What will be your defining memory from this season?
The scenes around the Emirates Stadium after Arsenal were confirmed as Premier League champions. It was a joyous cleansing of two decades in which they were ridiculed and a source for so much online ire – almost all of it created by a vast online battalion of gobshites among their own support. But Mikel Arteta has made them a serious endeavour once more, and the sheer scale of the celebrations was a reminder of what the club are capable of.
Who was your player of the season?
Alex Scott was fantastic on the four occasions I watched a full Bournemouth game and would be just as fantastic in an Ireland midfield. Bruno Fernandes pissed off The Overlap Windbag Roy Keane (now his full title) to such an extent by being good at helping his teammates score goals that you can soon look forward to paying €70 for a ticket to hear Keane give out about Fernandes to Roddy Doyle on a stage in Dublin or Cork.
The spine of Arsenal’s team – Raya, Saliba, Gabriel, Rice – can just barge Fernandes off stage at the PFA awards like they’re attacking a corner kick and take his award.
Name the best and worst signing of the season.
Take your pick from Liverpool’s arrivals, but surely once they find a balance to the side, the likes of Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak will thrive.
Best individual performance you witnessed this season?
Bruno Fernandes for Manchester United away to Liverpool in October. Led by example on and off the ball, a proper captain, and his stunning assist for Harry Maguire’s winning goal was Fernandes’s first of the season.
Which Irish player has impressed you most?
Caoimhín Kelleher has got everything he needed and more from the move to Brentford.
Which team did you most enjoy watching (aside from the club you support)?
I’m going to say Bournemouth purely based on those four games, although I can’t actually remember who they played or if they won, but I feel like I enjoyed watching them. It was also helpful to watch Nottingham Forest from time to time to find out who their manager was.
Name your favourite moment from this season.
Noel Gallagher beating the traffic and leaving the Man City away end early when the title race was not yet done. I’m sure he got sorted for a ticket at face value, and how important it is that away tickets in the Premier League are capped at £30 for another couple of seasons rather than being left vulnerable to the plague of dynamic pricing.
Describe the season in one sentence
After review…
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Arsenal fans celebrating outside the Emirates Stadium. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
Paul Fennessy
What will be your defining memory from this season?
The West Ham goal that wasn’t in Arsenal’s 1-0 win at London Stadium. It was one of the biggest games of the season, with significant implications at both ends of the table, and the chaotic wrestling in the area as the corner was delivered felt like a microcosm of the campaign at large. There appeared to be several different infringements involving both sets of players, with the terrified officials arbitrarily honing in on one specific incident. Set-piece kings Arsenal were the beneficiaries, as they have been so often, with Mikel Arteta’s side consistently providing a masterclass in exploiting football’s loopholes. But most neutrals will surely have concluded by now that a major overhaul of the rules is required, not just with set pieces, but ball-in-play time and other issues that are significantly impacting the sport as a spectacle.
Who was your player of the season?
Declan Rice. Arguably, the Premier League’s most dynamic central midfielder since Roy Keane was in his prime. Arsenal teammate David Raya is a close second.
Name the best and worst signing of the season.
Best: Despite falling just short in their title challenge, Man City made a couple of astute signings. The recruitment of the likes of Marc Guehi, Rayan Cherki, Antoine Semenyo and Gianluigi Donnarumma ensured the race with Arsenal was much closer than it otherwise would have been. But I’m opting for a slightly less obvious name. Manchester United discovered the dangers of recruiting from the Dutch league in recent years, but Sunderland have found that there is still value in buying from the Eredivisie. 23-year-old goalkeeper Robin Roefs has been a revelation for the Black Cats since joining from NEC and has consequently been linked with Chelsea and Liverpool of late. The recruitment team at the Stadium of Light, in general, deserve a pat on the back. Many pundits at the start of the season were tipping the newly promoted club for relegation, but instead, they are easing to a mid-table finish, having spent lavishly and wisely in the summer.
Worst: There are a couple of contenders, but PSG loanee Randal Kolo Muani is the standout. He was playing in the World Cup final less than four years ago, but has probably been the worst player in a Spurs side that have had a really poor league campaign for the second year in a row, consistently giving the ball away and only sporadically looking a threat and making the right decisions in the final third. Kolo Muani’s ineptitude is exacerbated by the fact that the North Londoners have been repeatedly forced to play him, owing to an injury crisis in attack, and the ill-advised decision to sell one of their only other fit wingers, Brennan Johnson, in the January transfer window.
Best individual performance you witnessed this season?
Bernardo Silva’s imminent departure from Man City suggests that, at 31, his best days are behind him. But there have been occasions where he has provided a stark reminder of his quality. In what (at the time) felt like the biggest game of the season, Silva gave a midfield masterclass and was the best player on the pitch, as Arsenal’s title challenge threatened to unravel following a damaging 2-1 loss to Man City last April.
Which Irish player has impressed you most?
Caoimhín Kelleher is a big reason why Brentford are going into the final day of the season trying to secure European football rather than avoid relegation (as many experts had originally expected). The 27-year-old had proved himself to be an excellent back-up goalkeeper at Liverpool, but this year, he answered any lingering doubts over whether he was capable of maintaining that consistency over the course of a full season. Ireland teammate Jake O’Brien’s solid campaign at Everton also deserves an honourable mention.
Which team did you most enjoy watching (aside from the club you support)?
Liverpool had an underwhelming campaign, but their games were often worth watching. The early 3-2 victory against Newcastle at St James’s Park, with 16-year-old Rio Ngumoha scoring a 100th-minute winner moments after making his debut from the bench and becoming the club’s youngest-ever goalscorer, was hard to beat for drama and romance.
Name your favourite moment from this season.
There was no shortage of forgettable matches – an issue accentuated by some great games in the Champions League (PSG 5-4 Bayern Munich) and at international level (Hungary 2-3 Ireland), but the aforementioned April clash between Man City and Arsenal was an anomaly. It was something rare enough in football – a fixture that was compelling from beginning to end with extremely high stakes for both sides involved.
Describe the season in one sentence.
Pragmatism trumps entertainment value.
Erling Haaland of Manchester City looks dejected during the match with AFC Bournemouth. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
Ronan Early
What will be your defining memory from this season?
Just the overwhelming awfulness of it. My optimistic view is that true footballers and coaches always find a way to beat the merchants of anti-football, and we won’t have to put up with this nonsense for too long.
Who was your player of the season?
Seems only appropriate to give it to an Arsenal defender. Will say, Gabriel. In my mind, he has scored 15 goals from corners and ‘assisted’ the same number by kneeing the keeper in the head as the inswinger reaches its apex. He has, in fact, only scored three and assisted four. But when I think of 2025/26, I see his thrusting forehead and flailing forearms. In all seriousness, I do respect his defensive effort; he has been mighty.
Name the best and worst signing of the season.
Best: Granit Xhaka to Sunderland. Huge achievement to stay up and be so comfortable while doing so. He had a major part.
Worst: Not going to say Isak because the injury scuppered his chances of coming good. Maybe Wissa at Newcastle, but Woltemade really underperformed. This league is made for him to score 25 goals a season; he has huge potential.
Best individual performance you witnessed this season?
Really struggling here. . . Shea Lacey for Manchester United at Burnley. Always class to see a talented young player announce himself like that. Hasn’t really happened for him since, which might encourage him to declare for Ireland? A forlorn hope, probably, but a good young player who has time to develop into an excellent one.
Which team did you most enjoy watching (aside from the club you support)?
Again, struggling. Perhaps Manchester United, pre-Carrick, their games were hilarious and compelling. And since Carrick arrived, there are stirrings of the old United style.
Name your favourite moment from this season.
Again, this is tough. I really liked Haaland’s first big YouTube video when he showed us what he gets up to all day, mainly massages, stretching, steak, raw milk and being a nice lad.
Describe the season in one sentence.
The worst since I started watching the game in 1984, the boot of Arteta stamping on the face of football.
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Best moment? Worst signing? Our writers review the 2025-26 Premier League season
David Sneyd
What will be your defining memory from this season?
The scenes around the Emirates Stadium after Arsenal were confirmed as Premier League champions. It was a joyous cleansing of two decades in which they were ridiculed and a source for so much online ire – almost all of it created by a vast online battalion of gobshites among their own support. But Mikel Arteta has made them a serious endeavour once more, and the sheer scale of the celebrations was a reminder of what the club are capable of.
Who was your player of the season?
Alex Scott was fantastic on the four occasions I watched a full Bournemouth game and would be just as fantastic in an Ireland midfield. Bruno Fernandes pissed off The Overlap Windbag Roy Keane (now his full title) to such an extent by being good at helping his teammates score goals that you can soon look forward to paying €70 for a ticket to hear Keane give out about Fernandes to Roddy Doyle on a stage in Dublin or Cork.
The spine of Arsenal’s team – Raya, Saliba, Gabriel, Rice – can just barge Fernandes off stage at the PFA awards like they’re attacking a corner kick and take his award.
Name the best and worst signing of the season.
Take your pick from Liverpool’s arrivals, but surely once they find a balance to the side, the likes of Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak will thrive.
Best individual performance you witnessed this season?
Bruno Fernandes for Manchester United away to Liverpool in October. Led by example on and off the ball, a proper captain, and his stunning assist for Harry Maguire’s winning goal was Fernandes’s first of the season.
Which Irish player has impressed you most?
Caoimhín Kelleher has got everything he needed and more from the move to Brentford.
Which team did you most enjoy watching (aside from the club you support)?
I’m going to say Bournemouth purely based on those four games, although I can’t actually remember who they played or if they won, but I feel like I enjoyed watching them. It was also helpful to watch Nottingham Forest from time to time to find out who their manager was.
Name your favourite moment from this season.
Noel Gallagher beating the traffic and leaving the Man City away end early when the title race was not yet done. I’m sure he got sorted for a ticket at face value, and how important it is that away tickets in the Premier League are capped at £30 for another couple of seasons rather than being left vulnerable to the plague of dynamic pricing.
Describe the season in one sentence
After review…
Paul Fennessy
What will be your defining memory from this season?
The West Ham goal that wasn’t in Arsenal’s 1-0 win at London Stadium. It was one of the biggest games of the season, with significant implications at both ends of the table, and the chaotic wrestling in the area as the corner was delivered felt like a microcosm of the campaign at large. There appeared to be several different infringements involving both sets of players, with the terrified officials arbitrarily honing in on one specific incident. Set-piece kings Arsenal were the beneficiaries, as they have been so often, with Mikel Arteta’s side consistently providing a masterclass in exploiting football’s loopholes. But most neutrals will surely have concluded by now that a major overhaul of the rules is required, not just with set pieces, but ball-in-play time and other issues that are significantly impacting the sport as a spectacle.
Who was your player of the season?
Declan Rice. Arguably, the Premier League’s most dynamic central midfielder since Roy Keane was in his prime. Arsenal teammate David Raya is a close second.
Name the best and worst signing of the season.
Best: Despite falling just short in their title challenge, Man City made a couple of astute signings. The recruitment of the likes of Marc Guehi, Rayan Cherki, Antoine Semenyo and Gianluigi Donnarumma ensured the race with Arsenal was much closer than it otherwise would have been. But I’m opting for a slightly less obvious name. Manchester United discovered the dangers of recruiting from the Dutch league in recent years, but Sunderland have found that there is still value in buying from the Eredivisie. 23-year-old goalkeeper Robin Roefs has been a revelation for the Black Cats since joining from NEC and has consequently been linked with Chelsea and Liverpool of late. The recruitment team at the Stadium of Light, in general, deserve a pat on the back. Many pundits at the start of the season were tipping the newly promoted club for relegation, but instead, they are easing to a mid-table finish, having spent lavishly and wisely in the summer.
Worst: There are a couple of contenders, but PSG loanee Randal Kolo Muani is the standout. He was playing in the World Cup final less than four years ago, but has probably been the worst player in a Spurs side that have had a really poor league campaign for the second year in a row, consistently giving the ball away and only sporadically looking a threat and making the right decisions in the final third. Kolo Muani’s ineptitude is exacerbated by the fact that the North Londoners have been repeatedly forced to play him, owing to an injury crisis in attack, and the ill-advised decision to sell one of their only other fit wingers, Brennan Johnson, in the January transfer window.
Best individual performance you witnessed this season?
Bernardo Silva’s imminent departure from Man City suggests that, at 31, his best days are behind him. But there have been occasions where he has provided a stark reminder of his quality. In what (at the time) felt like the biggest game of the season, Silva gave a midfield masterclass and was the best player on the pitch, as Arsenal’s title challenge threatened to unravel following a damaging 2-1 loss to Man City last April.
Which Irish player has impressed you most?
Caoimhín Kelleher is a big reason why Brentford are going into the final day of the season trying to secure European football rather than avoid relegation (as many experts had originally expected). The 27-year-old had proved himself to be an excellent back-up goalkeeper at Liverpool, but this year, he answered any lingering doubts over whether he was capable of maintaining that consistency over the course of a full season. Ireland teammate Jake O’Brien’s solid campaign at Everton also deserves an honourable mention.
Which team did you most enjoy watching (aside from the club you support)?
Liverpool had an underwhelming campaign, but their games were often worth watching. The early 3-2 victory against Newcastle at St James’s Park, with 16-year-old Rio Ngumoha scoring a 100th-minute winner moments after making his debut from the bench and becoming the club’s youngest-ever goalscorer, was hard to beat for drama and romance.
Name your favourite moment from this season.
There was no shortage of forgettable matches – an issue accentuated by some great games in the Champions League (PSG 5-4 Bayern Munich) and at international level (Hungary 2-3 Ireland), but the aforementioned April clash between Man City and Arsenal was an anomaly. It was something rare enough in football – a fixture that was compelling from beginning to end with extremely high stakes for both sides involved.
Describe the season in one sentence.
Pragmatism trumps entertainment value.
Ronan Early
What will be your defining memory from this season?
Just the overwhelming awfulness of it. My optimistic view is that true footballers and coaches always find a way to beat the merchants of anti-football, and we won’t have to put up with this nonsense for too long.
Who was your player of the season?
Seems only appropriate to give it to an Arsenal defender. Will say, Gabriel. In my mind, he has scored 15 goals from corners and ‘assisted’ the same number by kneeing the keeper in the head as the inswinger reaches its apex. He has, in fact, only scored three and assisted four. But when I think of 2025/26, I see his thrusting forehead and flailing forearms. In all seriousness, I do respect his defensive effort; he has been mighty.
Name the best and worst signing of the season.
Best: Granit Xhaka to Sunderland. Huge achievement to stay up and be so comfortable while doing so. He had a major part.
Worst: Not going to say Isak because the injury scuppered his chances of coming good. Maybe Wissa at Newcastle, but Woltemade really underperformed. This league is made for him to score 25 goals a season; he has huge potential.
Best individual performance you witnessed this season?
Really struggling here. . . Shea Lacey for Manchester United at Burnley. Always class to see a talented young player announce himself like that. Hasn’t really happened for him since, which might encourage him to declare for Ireland? A forlorn hope, probably, but a good young player who has time to develop into an excellent one.
Which Irish player has impressed you most?
Caomhín Kelleher. Calmness, reflexes, mental strength.
Which team did you most enjoy watching (aside from the club you support)?
Again, struggling. Perhaps Manchester United, pre-Carrick, their games were hilarious and compelling. And since Carrick arrived, there are stirrings of the old United style.
Name your favourite moment from this season.
Again, this is tough. I really liked Haaland’s first big YouTube video when he showed us what he gets up to all day, mainly massages, stretching, steak, raw milk and being a nice lad.
Describe the season in one sentence.
The worst since I started watching the game in 1984, the boot of Arteta stamping on the face of football.
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