Premier League names Player of the Season nominees

The Premier League published its shortlist for the 2025-26 EA SPORTS Player of the Season award on May 14, naming eight nominees from five clubs and opening the public vote. The official shortlist includes Arsenal trio Gabriel, David Raya and Declan Rice; Manchester City pair Erling Haaland and Antoine Semenyo; Brentford striker Igor Thiago; Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes; and Nottingham Forest midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White. (premierleague.com) Fans can vote on the league’s website until 12:00 BST on Monday, May 18, with the public vote combined with selections from a panel of football experts. The Premier League said the winner will be announced next week. ### Which players made the shortlist? Eight players were named by the Premier League on Thursday. Arsenal supplied three nominees — Gabriel, Raya and Rice — more than any other club on the list. Manchester City had two nominees in Haaland and Semenyo, while Fernandes, Thiago and Gibbs-White completed the field. The league framed the group around both team success and individual production. Arsenal’s three nominees come from a side the league described as “title-challenging,” while Fernandes was cited for helping Manchester United climb into third place and secure Champions League football for next season. (premierleague.com) ### Why does Bruno Fernandes stand out on the numbers? Bruno Fernandes has eight goals and 19 assists in 33 Premier League matches, according to the league’s shortlist page. The Premier League said the Manchester United captain is one assist away from matching the single-season record of 20, shared by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne. (premierleague.com) March also brought Fernandes another monthly award. The Premier League said his March Player of the Month win took him level with Cristiano Ronaldo on six career monthly awards. (premierleague.com) ### How strong is Arsenal’s case? Arsenal placed three players on the shortlist, giving the north London club the biggest bloc of nominees. Gabriel was credited by the league with helping anchor a defense that had conceded a competition-low 26 goals at the time of publication, while Raya led the clean-sheet standings in the league stats center. (premierleague.com) Declan Rice’s inclusion adds a midfield candidate to Arsenal’s defensive case. The Premier League had already highlighted Rice earlier this season in its matchweek award coverage, and he ranked among the fan team selections published by the league in January. (premierleague.com) ### Is Erling Haaland still the leading scorer? Erling Haaland led the Premier League scoring chart with 26 goals from 34 appearances on the shortlist page published May 14. The league said the Manchester City striker was “on the cusp” of a third Golden Boot in four seasons. (premierleague.com) The stats center also listed Haaland at the top of the goals table for 2025-26. That kept him central to the award race even with Arsenal and Manchester United players heavily represented on the shortlist. ### How is the winner chosen from here? Fans have until 12:00 BST on Monday, May 18, to cast their vote on the Premier League website. (premierleague.com) The league said those public votes will be combined with the choices of a panel of football experts to determine the winner. The same May 14 announcement also opened voting for the Barclays Manager of the Season and Premier League Young Player of the Season awards. (premierleague.com) The Premier League’s awards page lists the seasonal and monthly honors in one place, where the final winner will be added once announced. (premierleague.com) ### When will the award be decided? Monday, May 18, is the deadline for the public ballot, according to the Premier League’s voting page. The league did not specify a date in the shortlist article beyond saying the winner will be announced next week. (premierleague.com) Next week’s announcement will settle a race that includes the league’s leading scorer, its leading assist provider and three players from Arsenal’s title-challenging side. The result will be published through the Premier League’s official awards channels after voting closes. (premierleague.com 1) (premierleague.com 2)