With the campaign officially done and dusted, we look back on it by picking our Premier League Team of the Season for 2024-25…
Liverpool won their second Premier League title and their 20th top-flight league crown across history, doing so in Arne Slot’s first campaign at the club. Arsenal missed out once again, finishing second ahead of Manchester City, while Newcastle United and Chelsea will join them in next season’s UEFA Champions League.
With the 2024-25 Premier League season over, we’ve analysed the performances of every player and picked our Opta team of the season. These 11 players have been selected after performing better than any other player in their respective position according to the data…
GoalkeeperMatz Sels (Nottingham Forest)
With ball-playing goalkeepers in vogue these days, Matz Sels getting the nod here might almost feel a little retrogressive.
It’s fair to say he’s not one of these goalkeepers who wants the ball at his feet often, and he’s certainly not playing in a team obsessed with playing out from the back. Suffice to say, we won’t be looking much at his passing exploits here.
No, Sels is a traditional goalkeeper’s goalkeeper, if you like. And he’s undeniably done a fine job this season, with no goalkeeper collecting more clean sheets than the Nottingham Forest shot-stopper in the Premier League this season (13, level with David Raya).
Of course, we can’t put too much importance on ‘clean sheets’ as a differentiating metric for goalkeepers because it’s not all down to them. But in this instance, Forest’s shutouts this term do mirror Sels’ broader effectiveness.
For starters, only Mark Flekken (145), Aaron Ramsdale (125) and Jordan Pickford (122) managed more saves than the Belgian (120) this term, while Sels ranks as high as fourth for save percentage (72.6%), outlining how dependable he is between the posts.
And linked to that, his saves have seen him prevent 4.3 more goals than the average goalkeeper would be expected to based on the quality of shots faced, according to Opta’s expected goals on target (xGOT) model; that puts him fourth in the Premier League.
All in all, it’s been a season to remember for Sels, who’s unquestionably played a major part in Forest beating expectations to finish seventh.
Right-BackTrent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool)
Sunday’s 1-1 draw at home to Crystal Palace was Trent Alexander-Arnold‘s last appearance in a Liverpool jersey – at least for the foreseeable future. A move to Real Madrid beckons, and the Reds will do well to replace him.
The Liverpool academy product has made a massive impression at the club, becoming a key player from the right-back berth to such an extent that some might even suggest he’s been at the centre of the role’s revolution.
He’s enjoyed a strong 2024-25, too. No defender (minimum 900 minutes played) has been involved in as many open-play shot-ending sequences as him on a per-90 basis (6.2), highlighting the influence he manages to exert even from defence.
Contributing to that, of course, is his effectiveness going forward.
No right-back has managed more than his nine goal involvements this term, with his six assists also not bettered by anyone else playing his position.
Similarly, the only right-sided defender to better Alexander-Arnold’s 41 chances created in open play is Daniel Muñoz (45), and the Palace wing-back typically plays considerably higher up the pitch.
Questions of his defensive quality continue to follow Alexander-Arnold around, but he more than makes up for that at the other end, and he helped Liverpool to the title.
What more can you ask?
Centre-BackWilliam Saliba (Arsenal)
Arsenal may not have pushed Liverpool to the wire in the title race, but the defence can’t be held accountable for that; they finished the campaign with comfortably the best defensive record in the Premier League this term.
Goalkeeper Raya aside, the most regular component of that defensive unit was William Saliba, with the France international starting 35 of their games this term.
Arsenal have had to contend with some frustration around injuries in 2024-25, but even the impact of losing Gabriel Magalhães was minimised. While Jakub Kiwior deserves praise in that respect, you have to consider Saliba’s presence as key in preserving the status quo.
Among nominal centre-backs, Saliba ranked third for tackles (62), second for possession regains (154) and was in the top 10 for duels success (64.1%).
But he also played an important part in possession.
Saliba’s 94.5% pass completion rate in open play was the highest of all centre-backs to attempt at least 100 passes. Although his distribution wasn’t necessarily the most adventurous, his reliability was valuable.
He also looked to progress play in other ways, with his 260 progressive carries – those that moved the ball at least five metres upfield – seeing him rank 10th among his positional peers.
Saliba’s all-round game was strong and he was a near-ever-present in the league’s best defence. This was another good campaign for the Frenchman.
Centre-BackVirgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
Virgil van Dijk led Liverpool to their second Premier League title, becoming the first Dutch player to captain a side to an English top-flight league crown. He is also the first non-British player to skipper the Reds to league glory.
Central to his captaincy is leading by example, and yet again Van Dijk has been a tower of strength at the back.
Among the 167 players to contest at least 200 duels in the Premier League this season, only Nikola Milenković (70.1%) had a higher success rate than Van Dijk (68.7%). It’s also only James Tarkowski (74.6%) who ranks above him for aerial duel success (100+ aerials) this term, with Van Dijk winning 72.1% in the air.
He’s so much more than just being stronger than most other players, though.
Van Dijk is cool and composed in possession. He’s attempted more passes than any other player in the Premier League this season (2,921), with an accuracy of 91.8%. They’re not all backwards or sideways, either, with the Dutchman attempting a league-high 975 forward passes (80.0% success rate).
Crucially, those passes have often moved Liverpool into dangerous territory, with his 294 successful passes into the attacking third being at least 35 more than any other Premier League player in 2024-25.
Left-BackJosko Gvardiol (Manchester City)
The only defender to be involved in more open-play shot-ending sequences than Trent Alexander-Arnold? That would be Josko Gvardiol.
While not an especially conventional full-back in that he’s not the most creative or dynamic, and some might argue he’s actually a better centre-back, Gvardiol pretty much made the left-back role his own this season.
His power helped ensure he was solid defensively, but he also possessed real positivity going forward. Sure, he didn’t lay on loads of chances to teammates, but he was effective in getting City up the pitch.
His 730 ball carries and 403 progressive ball carries, for instance, were second to only Jan Paul van Hecke (767 & 493) in the Premier League this season.
But that’s just the tip of the iceberg with respect to his attacking purpose.
The Croatia international tallied 40 shots, second only to Alexander-Arnold (a set-piece taker) among defenders, while Muñoz (112) was the sole defender to better his 104 touches in the opposition’s box.
That undoubtedly played a part in him scoring five goals, a figure no defender could improve on this term.
Central MidfielderRyan Gravenberch (Liverpool)
Some weren’t sure he’d be a success at Liverpool following an unspectacular first campaign under Jürgen Klopp, but Arne Slot elevated Ryan Gravenberch‘s performances to another level.
Moving him deeper in midfield from a number 8 to a number 6 proved revelatory for Liverpool, who were questioned for not bringing in another defensive midfielder last summer. Slot would have been aware of Gravenberch’s talent having come across him on numerous occasions in the Dutch Eredivisie, and his faith in the former Ajax star has paid dividends.
Out of possession, Gravenberch has been key to Liverpool winning the ball back from opponents high up the pitch this season. The Dutchman has made more high turnovers than any other player at the club (44) in the Premier League, with eight of those leading to shots.
No Liverpool player has won possession back from opponents as often as Gravenberch (193) in the Premier League this season, while his tally of interceptions (60) was the third most in the competition behind only West Ham’s Aaron Wan-Bissaka (66) and Fulham’s Antonee Robinson (62).
His emergence as a dependable option helped provide stability in the spine of the Liverpool team, and that cannot be overlooked as a vital factor in their successful season.
Central MidfielderDeclan Rice (Arsenal)
Although Arsenal’s season again ended without a trophy, Declan Rice has proven he was worth every penny of the reported £100 million it cost for the Gunners to prise him away from West Ham in July 2023.
The 2024-25 Premier League campaign has been his best in terms of creativity, with his 59 chances created and 5.6 expected assists his highest ever tallies in a top-flight season since debuting in 2016-17 for West Ham.
Much of his creative threat has come from his wicked set-piece deliveries. Only Andreas Pereira (37), Bruno Fernandes (29) and Leif Davis (28) have created more chances from set-plays than Rice (26) this season, but no one has assisted a higher expected goals total from corners and indirect free-kicks than the Arsenal midfielder (3.3 xG).
Rice has remained just as essential for Mikel Arteta’s side without the ball, too.
He led all Arsenal players for possession regains per 90 minutes (4.9) and ranked second behind only captain Martin Ødegaard (11.3km) for distance covered per 90 (11.1km) among teammates with at least 1,500 Premier League minutes.
Rice promises to be marshalling the Gunners’ midfield with gusto for many years to come.
Right-WingerBryan Mbeumo (Brentford)
Bryan Mbeumo stands out most this season for his exceptional output in front of goal. With 20 goals he is only the third Brentford player to reach 20 in a top-flight season after Ivan Toney (20 in 2022-23) and Dave McCulloch (26 in 1935-36, 31 in 1936-37 and 26 in 1937-38). He also registered seven assists.
He was a constant goal threat and provided creativity from his berth on the right side of Brentford’s attack, both in open play and at dead balls.
His work rate is also worth mentioning. He made almost 100 more off-the-ball runs (1,037) than any other player in the Premier League in 2024-25, while only Bruno Guimarães (420.0 km) and Daniel Muñoz (389.5 km) covered more ground than him (387.6 km). He also ranked third for total sprints (870), and top for off-the-ball runs made at sprinting speed (389).
With bags of pace, energy, creativity and a wicked left foot, Mbeumo was a big player in a season that culminated in Brentford finishing in the top half of the Premier League for only the second time.
Left-WingerMatheus Cunha (Wolves)
Wolves surged away from the relegation battle to finish comfortably in 16th after new manager Vítor Pereira turned their season around, but a pretty consistent positive throughout their campaign was the performances of Matheus Cunha.
With 15 goals and six assists, he made plenty of telling contributions, and many of his best moments were standout acts of individual brilliance when the rest of his team were failing to perform. He wrestled his team back into games almost entirely on his own at times this season.
No player scored more goals from outside the box in the Premier League this season than Cunha (five – level with Bruno Fernandes), and he is also exceptional carrying the ball. Only a handful of players completed more successful dribbles than him (61), and of those, only Antoine Semenyo hit double figures for goals (11).
Meanwhile, only Newcastle midfielder Bruno Guimarães was fouled more times this season (108) than Cunha (71), while he also ranked third for shots from fast-break situations, with 13, behind only Salah (27) and Son Heung-min (14).
At times, it felt like Cunha was carrying Wolves.
StrikerMohamed Salah (Liverpool)
There won’t have been many years of the Premier League in which the winner of the Player of the Season award was as easy to decide as it was in 2024-25. Mohamed Salah was the standout player for the runaway champions with statistically one of the best individual seasons the competition has ever seen.
Salah became the first player in Premier League history to reach double figures for both goals and assists by Christmas, and he went on to smash the record for total goal involvements in a 38-game season, with 47 (29 goals, 18 assists). He ended up equalling the overall record, too, initially set by Andrew Cole (1993-94) and Alan Shearer (1994-95), but they set that benchmark back when the top flight had 22 teams and everyone played 42 games.
As well as scoring six more goals than anyone else in the Premier League this season, he also came close to equalling the record for the most assists in a campaign of 20 – held by Thierry Henry (2002-03) and Kevin De Bruyne (2019-20).
He both scored and assisted a goal in a phenomenal 11 different matches in 2024-25, meaning he absolutely obliterated the previous record of seven (shared by five different players). Incredibly, that was a record he had broken before 2024 had ended.
His form slowed in the latter stages of the season, but he had already done enough to earn himself every individual gong going as well as the Premier League title for his team.
StrikerAlexander Isak (Newcastle)
Newcastle forward Alexander Isak might rank second to Salah in the goalscoring charts, with 23 goals to the Egyptian’s 29, but ignore penalties and Salah is only one ahead of him (20 to 19).
Isak has been integral to Newcastle’s charge back into the Champions League, something they wouldn’t have achieved were it not for a fine run of form through the winter that was fuelled by an outstanding run from their Swedish striker.
In January, Isak became the fourth player in Premier League history to score in eight consecutive appearances, after Ruud van Nistelrooy (twice for Man Utd), Jamie Vardy (twice for Leicester) and Daniel Sturridge (for Liverpool). Newcastle won six games in a row in that period – the joint-longest run of victories by any team in the top flight this season, and Isak scored nine goals in those six games.
He also played a key role in Newcastle’s out-of-possession game, with only Tyrick Mitchell (164) and Dominic Solanke (159) applying more pressures which resulted in a turnover in the Premier League this season than Isak (146).
He was even more effective in the attacking third: only Solanke (559) registered more pressures in the final third than him (440) or more pressures in the final third resulting in a turnover than him, with 107 to Isak’s 100.
Enjoy this? Subscribe to our football newsletter to receive exclusive weekly content. You can also follow our social accounts over on X, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook.
Premier League Team of the Season: Opta Analyst’s 2024-25 XI Opta Analyst.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Premier League Team of the Season: Opta Analyst’s 2024-25 XI )
Also on site :
- '90s 'Dawson's Creek' Heartthrob, 53, Nearly Unrecognizable in 'Van Life' Video
- Six people wounded, one critically, in mass shooting in Colorado Springs
- Fact-checking Trump’s claims about Medicaid cuts in GOP bill