Half a season into 2025/26, the Premier League has seriously developed its own personality. Arsenal’s control at the top has been built on a defence that treats chaos like an optional extra, City’s attack is still a weekly maths problem, and a couple of wild storylines have become completely normal.
This Premier League Team of the Season So Far is not just about reputation. It is about weekly influence, decisive moments, and players whose performances have actively shaped the table as it stands. Some picks feel inevitable. Others feel like snapshots of a season that is refusing to behave predictably.
An Arsenal dominated Premier League Team of the Season so far
David Raya (Arsenal)
The simplest way to describe Raya’s season is this: Arsenal can afford to live on the margins because he keeps winning them back.
He already has ten clean sheets, but the defining moment came in Arsenal’s narrow home win over Brighton. Late in the game, with momentum swinging and the Emirates holding its breath, Raya produced a full-stretch save from Yankuba Minteh that turned a potential equaliser into three points. It was not just technically excellent. It was emotionally decisive.
Raya’s numbers reflect control rather than volume. He does not face an endless barrage of shots, but when Arsenal’s structure breaks down, he is consistently there. His distribution has remained sharp, his command of the box calm, and his presence has allowed Arsenal to play tight games without panic. In a title race, that matters.
Jurriën Timber (Arsenal)
Timber’s season has quietly answered one of Arsenal’s biggest tactical questions: who connects the right side of the pitch when everything speeds up?
He has been part full-back, part midfielder, and occasionally part auxiliary winger, depending on the phase of play. With two goals and three assists from defence, his attacking output has been eye-catching, but his real value lies in how often he appears in the build-up to Arsenal’s best moves.
Timber offers press resistance, sharp recovery pace, and the intelligence to step inside without leaving space behind him. Arsenal’s right side functions better with him on the pitch, and that is often the truest measure of a modern defender’s influence.
Gabriel (Arsenal)
There is something deeply reassuring about a centre-back who looks like he enjoys defending. Gabriel has been exactly that.
With three league goals and two assists, he has continued Arsenal’s habit of finding goals from unlikely places, particularly when games get uncomfortable. His strike in a chaotic win over Bournemouth was emblematic of his season: assertive, timely, and unafraid of responsibility.
Defensively, he has been relentless. He wins his duels, clears his lines, and brings an edge that balances Arsenal’s composure elsewhere. When matches descend into aerial battles and second balls, Gabriel often feels like the deciding factor.
🥅 PREMIER LEAGUE DEFENDERS: The GOAL MACHINES since 2020/21!
— 365Scores (@365Scores) January 3, 2026
🥇 Gabriel Magalhães – 20 goals 🆕👑
🥈 Virgil van Dijk & Michael Keane – 13
🥉 Fabian Schär – 12
🎖️ Joško Gvardiol – 11
Attack is the best form of defense, right? 😉 pic.twitter.com/y6uzAiG71Z
Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
Liverpool’s season has not been linear, but van Dijk’s importance has not diminished. If anything, it has become clearer.
He has played virtually every league minute available, anchoring a defence that has had to absorb pressure in difficult away fixtures and transitional matches. While he has not added league goals yet, his leadership, positioning, and game-reading have been fundamental in keeping Liverpool competitive in high-stress moments.
Van Dijk’s contribution this season is less about standout highlights and more about maintaining order. When Liverpool bend without breaking, he is usually the reason.
Riccardo Calafiori (Arsenal)
Calafiori’s introduction to the Premier League has been loud in the right ways. He plays with confidence, carries the ball aggressively, and consistently looks to affect the game in the opposition half.
One goal and two assists only tell part of the story. His positioning has allowed Arsenal to overload wide areas, and his willingness to step high has stretched teams who sit deep. There have been moments of adaptation, including an injury interruption during the festive period, but the overall impression has been of a player who belongs.
For a first season in England, his influence has arrived quickly.
The BEST way to show what Impact Rating is all about!
— 365Scores (@365Scores) August 24, 2025
Arsenal’s defenders Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Calafiori were all over the place last night vs Leeds!
🛡 Clean Sheet for both
Calafiori – 2 Assists 👟
Timber – 2 Goals ⚽️ and 1 Assist 👟
The result? VERY HIGH numbers in… pic.twitter.com/LWcoLxSRtL
Granit Xhaka (Sunderland)
The return of Granit Xhaka to the Premier League with Sunderland has been one of the season’s most compelling subplots.
With one goal and five assists from midfield, his output has been vital, but his deeper value lies in control. Xhaka dictates tempo, provides structure, and gives Sunderland the ability to slow games down when chaos threatens to take over.
For a newly promoted side, that is priceless. He has not tried to dominate every moment, but when Sunderland need calm, experience, or a forward pass through pressure, he has delivered.
Declan Rice (Arsenal)
Rice has evolved again. This season, he has combined defensive authority with attacking decisiveness in a way that feels fully realised.
Four goals and three assists already underline his expanding role, but the standout moment was his brace in a dramatic win over Bournemouth. When Arsenal needed someone to impose themselves physically and mentally, Rice did exactly that.
He continues to break up play, cover ground, and protect transitions, but he now also arrives late in the box with real intent. That blend has turned him into one of the league’s most complete midfielders.
Number 15 on our Top-25 Players of 2025 is Declan Rice! A midfield maestro who had a wonderful year with Arsenal and England 💪🔥 pic.twitter.com/2m64N781iz
— 365Scores (@365Scores) December 19, 2025
Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United)
Manchester United’s season has been unpredictable, but Bruno Fernandes has remained a constant source of output.
With five goals and eight assists in the league, he remains one of the Premier League’s most productive chance creators, and the highest assister. His ability to force the issue, attempt difficult passes, and take responsibility has been essential during periods when United’s structure has faltered.
Even returning from injury, he has immediately influenced results. Whatever debates exist around style or risk, his impact on the scoreboard is undeniable.
Antoine Semenyo (Bournemouth / Manchester City)
Semenyo’s season has unfolded in two acts. The first was a prolific start elsewhere, where he amassed ten goals and three assists in the opening months. The second has just begun in January, with a move to Manchester City that felt inevitable.
What makes Semenyo compelling is his directness. He attacks space, arrives in the box with purpose, and finishes decisively. Now embedded in a system that produces chances relentlessly, his second-half numbers could rise sharply.
His inclusion reflects what he did before the move, not what might happen after it.
🚨 OFFICIAL 🚨
— 365Scores (@365Scores) January 9, 2026
Antoine Semenyo signed for Manchester City from Bournemouth on a long-term contract until June 2031 pic.twitter.com/ndLNxABdqT
Erling Haaland (Manchester City)
Twenty league goals by early January has turned the Golden Boot race into somewhat of a formality rather than a conversation.
Haaland remains football’s simplest problem with the hardest solution. City have not been flawless this season, but his finishing has ensured that even imperfect performances still result in wins. He’s scored 45% of their league goals which is a large part of the reason why City have gone out and bought Semenyo early in the January transfer window.
There is little embellishment here. He scores. He scores often. And he continues to warp defensive game plans every single week.
Igor Thiago (Brentford)
If there is one player who has turned heads faster than expected, it is Igor Thiago.
With sixteen league goals already, he has not only carried Brentford’s attack but also made history as the most prolific Brazilian goalscorer in a single Premier League season. And it is still January.
Thiago offers presence, movement, and an instinctive sense of space inside the box. Defenders adjust their positioning when he is on the pitch, and Brentford’s entire attacking structure benefits from it.
This has not been a hot streak. It has been sustained, authoritative scoring.
Honourable Mentions
Several players have pushed hard for inclusion and may well feature later in the season:
Roefs and Caoimhín Kelleher have both produced match-winning goalkeeping spells. Guehi, van Hecke, Reece James, and James Garner have delivered defensive consistency or structural importance. Midfielders such as Szoboszlai, Guimarães, Caicedo, Dewsbury-Hall, and Morgan Rogers have underpinned strong campaigns.
Further forward, Mbeumo, Doku, Cherki, Foden, Schade, Harry Wilson, and Ekitike have all provided goals, creativity, or momentum-changing performances.
FAQs
Is this based purely on statistics?
No. Form, impact, and match-defining moments matter as much as raw numbers.
Why so many Arsenal players?
Because their defensive record, consistency, and ability to win tight games have set the standard so far.
Does Semenyo’s early-season form still count after his transfer?
Yes. This is Team of the Season So Far, not a projection of what comes next.
What is the single defining moment of the season so far?
David Raya’s late save against Brighton stands out for its direct impact on the title race.
Which players could force their way in by April?
Several City attackers and emerging midfielders have the ceiling to disrupt this XI if form spikes.
By Nicky Helfgott – NickyHelfgott1 on X (Twitter)
Keep up with all the latest football news and Premier League news on 365Scores!
