Cole Palmer forces his way into Premier League XI of the season

Declan Rice is the only Arsenal player in the Premier League XI of the season, joining three Liverpool players.

This is based on WhoScored ratings and every player must have started at least 25 Premier League games.

GOALKEEPER: Mark Flekken (Brentford)
Brentford have had a more-than-decent Premier League season but only the three relegated clubs have conceded more shots on target, so Flekken has made the most saves. The real goalkeeper of the season is probably Matz Sels, though he does not top our goalkeeper ranking.

RIGHT-BACK: Daniel Munoz (Crystal Palace)
On the weekend when he was booed by his own fans, Trent lost his place in the Premier League XI of the season to Munoz. No other right-back makes as many tackles as Munoz, who has been a revelation for Palace to help them surpass the magic 50-point mark.

He was also pretty excellent in the FA Cup final.

CENTRE-BACK: Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
The centre-half of the season? He passes the eye test as well as the stats test. Where does he rank in the best Premier League centre-halves of all time?

CENTRE-BACK: James Tarkowski (Everton)
Everton conceded fewer goals than Newcastle, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest this season and a key reason is Tarkowski, who tackles more than any other centre-half and also ranks highly for blocks, clearances and interceptions. He is a busy boy. Though he should absolutely have been sent off v Liverpool.

LEFT-BACK: Antonee Robinson (Fulham)
Ten Premier League assists are what catches the eye, but he is also defensively sound. Seems to have been usurped by the much younger Milos Kerkez in terms of being a target for clubs in Europe; has he missed the boat?

CENTRAL MIDFIELD: Youri Tielemans (Aston Villa)
What a season for the Belgian after a difficult first year at Villa Park. Tielemans has the same rating as Liverpool’s Alexis Mac Allister but makes the cut thanks to having more Man of the Match awards on WhoScored.

CENTRAL MIDFIELD: Declan Rice (Arsenal)
Probably Arsenal’s player of the season, his fourth Premier League goal of the season came in the win over Newcastle, while he also has seven assists. A genuine all-rounder, he pushed out Mac Allister here after scoring against the Magpies and finishes the season as the highest-rated central midfielder.

RIGHT WING: Mo Salah (Liverpool)
The Premier League’s best ever winger? The stats would suggest so. And this season he has scored 29 goals and claimed 18 assists, salvaging a draw against Crystal Palace with his final goal of the campaign. He should have scored more. And broke Thierry Henry’s assist record.

ATTACKING MIDFIELD: Cole Palmer (Chelsea)
Palmer dislodged Wolves’ Matheus Cunha from this Premier League XI at the last. He finished the campaign with 15 goals and eight assists, but the important thing is that Chelsea have qualified for the Champions League.

LEFT WING: Luis Diaz (Liverpool)
Despite being pretty inconsistent over the course of the season, Diaz scored 13 goals and made five assists, which the algorithm likes a lot. It also helps that he has a ludicrously high pass completion rate for an attacking player.

STRIKER: Erling Haaland (Manchester City)
Haaland managed to pip Newcastle United talisman Alexander Isak on the final weekend of the season, scoring his first goal since March from the penalty spot while the Magpies and Isak drew a blank at home to Everton.

READ MORE: 2024/25 Premier League Winners: Liverpool, Salah, Newcastle, Forest, Chelsea, Moyes and more