of the Month nod for September barely scratches the surface. He’s evolved from a machine into a system unto himself. When the rest of City stutter, Haaland doesn’t wait – he just scores. Again.
Antoine Semenyo, Bournemouth
Six goals. Three assists. Seven games. That’s elite output by any metric. But beyond the numbers, Semenyo’s development under Iraola has been a joy to watch. He’s always had pace and power, but this version has patience and poise. His shot selection’s cleaner, his decision-making sharper.
The off-ball work is even better. Few forwards press with his intelligence. He ranks among the league leaders for pressures leading to turnovers. Bournemouth’s unbeaten run? Semenyo’s fingerprints are all over it. The raw prospect from Bristol City has matured into one of the league’s most terrifying transitions threats.
Antoine Semenyo has scored more goals in the Premier League than any other player since the start of April
— 365Scores (@365Scores) October 4, 2025
Antoine Semenyo – 10
Jarrod Bowen – 9
Erling Haaland – 9
What a start to the season the Ghanaian international is having! pic.twitter.com/AYcLo7IylZ
The Honourable Mentions
Robin Roefs (Sunderland) – Twenty-two years old, two standout performances already, including a clean sheet on debut. Calm, vocal, and possibly the best young keeper in the league right now.
Adrien Truffert (Bournemouth) – Seamlessly replacing Milos Kerkez is no easy task, yet Truffert’s done it with speed and composure. He looks tailor-made for Iraola’s high press.
Gabriel Magalhães (Arsenal) – The enforcer to Saliba’s surgeon. Arsenal’s set-piece threat stems from his dominance in the air.
Granit Xhaka (Sunderland) – Yes, that Xhaka. Bringing top-six standards to a newly promoted side, dictating tempo, and snarling at anyone who dares step out of line.
Declan Rice (Arsenal) – Still the heartbeat. When Arsenal wobble, he plugs the holes, literally and figuratively.
João Pedro (Chelsea) – Two goals, three assists, and the rare forward in blue who looks like he knows exactly where to be.
Hugo Ekitike (Liverpool) – The Slot system loves chaos, and Ekitike brings it with flair. Three goals already, and he’s not even fully settled.
Form is temporary…
Form fades fast. Grealish’s numbers hinge on Everton staying brave. Semenyo’s finishing run might cool. Kudus could explode further, or he could fade like so many October heroes. But right now, this XI feels right. It captures the moment, the movement, the madness of early-season football.
Maybe by Christmas, we’ll have a new hero. Maybe not. But for now, this is the Premier League XI defining the tone of the most unpredictable league in the world.
By Nicky Helfgott – NickyHelfgott1 on X (Twitter)
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