David Raya, Arsenal
Raya kept 19 clean sheets and won his third straight Golden Glove, just one shy of Petr Cech and Joe Hart’s record, but he makes this team thanks to his game-defining interventions in high-pressure moments in the title race. The Spaniard was there when his side needed him most: against Brighton in December, at Stamford Bridge in March and, of course, perhaps the defining image of his season, the smothering save from a Mateus Fernandes against West Ham in the final fortnight of the campaign. In a game of fine margins, Raya has so often been the difference for Arsenal.
Matheus Nunes, Manchester City
Last season Pep Guardiola said that Matheus Nunes was not “clever enough” to play in midfield, even though he had spent £53m to sign him from Wolves as a replacement for Ilkay Gündogan. Many players would have struggled to recover after being undermined so publicly by their manager, but Nunes embraced a new challenge and developed into one of the Premier League’s best right-backs. His athleticism and ball carrying set him apart this season.
Gabriel Magalhães, Arsenal
Gabriel Magalhães has been the aggressive half of the best centre-back partnership in the league, happily embracing the bruising side of the defensive work for Arsenal, even if it occasionally means going toe-to-toe with Erling Haaland in a shirt-tugging, arm-wrestling duel. Gabriel made 32 appearances in the league and finished the campaign with 17 clean sheets, more than any other defender. Arsenal conceded just 27 league goals this season, their best defensive record since the Invincibles won the title in 2003-04. For all Gabriel’s dominance in his own box, he was just as strong in attack. Arsenal scored a league-high 24 goals from dead-ball situations, including a Premier League record 18 from corners, and Gabriel’s aerial presence was central to their threat. The Brazilian contributed three goals and four assists.
William Saliba, Arsenal
The boyhood Arsenal fan admitted he struggled last season, saying: “This season I have not been so good. I have to watch my partner Gabriel who has been so, so good this season. I have to focus on myself and work more.” It is safe to say the work paid off. Few defenders are as calm and composed as Saliba, who has been dribbled past just seven times this season – the third fewest in the Premier League. He is also poised on the ball, completing 92.9% of his passes. If his message after Arsenal won the title is any indication of his ambition, he will be back in this team next season too. “I am not full,” he said. “We have started with the Premier League. It is my first one, so I am happy, but I want more.”
Nico O’Reilly, Manchester City
O’Reilly ousted Rayan Aït-Nouri – a £36m summer signing – from the left-back position at City and made it his own. Only four City players were given more minutes than the 21-year-old, which is a testament to his talent and reliability. O’Reilly thrived in Guardiola’s fluid system. Equally comfortable stepping into midfield or attacking the back post, his versatility and quality in possession made the academy graduate one of his manager’s most valued chess pieces. He finished the season with nine goals and six assists in all competitions, which has been rewarded with a place in the England squad for the World Cup.
Declan Rice, Arsenal
Teams that win the title usually have a heartbeat. For Arsenal, it has been Rice. Whether launching attacks, recovering possession or delivering devastating set pieces, the Englishman has left his fingerprints on every important aspect of their season. His creativity was central to Arsenal’s success; he created 63 chances (more than any of his teammates) and carried the ball up the pitch more than anyone else in the squad. His relentless work protected the league’s best defence and he regained possession more than any of his teammates. From the young man known for his defensive solidity at West Ham, Rice has developed into Arsenal’s “Mr Everything”, making the champions function in every phase of the game.
Bruno Fernandes, Manchester United
Football writers’ player of the year, Premier League player of the season, the Premier League assists record and Champions League football restored to Old Trafford. Not a bad season for the Manchester United captain. No player has come close to matching Bruno Fernandes’ creative output this season. His record-breaking tally of 21 assists surpassed the previous benchmark set by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne, and the 136 chances he created for teammates was a staggering 58 more than any other player in the league. Remarkably, he achieved this despite being deployed in a deeper midfield role under Ruben Amorim for half of the season.
Elliot Anderson, Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest had a tumultuous season, but Elliot Anderson’s quality and relentless work rate were a constant. He had more touches of the ball than any player in the league and he won more duels than any other player. The 23-year-old midfielder broke lines with his passing, carried the ball up the pitch to turn defence into attack, and covered more than 250 miles – second only to James Garner in the league. If anyone deserves a summer break after a season spent running through walls, it is Anderson. But World Cup duty awaits.
Antoine Semenyo, Manchester City
Rejected by academy after academy and then loaned out to non-league clubs, Antoine Semenyo has spent his career proving people wrong. This season, he did it on the biggest stage. Manchester City paid £62.5m for the Ghana international in January and, five months later, it already looks like a bargain. His 17 Premier League goals across spells at Bournemouth and City ranked third in the division, while any doubts over whether he could solve Guardiola’s winger problem quickly evaporated. Semenyo struck five times in his first eight league appearances for City, and his blend of pace, power and unpredictability has become a defining feature of City’s attack. He also scored the only goal of the game in the FA Cup final.
Igor Thiago, Brentford
No one expected Thiago to make the team of the season nine months ago. Twenty-two goals later, the Brazilian is known across Europe and on his way to the World Cup. Only four players in the big five European leagues scored more goals than Thiago this season: Harry Kane (36), Erling Haaland (27), Kylian Mbappé (25) and Vedat Muriqi (23). Replacing the output of Ivan Toney, Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa was never going to be easy, but Brentford have somehow managed it.
Erling Haaland, Manchester City
Haaland scored 27 league goals this season, his second best return in England after the 36 he scored in his first season at City. Just as impressive was the way he adapted to Guardiola’s more direct approach. Alongside his usual goalscoring threat, Haaland increasingly acted as a facilitator, drawing centre-backs out of position and serving as a focal point to initiate attacks rather than just finishing them. His tally of eight open-play assists ranks third in the league behind Rayan Cherki and Fernandes.
This is an article by WhoScored
