Premier League Awards 2025/26: The characters who defined the season’s story.

The protagonists of the 2025/26 Premier League

The Premier League season is over.

But some campaigns leave behind more than a final table.

They leave characters.

Moments.

Clubs that exceeded expectations.

Others that collapsed under enormous pressure.

The 2025/26 season was one of those.

Arsenal ended a 22-year wait to return to the summit of English football. Manchester City saw their dominance interrupted. Bournemouth evolved from a feel-good story into a genuine force in the competition. And Tottenham spent much of the year trying to survive a crisis that seemed unimaginable for a club of their stature.

Every season creates its protagonists.

These were the players, teams and moments that defined the 2025/26 Premier League campaign.

Player of the Season: Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United)

In a season where Arsenal lifted the title and collective brilliance defined the battle at the top, the league's most influential player wore red.

Just not Arsenal red.

Bruno Fernandes finished the campaign as the Premier League's leading assist provider, breaking historical creative records and carrying Manchester United's attack through long stretches of the season.

It wasn't simply about the numbers.

It was the constant feeling that everything flowed through him.

The final pass.

The decisive touch.

The crucial decision.

When United needed creativity, Bruno delivered.

When they needed leadership, Bruno delivered.

When they needed a result, Bruno delivered once again.

The best player doesn't always belong to the best team. Sometimes he belongs to the player who has the greatest influence on his team's fate.

No player carried a heavier individual burden this season than Bruno Fernandes.

9 goals, 21 assists (a Premier League record), and 33 big chances created.

Breakthrough Player of the Season: Junior Kroupi (Bournemouth)

Every season produces a promising youngster.

Few produce a player capable of changing the perception of an entire club.

Junior Kroupi was exactly that for Bournemouth.

For regular The Offside readers, his name may sound familiar. Back in March, we highlighted Junior Kroupi in our list of 10 under-21 talents to watch in 2026. A few months later, the French forward not only lived up to the hype but became one of the faces of Bournemouth's most memorable season in recent history.

In a team that spent much of the campaign chasing European football and even dreaming of a Champions League place, Kroupi evolved from prospect to protagonist.

His maturity inside the penalty area stood out immediately.

Intelligent movement.

Excellent decision-making.

A composure rarely seen in someone so young.

More than the goals, Kroupi symbolized Bournemouth's transformation into a team that feared nobody.

Bournemouth surprised the Premier League. Kroupi was one of the leading figures behind that surprise.

13 goals and the record for most goals scored by a teenager (before turning 20) in a debut Premier League season.

Manager of the Season: Andoni Iraola (Bournemouth)

Winning trophies usually earns awards.

But coaching is also about maximizing resources.

And nobody did that better in 2025/26 than Andoni Iraola.

Bournemouth began the season far from the conversation surrounding European qualification.

They ended it as one of the toughest teams to face in England.

Aggressive pressing.

Quick transitions.

Attacking bravery.

A clear identity.

Bournemouth never abandoned their principles when facing clubs with far greater financial power.

In fact, it was their commitment to those principles that took them so far.

While many managers build competitive teams, Iraola built a competitive culture.

And those tend to last longer.

An 18-match unbeaten run, victories over Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham, plus draws against Manchester City and Manchester United.

Surprise Team of the Season: Bournemouth

If there was one club that redefined its own ceiling this season, it was Bournemouth.

The Cherries stopped being a team fighting merely for Premier League stability.

They entered the European conversation.

They competed with the giants.

They earned respect.

Their draw against Manchester City, the result that ultimately confirmed Arsenal's title, may have been the perfect symbol of their campaign.

Bournemouth didn't just survive.

They believed.

And they played like they belonged.

At a certain point, Bournemouth stopped being a surprise. They simply became one of the league's best teams.

Unbeaten from January through May, recording 8 wins and 10 draws during that period while securing Europa League qualification.

Best Signing: Antoine Semenyo (Manchester City)

Not every great signing arrives surrounded by headlines.

Some simply deliver.

Semenyo was one of them.

In a season where City had to reinvent parts of their attacking structure, the forward provided exactly what Pep Guardiola needed:

Depth.

Intensity.

Direct running.

Versatility.

His ability to operate across multiple attacking roles gave City new solutions throughout the campaign.

The numbers tell part of the story.

But his tactical impact explains why he was so important.

Even without winning the Premier League, City found a player capable of immediately raising the team's competitive level.

17 goals, 4 assists, 37 appearances and 4 SofaScore Team of the Week selections.

Biggest Disappointment: Tottenham Hotspur

There really isn't another choice.

Tottenham began the season dreaming of European football.

They ended it fighting relegation on the final day.

And only just survived.

For months, Spurs struggled with tactical instability, defensive fragility and a recurring inability to manage decisive moments.

Their final-day victory over Everton brought relief.

But it didn't erase the problems.

When a club of Tottenham's stature celebrates survival, something has clearly gone wrong.

Very wrong.

Without question, a season Spurs fans will want to forget.

10 wins, 17 defeats and a run of 15 consecutive matches without a victory between January and April 25.

Match of the Season: Bournemouth 1-1 Manchester City

Some matches are worth three points.

Others define seasons.

Bournemouth's draw with Manchester City belonged firmly in the second category.

City needed a win to keep their title hopes alive.

Bournemouth were chasing a Champions League place.

Arsenal watched from afar.

The final result changed everything.

City's late goal prevented defeat.

But it couldn't prevent the consequence.

Arsenal became champions of England.

It was a match that had everything:

Drama.

Context.

Pressure.

Historical significance.

Everything required to turn a football match into something larger than ninety minutes.

Most Underrated Player: Gabriel Magalhães (Arsenal)

Every great team needs stars.

But it also needs foundations.

Gabriel Magalhães was one of Arsenal's foundations.

While much of the spotlight focused on goalscorers, creators and attacking stars, the Brazilian delivered consistency every single week.

He won duels.

Protected the box.

Led the defensive line.

Carried the team through difficult moments.

His work rarely made headlines.

But it always showed up in the results.

Arsenal became champions because they possessed quality in every phase of the game.

And Gabriel played a huge role in that success.

32 appearances, 17 clean sheets, 3 goals, 4 assists and 5 SofaScore Team of the Week selections.

What remains

The 2025/26 Premier League season will be remembered for Arsenal's return to the summit.

But also for Bournemouth's rise.

For Bruno Fernandes' creative brilliance.

For Junior Kroupi's emergence.

For Andoni Iraola's remarkable work.

And for the reminder that not every season is defined solely by the team that lifts the trophy.

Some seasons are defined by those who change the course of their own history.