Sky Sports ranks the Premier League’s top 25 players ahead of 2025/26 season | Football News

The superstars of the Premier League are ready to roll – but on the eve of the new season, who are the best players right here, right now?

That’s the question we put to over 20 Sky Sports football journalists and reporters, who weighed up the brilliant performers from last season and considered how new arrivals from abroad stacked up.

We asked them to rank a long list of Premier League talent and then took their average responses and honed it down to a top 25. So who came out on top?

Read on to see our top 25 Premier League players – and then join the debate yourself in our live blog, where we want you to list your favourite footballers and debate and discuss our selections!

25 – Viktor Gyokeres, Arsenal

24 – Ryan Gravenberch, Liverpool

23 – Phil Foden, Man City

22 – Enzo Fernandez, Chelsea

21 – Morgan Rogers, Aston Villa

20 – Bryan Mbeumo, Man Utd

19 – Matheus Cunha, Man Utd

18 – Bruno Guimaraes, Newcastle

17 – Alexis Mac Allister, Liverpool

16 – Eberechi Eze, Crystal Palace

15 – Martin Odegaard, Arsenal

14 – William Saliba, Arsenal

13 – Florian Wirtz, Liverpool

12 – Alisson, Liverpool

11 – Moises Caicedo

10 – Gabriel Magalhaes

Arsenal’s defence was the meanest in the Premier League last season and Gabriel gets the recognition from our journalists and reporters – no doubt also impressed by his repeated threat from set-pieces at the other end of the pitch.

9 – Bruno Fernandes

Where would Man Utd be without Bruno Fernandes? That was a recurring question last season. Amid all of his team’s travails, the Portugal midfielder’s quality remains respected.

8 – Declan Rice

Another driving force of Arsenal’s title prospects, Declan Rice is becoming the complete midfielder in the centre of the park for the Gunners. If the football world is increasingly being filled by specialists, the England man can seemingly do it all.

7 – Bukayo Saka

Arsenal supporters will surely want to see Bukayo Saka further up this list and their Star Boy could well prove this coming season he deserves a promotion. The next step is to inspire his team to success with his individual brilliance.

6 – Virgil van Dijk

Liverpool’s imperious captain is the top-ranked defender and there will be few arguments with that. The Dutchman continues to be a commanding presence in the Reds’ backline.

5 – Alexander Isak

The transfer saga of the summer? Alexander Isak’s future at Newcastle is uncertain but his quality isn’t in doubt. There’s a reason why the Sweden striker is in demand after a brilliant campaign in black and white.

4 – Rodri

Man City badly missed Rodri through his injury absence last season. If anything it underlined his importance to Pep Guardiola’s side even more. He continues to be considered among the best in the world – fingers crossed he can return to his former levels.

3 – Cole Palmer

We love a maverick and Chelsea’s Cole Palmer is one of the Premier League’s top entertainers. He delivers in the big moments too – whether that’s a Euros final with England or when Chelsea are in major finals.

2 – Erling Haaland

When you score 22 Premier League goals but are deemed to have had a disappointing season, you know you’re a decent striker. Erling Haaland’s goal-getting prowess continues to demand respect.

1 – Mo Salah

No surprises here. Liverpool’s star man swept the awards last season after inspiring the Reds to Premier League glory with one of the best individual campaigns we’ve seen.

Premier League player of the year Mohamed Salah has taken the crown with Liverpool’s Egyptian King voted ahead of Man City’s Erling Haaland and Chelsea’s Cole Palmer.

Florian Wirtz – Liverpool’s big-money summer signing – was the highest-ranked import, while it was Arsenal who had the most players in the top 10, with Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice and Gabriel Magalhaes making the cut.

Sky Sports to show 215 live Premier League games from this season

From this season, Sky Sports’ Premier League coverage will increase from 128 matches to at least 215 games exclusively live.

And 80 per cent of all televised Premier League games this season will be on Sky Sports.