A player from Liverpool or Manchester City has won the Premier League Player of the Season award in the last eight consecutive seasons.
Mohamed Salah won his second POTY award last season for his heroics in Liverpool’s title win, scoring 29 goals and providing 18 assists.
Before a ball has been kicked, we’ve stuck our necks on the line and have predicted the 10 most likely players to win the award come May 2026.
Make sure to keep checking back on this article throughout the season as we’ll be keeping it updated, reflecting the most in-form players at the time.
10. Virgil van Dijk
Having previously won the award in 2018–19, Van Dijk knows what it takes to win the Player of the Season.
While attackers are usually the frontrunners for the award, a defender as good as Van Dijk simply cannot be overlooked.
If Liverpool retain their title and keep a tight defensive record in the process, the Dutch international will definitely be among the favourites to win the award.
“He’s too good for the highest level of football,” is how Jamie Carragher described Van Dijk back in February.
“It’s almost like it’s still too easy for him. It almost feels like there should be another level above that for Van Dijk because he plays the game with such ease.”
9. Phil Foden
Alright, we know that Foden struggled last season, but stick with us here.
The phrase ‘form is temporary, class is permanent’ seems more applicable to Foden right now then any other player in the Premier League.
While he struggled to find his groove during 2024-25, this is a player who won the Player of the Season award just two seasons ago.
With Kevin De Bruyne no longer in the frame, this is surely the time for a player like Foden to step up again and take Man City into title contention.
If Pep Guardiola’s side do rediscover their form, Foden will surely have a key role to play.
8. Alexander Isak
Given the uncertainty currently surrounding the Swedish forward, we couldn’t really justify placing him much higher on our list for the time being.
Isak is undoubtedly one of the best number nines on the planet right now and if he does move to Liverpool, we could see him having an exceptional season under Arne Slot.
However, if he ends up staying at Newcastle, he’s got plenty of bridges to build before he’s accepted back into the fan base.
For the time being, we’ll place him eighth on our Power Rankings, but that could change depending on who he’s playing for come September.
7. Rodri
After missing virtually all of last season, Man City will be itching to get Rodri back into the starting XI this season.
While he’s set to miss the start of the new campaign, the Spaniard should return in decent enough time to have a big impact during 2025-26.
The current Ballon d’Or holder could have a decisive role to play in the title race and organising City’s backline, which looked badly out of shape last season.
He should have arguably won the POTS award in 2023-24 and he’ll be keen to make a big impact upon his return this season.
6. Declan Rice
The arrival of Martin Zubimendi should benefit Rice and his ability to create and score more goals.
Towards the backend of last season, Rice spoke about his desire to score more goals and if he does that in the Premier League this season, we could definitely see him being among the POTS contenders.
“Me and the manager had this conversation,” Rice told TNT Sports.
“He said to me after training a few months ago: ‘With your ability, you should be scoring and assisting way more’. I totally agree with him.
“Sometimes the ball’s wide, you’ve got to have that feel to get in the box and score the goals, and I think I’ve really started to get that.
“Getting in the box, making runs in behind, creating chances for others, I’m loving that part of the game.”
5. Erling Haaland
Haaland won the POTS award after his debut season in England, where he scored 36 league goals.
By his own standards, 2024-25 was relatively poor in comparison, despite still scoring a respectable 22 goals in 31 appearances.
If anyone is capable of having another 36+ goal campaign in the Premier League, Haaland is the guy.
The 25-year-old is capable of firing Man City back into title contention and if they do reclaim the trophy, Haaland will definitely be amongst the POTS candidates.
4. Cole Palmer
While Palmer’s form dipped during the second half of last season, his performances at the Club World Cup have provided plenty of optimism among Chelsea fans ahead of the new season.
It remains to be seen whether Enzo Maresca’s side can challenge for the title this season, but we’d still back Palmer to be one of the best players in the league.
Capable of scoring and assisting at an elite level, the 23-year-old will definitely be in the mix for the POTS if he remains injury-free.
3. Mohamed Salah
Cristiano Ronaldo was the last player to win the Premier League Player of the Season award in consecutive seasons.
Salah has now won the award twice, in 2017–18 and in 2024–25. If he wins it again this year, he’ll become the first player in Premier League history to ever win it on three separate occasions.
The Egyptian forward is certainly among the favourites again this year, but why do we have him down in third place?
With AFCON taking place later this year, Salah will miss a chunk of the Premier League season, which will likely result in a dip in his overall output.
In previous years when AFCON has taken place, Salah’s form has tended to drop towards the second half of the season, with fatigue likely playing a factor.
But with that being said, he’s definitely still capable of having another world-class season and firing Liverpool to the title.
2. Florian Wirtz
Liverpool’s record signing looks like the real deal.
During pre-season and in the Community Shield, most of Liverpool’s attacks flowed through Wirtz, who will likely have a key role to play for the Reds this year.
The German playmaker produced 24 goal contributions during his final season with Bayer Leverkusen and if he produces similar numbers in the Premier League, he’ll definitely be in POTS contention.
1. Bukayo Saka
We’ve already stuck our necks on the line and placed Arsenal at the top of our Premier League title Power Rankings for 2025-26.
With that in mind, it makes sense that we think Saka is going to have a big season for the Gunners this time around.
After missing a chunk of last season through injury, the 23-year-old looks hungrier than ever to get Arsenal over the line this season.
It’s not just us that fancy Saka to have a big campaign in 2025-26 either. He’s currently top of the bookies’ odds for winning the PFA Player of the Year, which tends to be heavily linked with the POTS award.
If Arsenal are going to win the league this season, Saka will surely be their key man.
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