The 2025/26 Premier League season will be remembered for a title race that kept half the nation sleep-deprived until the final minutes of the final day, for the continuing transformation of English football’s tactical landscape, and for the emergence of two or three genuinely exceptional young players who look set to define the next decade.
The Title Race
Arsenal’s long wait ended. After 21 years without a league title — a drought that had become a defining narrative of English football — Mikel Arteta’s side finally crossed the line, beating Manchester City by a single point in a race that produced more lead changes (seven) than any previous Premier League season. Arsenal’s 89th-minute winner on the final day, converting a corner with seconds remaining while City were winning their own match, produced scenes at the Emirates that rank among the most emotional in football history.
The Biggest Surprise
Brentford’s top-four finish was the story that statistical models had given less than a 2% chance of happening at the season’s start. Thomas Frank’s side played the most direct, high-tempo football in the league and somehow made it work at the highest level. Their xG (expected goals) figures were modest. Their actual goals were not. Football continues to confound those who believe it can be fully reduced to spreadsheets.
Player of the Season
Martin Ødegaard’s season defied categorisation. Twenty-two goals and twenty-six assists from a central midfield role represents statistics that belong in video games, not real football. His range of passing, the quality of his movement, and the consistency of his decision-making across 38 Premier League matches made the Player of the Year award a formality by February. The debate is not whether Ødegaard is the best midfielder in the world — it’s whether this version of Ødegaard is among the best midfielders the Premier League has ever seen.
The Relegation Drama
Three clubs fell from the division, but none more dramatically than Everton. The Toffees, who had survived by the skin of their teeth in recent seasons, finally ran out of narrow escapes. Their relegation after 71 consecutive years in the top division marked the end of a genuine institution and closed a chapter of English football history.
💬 Join the Discussion