Five early names emerge in PFA Player of the Year 2025/26 running

The PFA Player of the Year award for the 2024/25 season has been given as expected to Mo Salah, who also won the Golden Boot, the Premier League and a massive new contract.

And now the Egyptian is joint second favourite for the 2025/26 award after the opening weekend of action.

10) Phil Foden (Manchester City)
Genuinely odd inclusion after a pretty universally rotten 24/25. But he is a former winner.

9) Hugo Ekitike (Liverpool)
A goal in the Community Shield and then another in the opening Premier League game v Manchester United puts the Frenchman higher in the betting than Virgil van Dijk or Alexis Mac Allister.

8) Alexander Isak (Newcastle United)
A shortlisted player from the 2024/25 season, the Swede is currently in a stand-off at Newcastle as he pushes for a Liverpool transfer. He will have to either eat humble pie in the north east or hit the ground like a demon at Liverpool to win this award.

7) Tijjani Reijnders (Manchester City)
It literally took about 45 minutes against Wolves to convince everybody that the Dutchman is absolutely brilliant and could help win Manchester City another title.

6) Declan Rice (Arsenal)
It’s interesting that Viktor Gyokeres is a rank outsider for the PFA award when his signing is likely to be the difference between being runners-up and finally winning some kind of trophy. But Rice is clearly a popular figure with his peers.

2=) Cole Palmer (Chelsea)
A phenomenal Club World Cup has raised expectations for Palmer, who is central to any Premier League title challenge from Chelsea.

2=) Mo Salah (Liverpool)
The likely three-times winner of the PFA award is up there again in the betting, though we have a feeling this will be an After The Lord Mayor’s Show of a season from the Egyptian.

2=) Florian Wirtz (Liverpool)
The most expensive signing of the summer has to be on this list. There can be no bedding-in period when you cost upwards of £100m. If Liverpool are to retain the title, Wirtz needs to deliver a banger.

1=) Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)
A curious one this but worth noting that he was an early favourite in the 24/25 betting before he got injured. Maybe everybody thinks he is due a trophy. He was poor against Manchester United in the opening game.

1=) Erling Haaland (Manchester City)
The favourite to win the Golden Boot is a former winner and really quite likely to score the goals to win the Premier League.