The Premier League Team of the Season is the next big deal after the conclusion of a competitive season, which saw two teams secure continental football for the first time in the 21st century and an Arsenal championship in 22 years.

A host of players stood out, and even the Player of the Season award is being fiercely contested, as countable and uncountable individual highlights have made significant differences in the context of the season.

A lot of players broke out, like Brentford striker Igor Thiago, who scored 22 goals and finished five behind Erling Haaland in the race for the top scorer award, scoring seven more times after tying the record for most goals by a Brazilian in a single Premier League season.

Goalkeepers Gianluigi Donnarumma, Robin Roef,s and Senne Lammens also impressed between the sticks in their debut seasons. At the same time, the likes of Granit Xhaka, Anton Stach, and several others also starred for newcomers.

With all 380 games of the Premier League season now played, we take a look at the standout players in every position, and whose contributions have been vital to the context of their respective team's season.

Premier League Team of the Season 

Goalkeeper: David Raya of Arsenal 

Never in doubt for the Arsenal man, who is also in contention for the player of the season award following a standout campaign between the sticks, where he kept 19 clean sheets to win the Golden Gloves for the third consecutive season.

Despite facing a league-low 87 shots on target, the Spaniard was able to make 60 saves and conceded the fewest goals (26) in his 37 appearances before being rested on the final day of the season after the league had been won.

Raya made important saves to help Arsenal clinch several narrow wins like the one to deny Yankuba Minteh against Brentford at the Emirates, Mateus Fernandes at West Ham United, and a remarkable seven-save performance at Old Trafford on the opening weekend.

Kudos to Gianluigi Donnarumma, Robin Roefs, and Senne Lammens, but none of these goalkeepers came close to Raya, who kept at least four more clean sheets than any goalkeeper and equaled the record for an Arsenal goalkeeper in a single season.

Right-back: Jurrien Timber of Arsenal 

The Dutch international missed the final two months of the season but his contributions before that have been vital in Arsenal's coronation as league winners, both in defence and attack.

Jurrien Timber made 30 appearances before his injury, which coincided with Arsenal's devastating run in late March and almost the whole of April, where they lost the Carabao Cup final, and surrendered the league lead to City.

With him, Arsenal kept 15 league clean sheets and he also notched important goal contributions including the winner over Chelsea at home and an assist for Bukayo Saka's lone goal against Brighton at the AMEX.

He finished the season with eight goal contributions, more than any right-back in the league and his 15 clean sheets also place the Premier League winner first.

Matheus Nunes, Reece James, and Daniel Munoz all had a great campaign but none was as crucial as Timber, who was also the most difficult player to dribble past in the league with opponents having a completion rate of 9% at some point in the season.

Left-back: Adrien Truffert of Bournemouth 

Bournemouth are set to participate in Europe for the first time in their history and this is down to an openness that saw them score loads of goals and also concede many, but Adrien Truffert has been a difference maker at both ends.

The Frenchman played an important role in Andoni Iraola's setup, especially with his creativity in the latter stages of the season, when they moved ahead of their rivals in the race for continental qualification.

He started all 38 games and was only taken off in two games, while his six goal contributions are only bettered by Nico O'Reilly among left-backs, but he won five points and helped secure important clean sheets in the run-in.

Truffert assisted the goal that decided the Premier League title as Bournemouth secured an important point against Manchester City, and in doing so, beat O'Reilly, Luke Shaw, and Riccardo Calafiori in this nomination.

Left Center Back: Gabriel Magalhaes of Arsenal

One of the Players of the Season and a rock in the Arsenal back line, yet, Gabriel Magalhaes' season isn't just about his brilliance at the back but also in the opposition box, where he was able to score three and set up four.

In his absence, Arsenal's defence was not the same as they conceded easy goals, but following his return, Mikel Arteta's team looked more solid, and his one-on-one defending played a massive role in that.

His three goals also came in handy for Arsenal. The winner at Saint James' Park, the opener against Aston Villa, and the leveler away to Bournemouth moments after his error gave the host the lead at the Vitality.

His four assists were also produced when Arsenal were desperate for inspiration, but again, his ability to deny opponents by dominating his own penalty box is where the Brazilian has no rivals in the league.

Right Center Back: William Saliba of Arsenal 

Who better partner Gabriel than his Arsenal teammate William Saliba, who alongside the Brazilian form a deadly center back pair that delivered a Premier League title that not even the most elite attack at the club in the last two decades can.

Saliba, who has featured in every official Premier League team of the season since his debut, stood out once again in the season and was unfortunate not to be listed for the best player award, which is largely down to the number of his teammates in the list.

An absolute unmovable force in the Arsenal defence that stood out for their defensive prowess, Saliba is writing a remarkable story in the Premier League, one that may shock the world when his time in the competition comes to an end.

Marc Guehi, Marco Senesi, James Tarkowski, Virgil van Dijk, and Nordi Mukiele deserve honorable mentions, but the pair of William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes remains unbreakable.

Defensive Midfielder: Granit Xhaka of Sunderland 

Sunderland won promotion to the top-flight at a period when all newly promoted teams have been relegated in back-to-back seasons, and they were the odds' favourite to return to the Championship due to their low budget.

Of all the 20 teams in the Premier League this season, the Black Cats had the lowest budget, but thanks to the experience of Granit Xhaka, they not only ensured their top-flight status but also sealed a return to Europe since 1973-74.

The Swiss international played all the best roles for Regis Le Bris' team, from his appointment as captain upon his arrival from Bayer Leverkusen, to leading them to a historic derby against Newcastle United.

The former Arsenal midfielder was vital at both ends of the pitch and was a god in the middle of the park, ensuring Sunderland were very tough to beat at home with four defeats at the Stadium of Light, many of which came at their most vulnerable moments of the season.

In 34 games, he registered six vital assists, including a very important one for the lone goal scored by Omar Alderete to secure their first away win and get their season off to a great start against Nottingham Forest in September.

Bruno Guimaraes and Elliot Anderson are standout players in close attendance but with their teams finishing below Sunderland in the standings, it says so much about the impact of Xhaka, while Martin Zubimendi fell off in the final three months of the season.

Central Midfielder: Declan Rice of Arsenal 

An absolute monster. Declan Rice is both the shield and the sword of the Arsenal team as they balance both in their quest to deliver a first Premier League title in 22 years.

The Englishman was there when needed defensively with interceptions, blocks, and duels, leading the way in creativity for the team, while he also helped them control games better, and restrict their opponents.

The importance of Declan Rice in the Arsenal team can never be overemphasized, even doubling as a right-back when injuries set in or for tactical reasons, and never did he fail to deliver impressive performances.

Driving the Gunners all the way in four different competitions, the former West Ham United man has proven to be one of the keys in Mikel Arteta's success as Arsenal boss, and hardly any player in his department can replicate what he does, consistently.

Player of the season for several reasons and having missed out on two awards, he will be hopeful of sealing the biggest one, the PFA Player of the Year award.

Attacking Midfielder: Bruno Fernandes of Man United 

Has already won two Player of the Season awards and won the best playmaker award with record-equaling 20 Premier League assists, Bruno Fernandes stands out as the best attacking Midfielder of the season by a country mile.

His playmaking delivered an incredible 136 created chances, which is at least 50 more than anyone during the season, and the most in the Premier League since Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne in 2019-20, also 136.

Bruno Fernandes helped Manchester United secure their Champions League return after two years away under the watch of interim coach Michael Carrick, who has now been given the role permanently.

He led the team on and off the pitch and carried them through a difficult period, consistently delivering goal contributions in the second-half of the season to help them pull away from their competition for a place in Europe next season.

Fernandes also notched in five goals, and created 33 big chances, at least 14 more than any other player in the Premier League, while only Erling Haaland had more than his 29 goal contributions.

With due respect for the likes of Rayan Cherki, Dominik Szoboszlai, and Harry Wilson, no one came close to the Portuguese international, who is also among the frontrunners for the PFA Player of the Year award.

Right Winger: Bukayo Saka of Arsenal 

Despite an underwhelming season by his own standards, Bukayo Saka stands above the rest in his department, with vital contributions that helped Arsenal secure their first Premier League title in 2 years.

The England international registered just 12 goal contributions in 25 starts, but his impacts were bigger, considering many of his goal involvements don't even count due to some technicality involved.

One of the highlights of Arsenal's title win was the 2-1 home win over Wolves in December, where his corner kick came off the woodwork and hit the goalkeeper on its way back in to break the deadlock, but the visitors leveled on the stroke of 90 minutes.

When hopes were lost and the title aspiration was on the line, Saka forced another own goal off Yerson Mosquera to win it. He also had other vital goal contributions that didn't count for him, like the opener away too Spurs, and the goal away to Aston Villa.

His return from injury for the final four games was crucial and in the three games he produced three goal contributions, including the assist for Kai Havertz's title decider against Burnley at the Emirates.

Bukayo Saka leads the way for chances creation among forwards with 61, only Bruno Fernandes created chances more often than him per 90 minutes among all players with 1500+ minutes, while he is top for expected assists among forwards with 7.2.

Bukayo Saka also boast the fifth best dribbles completion rate for players with 1500+ minutes played, and his 12 goal contributions is only bettered by Mohamed Salah (14) amongst outright winger in the Premier League this season.

Left winger: Antoine Semenyo of Bournemouth/ Man City 

An incredible season for the Ghanaian international, which started at a place of modest dreams in Bournemouth and finished with two domestic Cups at Manchester City.

Semenyo earned his move to Manchester City thanks to his explosive first-half of the season with Andoni Iraola's team, and Pep Guardiola deemed him worthy to help challenge for the Premier League title, though they ultimately fall short.

With 21 goal contributions in the league, Antoine Semenyo stands above any other winger, but perhaps his best wasn't even scored in the league, but at Wembley in the Emirates FA final to beat Chelsea.

His goals helped Bournemouth secure European football for the first time in their history, while those that came in the second half of the campaign helped City stay in the title race before they succumbed in the penultimate game of the season.

Semenyo finished the league campaign with 17 goals, 16 of which were non-penalties and second only two Erling Haaland's 24, and two more than Igor Thiago, who is believed to have had an incredible season.

Not many left-wingers stood out during the season, although Semenyo's astonishing goal contributions also came down to his versatility to play on both flanks and also lead the lines, he wasn't really a standout on winger metrics.

Leandro Trossard midway through the season, and Jeremy Doku in the run-in are some impressive period but none had the consistency to challenge Semenyo, who will be heading Ghana's World Cup campaign later in the summer.

Striker: Erling Haaland of Manchester City 

After everything that has happened during the season, Erling Haaland still stands out as the best Premier League striker, winning the Golden boot for the third time with 27 goals, at least five more than any one else.

Haaland scored 24 open play goals, eight more than the next player in the league, while his goal contributions of 35 is league's best, six more than the next player.

It was an incredible season for the next best striker Igor Thiago, but not even that came close to Erling Haaland, who will be looking to continue his form at the World Cup this summer with Norway.

Conclusion 

While the data firmly cements this as the strongest Premier League Team of the Season, the margins were razor-thin.

Several standout performers missed out on the final lineup but earned vital recognition for defining their clubs' seasons.

Ultimately, this statistical breakdown goes beyond mere reputation, proving how underlying metrics dictated the historical 2025-26 narrative.

With five of six Arsenal players in the team coming from defensive department, it gives an insight to how a different approach can get you where you want and deserve to be, even if it doesn't suit the expectations of the rivals.