Shearer’s XI mixes youth and experience: seven players 25 or younger; Arsenal lead with three, Liverpool none.
Midfield is entirely defensive: Xhaka, Rice and Caicedo underline a grittier, steelier season.
Attack built around Haaland, with Rogers and Foden; Emery earns manager pick after Villa’s 11 consecutive wins.
Alan Shearer has named his Premier League Team of the Season so far. With the 2025/26 season taking a break for the FA Cup this weekend, the competition’s record goalscorer has selected his star performers from the opening 21 matchweeks for the Premier League’s official website, making some tricky calls along the way.
The Geordie legend’s lineup blends youth and experience, with seven of the 11 players aged 25 or younger. Unsurprisingly, Arsenal – six points clear at the top – have the most representatives with three, while Manchester City and Chelsea both have two players included. There is, however, no room for any Liverpool players, despite the defending champions’ recent upturn in form.
Erling Haaland, Rodri and Mohamed Salah are all in the top 20 best players in the Premier League.
Goalkeeper & Defence
Robin Roefs; Jurrien Timber, Marc Guehi, Gabriel, Marc Cucurella
“Hard to believe he is still only 22 and playing in the Premier League for the first time,” Shearer said of Robin Roefs, whose 73 saves and seven clean sheets have quickly landed him among the 20 best goalkeepers in the world right now.
Meanwhile, Marc Guehi – “the ultimate professional” – was denied an opportunity to sign for Liverpool over the summer but has kept his head down, serving as a calming, constant presence in the Crystal Palace backline and contributing to four goal involvements during this season’s captaincy.
Guehi hasn’t quite been as prolific as Gabriel, whose three goals and two assists have bolstered Arsenal’s set-piece prowess, while his defensive contributions have helped the Gunners maintain the stingiest record in the league, conceding just 14 goals.
Jurrien Timber has also played a pivotal role in that defensive record, earning his place, while Marc Cucurella, currently the Premier League’s best left-back, receives recognition from Shearer for his remarkable consistency, citing his 88 per cent successful pass rate, 35 tackles, and 18 interceptions for reasons to believe the likes of Riccardo Calafiori miss out.
Set-pieces have never been as important as they are now.
Midfield
Granit Xhaka, Declan Rice, Moises Caicedo
Shearer’s midfield picks highlight just how much the grittier side of English football has returned in the 2025/26 campaign, with all three selections being defensive midfielders. Granit Xhaka was brought to Sunderland in the hope that his Premier League experience would aid their survival chances. But he has done far more than that, quickly establishing himself as the signing of the season after helping the Black Cats climb into the top 10 after 21 matches.
Declan Rice and Moises Caicedo currently appear to be the only two players truly contesting for the title of the league’s best midfielder, and rightly get a nod, though meaning some key omissions include Dominik Szoboszlai and Martin Odegaard.
While Rice has added goals, assists, and set-pieces to his repertoire this term, his Chelsea rival excels from a defensive standpoint, keeping everything together at Stamford Bridge. The Blues look markedly weaker when he is absent, underlining just how vital Caicedo has become. On the latter, Shearer said:
“An absolute powerhouse in the centre of midfield for Chelsea. Has energy and talent in abundance. A brilliant all-rounder who has added goals to his game this season with some stunning strikes.”
Attack
Morgan Rogers, Erling Haaland, Phil Foden
Erling Haaland is once again leading the Premier League’s goalscoring charts, with Shearer quipping, “How can he not be in?” He went on to describe the Norwegian as a “goalscoring machine” who looks set to claim his third Golden Boot. It’s Haaland’s relentless, almost robotic performances that are keeping both Igor Thiago and Hugo Ekitike out of the lineup.
Morgan Rogers earns a spot with seven goals and four assists, highlighted by the brace he scored against Manchester United as Aston Villa went on an 11-match winning streak, putting themselves firmly in the title race. Elsewhere, his compatriot Phil Foden has found a new lease of life in a deeper midfield role, with his performances described by Shearer as “out of this world” after being recalled to the England squad ahead of the World Cup.
That also means there was no room in the team for Antoine Semenyo. After signing for Manchester City for £65 million at the start of the January transfer window, Shearer just about avoided making his entire attacking lineup consist of those of an Etihad Stadium persuasion.
Manager: Unai Emery
“The manager may be a surprise to some, but how Emery has got his side playing and challenging for the title after failing to win any of their opening five Premier League games of the season is a credit to him,” Shearer said when picking the Aston Villa boss ahead of both Regis Le Bris and Mikel Arteta.
He added: “He also masterminded a victory over leaders Arsenal, a result that helped Villa to an incredible 11 straight wins in all competitions.” For those reasons, it’s hard to disagree with the former Newcastle United talisman, especially when you consider the PSR issues that continue to deepen the Spaniard’s wrinkles oevr the last few transfer windows and prevent him from taking full flight at Villa Park.
Arsenal winger Gabriel Martinelli has turned down the chance to join Galatasaray after the Turkish giants made a bid for the Brazilian attacker.
Martinelli’s future is in doubt amid the Gunners’ plot to bring a new left-winger to the Emirates this summer. While they missed out on Vinicius Junior who extended his contract with Real Madrid, they are eyeing the likes of Paris Saint-Germain’s Bradley Barcola.
Galatasaray looked to take advantage of Martinelli’s uncertain situation and were prepared to hand him an escape route. He has been with the North Londoners since 2019 and has a year left on his contract.
Arsenal’s Martinelli Snubs Galatasaray
David Ornstein of The Athletic reports that Martinelli’s camp has told Arsenal that he has ‘no interest’ in joining Galatasaray. The Gunners are believed to have received a €45 million (£38.4m) bid from a Turkish club but the player has rejected the move.
Martinelli came in and out of Mikel Arteta’s side last season, often rotating with Leandro Trossard. With the Belgian joining Turkish club Besiktas earlier this summer, he may have felt his manager had opted to prioritize keeping him.
As the transfer window has progressed, talk of the Brazil international leaving the Emirates has intensified. The Gunners signed winger Christos Tzolis from Club Brugge, further casting doubt on Martinelli’s future.
Martinelli arrived from Brazilian outfit Ituano in July 2019 and has made over 270 appearances, winning the Premier League and the FA Cup. While he has a year remaining on his deal, there is the option to extend for a further year.
West Ham United have agreed a £22m deal with Celtic to sign top target Arne Engels this summer.
The Hammers have been in hot pursuit of a new midfield star to bolster their squad as they prepare for life in the Championship, having lost top stars such as Crysencio Summerville and Mateus Fernandes, as well as hot prospect Freddie Potts during the transfer window.
Manager Nuno Espirito Santo has been backed in the market with the arrivals of Manor Solomon and Joel Veltman, but the Irons have been working hard to make further additions after convincing captain Jarrod Bowen to stay in the second tier, and they have now secured an agreement for one of their top targets.
According to reliable insider ExWHUEmployee, West Ham have now agreed a deal with Celtic to sign Engels.
The club has had two bids rejected earlier in the window, but it was reported that they were preparing a third offer which they were hopeful would be accepted, with the Glasgow side beginning to make signings that could make space for a deal.
It’s now understood that a deal worth £22m has been agreed between the two clubs, and Engels, who has been described as ‘powerful’, will now formalise personal terms before undergoing a medical.
“It appears West Ham may have just agreed the deal for Arne Engels, according to well-placed Celtic sources that we have,” he said.
“Negotiations have been going on for some time now after we exclusively revealed the interest in June. It should hopefully now reach a conclusion in the coming days as personal terms were not thought to be a problem.
“The club have followed the strategy, as I have been explaining all window, of waiting for targets that they actually want rather than moving around. This has led to some frustration from fans but should hopefully bring in the players that have always been the key targets. A strategy that has been different from before but should ensure we get quality recruits.
“Once this deal is done, the club will turn its attention fully to other targets, as this has been the key one for a while.
“The deal is thought to be for around £22m, and the Belgium international will finalise personal terms and start the medical procedure soon.”
Engels was a target for Nottingham Forest and others in the January transfer window, with a £25m bid rejected on deadline day. But despite being keen on the move, Engels knuckled down and helped the club overcome a difficult campaign to lift the Scottish Premiership title on the final day.
Speaking after those bids were rejected, O’Neill praised the Belgium international, and admitted he didn’t realise how much Celtic missed him until he was unavailable due to injury.
“He never made an issue,” O’Neill said. “It was what it was. The last offer we got, I didn’t realise until [chief executive officer] Michael Nicholson told me, was three hours before the deadline.
“A lot of players would be chomping at the bit saying, ‘I want to go’ because he was going to be earning more money, he was going to be doing a lot of things like that.
“He’s not complained at all. It’s interesting sometimes, it’s only when somebody’s not playing do you actually miss them. I think that would be the case with Arne [Engels].
He’s a strong runner,” O’Neill continued. “He had scored a goal against Hibs when he dived in and headed it. If he wants to be something, he’ll add a few more goals during the course of a season. A goal-scoring midfield player is worth their weight in gold.”
Newcastle United are eyeing four more signings before the end of this transfer window, while they’re close to a ‘breakthrough’ on one specific deal, according to the i Paper.
Matthias Jaissle has arrived from Al-Ahli as Howe’s replacement, inheriting a broken squad in need of a rebuild.
Signing young players with potential has been the focus so far this summer for the Tynesiders, but it’s now understood that a handful more experienced options are expected to join the north-east club in the remaining weeks of the window.
Amar Dedic Could Be Newcastle’s ‘Breakthrough’ Transfer
The i Paper report that Newcastle want to sign two full-backs, a Guimaraes replacement and a forward to compete with Yoane Wissa and Will Osula before the window closes at the beginning of September.
The expectation is said to be that at least three will join, with their fourth potential addition deemed a bonus that they might be able to get over the line.
The publication also suggests that the word on the ground is that a breakthrough on at least one of these prospective deals is close, and that news could emerge on this front over the weekend when Newcastle face Bayer Leverkusen and Strasbourg in two separate friendlies.
It’s believed that the ‘breakthrough’ transfer in question could be Benfica’s Amar Dedic.
The right-back made 43 appearances for the Portuguese giants last season, scoring once and providing four assists across all competitions.
Amar Dedic’s Primeira Liga Statistics 2025/26
Appearances
24
Goals
1
Assists
4
Pass Accuracy
84.6%
Key Passes per 90
1.14
Successful Dribbles per 90
1.61
Tackles per 90
1.66
Interceptions per 90
0.76
Defensive Contributions per 90
4.26
The Bosnian worked with Jaissle at RB Salzburg back in the 2022/23 season, and the German coach is said to be keen on reuniting with the full-back, who would provide Tino Livramento with cover and competition.
Newcastle clearly have money to spend after sanctioning so many lucrative departures this summer. The i Paper indicate that there is up to £150 million of headroom, even with UEFA’s strict financial rules.
If a deal for Dedic is secured by the beginning of next week, expect more concrete movements on a replacement for Guimaraes, and perhaps a move for a left-back as cover for Lewis Hall, who is wanted by Manchester United.
Newcastle kick off their Premier League campaign when they host Andoni Iraola’s Liverpool at St. James Park a week on Sunday.
All Statistics via FotMob – correct as of 14/08/2026
