Arsenal Trio Lead Player of the Year Nominees but Man United Star Favoured to Win

Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes is a strong contender for the Premier League Player of the Season award, but it is Arsenal who dominate the eight-man shortlist for the 2025-26 campaign.

The Premier League has unveiled the nominees for its most prestigious individual honour, with the winner set to be announced on May 23.

The award has a history of going to a player from the title-winning side, a trend seen in the last five seasons, including Mohamed Salah's win with Liverpool in 2024-25. However, Salah did not make the cut this year.

The 2025-26 list features three players from Arsenal, alongside standout performers from other clubs. Manchester City's Erling Haaland is the only previous winner among the nominees. Joining him and Fernandes are Antoine Semenyo, Igor Thiago, and Morgan Gibbs-White, all recognized for their exceptional seasons.

Here's a closer look at the contenders and their standout statistics.

Returning to the shortlist for the first time since 2020-21, Fernandes has enjoyed one of his most productive seasons at Manchester United. The Portuguese playmaker is on track to top the league's assist charts, having created 19 goals so far. This puts him just one shy of the all-time single-season record of 20, held jointly by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne.

Morgan Gibbs-White has been instrumental in Nottingham Forest's fight for survival, delivering his best-ever goalscoring season in the Premier League. He has found the net 13 times in 35 appearances, a significant jump from his previous best of seven goals last season.

Nominated for the third time in his four seasons at Manchester City, Erling Haaland continues to be a goalscoring phenomenon. He is poised to win his third consecutive Premier League Golden Boot, having scored 26 goals—four more than his closest competitor, Igor Thiago.

A cornerstone of Arsenal's formidable defence, Gabriel has been central to their status as one of the league's tightest units. The Gunners have conceded just 26 goals in 36 games, with only 19 of those coming while the Brazilian was on the pitch. They are on course to become one of the few teams in Premier League history to concede fewer than 30 goals in a season.

David Raya has already secured the Golden Glove award for the third straight season (sharing it in 2024-25), keeping 18 clean sheets with two games remaining. He is the only player to have started every league match for Arsenal this term, playing every single minute.

If he manages to keep two more clean sheets in the final fixtures against Burnley and Crystal Palace, Raya will reach the 20-clean-sheet milestone, a feat last achieved by Alisson and Ederson in 2021-22. His consistency and reliability have been vital to Arsenal's defensive success.

Should he triumph, he would be the first shot-stopper to do so in 30 years, following in the footsteps of Manchester United legend Peter Schmeichel, who claimed the honour in the 1995-96 season.

In his third campaign with Arsenal, Declan Rice has once again earned a nomination, making it three for three since joining the club. The England international has been a near-constant presence for the Gunners, missing just one of their 36 league matches and accumulating more minutes (3,009) than any other outfielder on the team.

Antoine Semenyo has had a remarkable season split between two clubs. He began the campaign at Bournemouth, where he was directly involved in 13 goals (10 goals, three assists) in just 20 appearances. A mid-season transfer to Manchester City saw him continue his fine form, scoring in five of his first eight league games for Pep Guardiola's side.

After a difficult, injury-plagued debut season, Brentford's Igor Thiago has emerged as one of the standout stories of 2025-26. The Brazilian striker has been prolific, netting 22 goals so far, a performance that earned him his first international cap for Brazil in March.