2025-26 Premier League Awards: Team, Player and Manager of the Season

The 2025-26 Premier League season has reached its final stretch, and what a campaign it has been. From standout players and surprise packages to tactical masterclasses and dramatic turning points, the league has delivered another year full of quality and debate.

Now, with the season reaching its climax, it is time to hand out our end-of-season awards. Which player stood above the rest? Which manager made the biggest impact? And which team deserves the most credit?

Let’s take a look at the winners.

Team of the Season: Arsenal

With the Gunners securing their first League title since 2003/04, Mikel Arteta’s side are on the cusp of making it their best season ever.

They could follow it up with a maiden Champions League crown in Budapest against Paris Saint-Germain on 30th May,

Though they don’t score a bagful of goals, the one thing that has gotten them over the line is their resolute defence.

The fact that David Raya has kept 19 clean sheets in 37 appearances proves how tough a nut they are to crack. Embed from Getty Images

It also helps when you have a monster centre-back pairing of Gabriel Magalhães and William Saliba.

The fact that he has only been dribbled past six times this season shows how physical he is as a defender and how aware he is of danger.

While Saliba brings a much calmer presence to the Gunners’ backline, Gabriel is the brick wall that senses the danger and does everything possible to avoid it. Embed from Getty Images

You could even say the whole of Arsenal’s backline, including Jurrien Timber, Pierrio Hincapié, Ben White, and Riccardo Calafiori, have done a great job when called upon.

Repeat this performance for two more games, and they will be one of the most feared defences in the Premier League’s history.  

Player of the Season: Antoine Semenyo

The star of the FA Cup Final, and one of the main reasons as to why Manchester City are still in the title race.

10 goals and an assist in 25 appearances is a decent stat, particularly since joining from AFC Bournemouth in January.

The addition of Semenyo has made City’s attack more intimidating, especially with a predator like Erling Haaland.

Usually, when you watch Pep Guardiola’s side, they like to dominate possession of the ball and suffocate teams by out-passing them.

But the addition of Semenyo has made them more direct and entertaining to watch, as it has allowed them to quickly transition from defence to attack. Embed from Getty Images

You could say that the addition of Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace has made City much more secure at the back; however, Semenyo’s arrival has made City go from Champions League certainties to title chasers.

Manager of the Season: Andoni Iraola

Difficult choice, given that there are candidates such as Arteta, Guardiola, Unai Emery, and Keith Andrews, but what the 43-year-old has done with the Cherries in the past three seasons has been quite outstanding.

To go from a relegation battle to 12th, finish 9th the following season, and to be in contention for a Champions League spot is a remarkable achievement in the space of three seasons.

What has been so impressive is how quickly the team has evolved from a low-block, survival team to a high-energy, aggressive pressing team. Embed from Getty Images

Their best performance came at the Emirates Stadium, where they were relentless in a 2-1 win against Arsenal.

Though the Cherries have Europa League football sealed, there is still an outside chance of a place in next season’s Champions League.

That will be possible if they beat Nottingham Forest and Liverpool loses to Brentford, which is unlikely, but given how the Bees have performed under Andrews, you never know.

It’s a shame for the fans to see him leave at the end of the season; he could have potentially built a legacy at this club.

But whatever happens on Sunday, Iraola has certainly transformed this Bournemouth side into potentially something special.

Signing of the Season: Martin Zubimendi

One of the key signings of Arsenal’s title-winning side has been the Spanish Midfielder. The entry of Zubimendi has released the shackles on Declan Rice, who has had another outstanding season.

What is so delightful about him is his calmness on and off the ball. He is a player who has the combination of Thomas Partey and Jorginho.

The fact that he has won 66% of his aerial duals this season is remarkable, given that his height is 5 ft 11. It probably shows how quickly he has adapted to the Premier League’s physical demands.

Apart from the Etihad and at home to Bournemouth, there hasn’t been a game where he and Rice have looked out of sorts in the centre of Midfield.

He will surely have a huge role to play for Spain, as they look to seek another Euros and World Cup double.

What a bargain he has been for the Gunners.

Flop of the Season: Chelsea

Was extremely close to saying Liverpool, but given the amount of money the Blues have spent this season, plus the fallout with Maresca, and the diabolical decision to appoint Rosenior, you cannot ignore the absolute mess at Chelsea.

Watching the last two seasons is almost like buying a kid a new games console, and then after a year or two, you either throw it away or give it to someone else, without telling the person who is using it.

That is exactly what has happened at the West London club.

After the back of winning the Conference League and Club World Cup, it felt as if Enzo Maresca had the right to be backed in the summer Transfer Window.

Following Levi Colwill’s ACL injury, Maresca needed another centre-back. The club disregarded it and brought in Jamie Gittens, Alejandro Garnacho, and Liam Delap, who are nowhere near the standards of an elite Premier League player, let alone a Chelsea player.

Hence, it was no surprise that he fell out with the club, as he wasn’t getting the power to make his own decisions.

This is the main reason Chelsea fans are so infuriated with the owners and their model of signing inexperienced young players.

And even though there is still potentially a Conference League up for grabs, would Xabi Alonso be happy with Thursday night football?

The fans will certainly not be, in fact, some of them would be happy without European football.

This summer may prove to be the most important summer for Chelsea under BlueCo.

Surprise of the Season: Leeds United

When the Lilywhites were promoted to the Premier League, you really feared for them, especially after a difficult start, winning two out of their first seven games.

But what Daniel Farke has done to this Leeds side since then has been very impressive.

Making a newly promoted side change formation and reaping the benefits halfway through the season is not an easy task.

Switching from a back four to a back five mid-season worked wonders for Farke’s side, as they picked up 36 points from their last 25 games. Embed from Getty Images

Dominic Calvert-Lewin has been the spearhead of their attack, with 14 goals and an assist in 34 appearances.

He has been superb at occupying the opposition’s centre-backs and could be a useful weapon for Thomas Tuchel at the World Cup.

Will he make it into the final 26?

So that’s it for our 2025-26 Premier League Awards.

Who would you give what to?

Let us know on World in Sport.