Erling Haaland has eight league goals, and João Pedro scored the quickest goal of the campaign after 31 seconds. Those two lead our Premier League team of the season so far. Meanwhile, Arsenal lead the title race by three points. Nine games in, the best individual form doesn’t always match the league order.
Here’s the plan. We’ve built an XI from published ratings, goal charts and results up to 3 November 2026. Some of it is opinion, and we’ll say so. The picks cover goalkeeper to striker, and a few honourable mentions follow at the end.
How we picked this Premier League team of the season
First, a fair warning. Nine games is early, so call this an autumn snapshot rather than a final verdict. The ratings lists we used were published after five or six gameweeks. Because of that, some numbers have moved since.
We leaned on three things. Goals and assists came first, then published performance ratings, and finally a sense of who has driven results. Where a stat is quoted, we’ve given the date. Where a pick is a judgement call, we’ve said that too.
That said, we’re open about the gaps. Defenders and goalkeepers are harder to judge than forwards. So those picks lean on one published ratings XI, and we’d welcome a debate on them.
Our XI at a glance
- Goalkeeper: Tzolakis
- Defence: Khalaili, Tarkowski, Muharemović, Hall
- Midfield: Gross, Janelt, Cherki
- Attack: Rogers, Haaland, João Pedro
The formation is a 4-3-3. Only a few clubs are named here because the ratings lists we used didn’t always state them. Fans can check each player’s current team before sharing.
The goalkeeper and back four
Our back line comes from a ratings-based best XI that 3 Added Minutes published after five gameweeks. It named Tzolakis in goal, with Khalaili, Tarkowski, Muharemović and Hall in front of him. We’ve kept that group because no other source made a clearer case.
Tarkowski is the one name we can place with confidence. He plays for Everton, who beat Newcastle United 1-0 on 2 November and sit seventh on 13 points. That’s a solid return for a side that finished 13th last season. Hall completes the left side, and he appeared in the same ratings XI.
Meanwhile, the bigger point is style. These defenders aren’t from the title contenders. Instead, they come from clubs outside the top four. Everton’s rise to seventh shows that sound defending can lift a mid-table side quickly.
Of course, Arsenal fans will push back. One fantasy guide named David Raya the best goalkeeper in the game before the season. Still, we couldn’t find a stat showing him ahead of Tzolakis this autumn. It’s a fair argument, and we’d happily revisit it.
The midfield engine
Gross is the standout name here. A ratings list had him as the league’s highest-rated player after five gameweeks, at 7.7 out of 10. He’s 35, which makes the number even better. In our view, he’s the best argument that experience still wins games.
Janelt joins him in a two-man base, and both appeared in the same ratings XI. We’ve slotted Rayan Cherki ahead of them as the creative link. Cherki had three goals and three assists after five gameweeks. He was the second-highest rated player in that list behind Gross.
Cherki’s season is already a story. He has four league goals by matchday six, and he plays for Manchester City, who sit second. So he gives City a rare bright spot in a week of defeats. Also, he was one of the league’s top assist providers last season with 12.
That balance works. Gross brings control, Janelt brings energy, and Cherki brings flair. Because of that mix, the trio can handle both tight games and open ones, which is what a good midfield needs. Together they give our XI a clear shape in the middle of the pitch.
The front three
Haaland is the easy pick. He won the 2025-26 Golden Boot with 27 league goals and eight assists in 35 appearances. This season he led the scoring chart with eight goals as of 21 October. In other words, he’s on pace for another big total.
João Pedro joins him up front. He scored the fastest goal of the campaign against Fulham on matchday one. By 21 October he had five goals. Chelsea sit fourth with 16 points, and his goals are a major reason why. He also assisted in that opening game.
On the right, we’ve picked Morgan Rogers of Chelsea. He had four league goals by matchday six, and a ratings table showed him with strong numbers early. That’s an opinion pick, yet it’s backed by the stats. Because of this, Chelsea provide two of our front three.
Yet the case for the strikers is more than goals. Haaland and João Pedro both create chances for others. As a result, our attack looks balanced and dangerous, even without a traditional winger.
Why the title contenders are under-represented
Look again at the XI. Not one player comes from Arsenal, the league leaders. That surprised us at first. Then we thought about it more, and the reason became clear.
Ratings and goal charts reward big numbers, while the league table rewards winning together. Arsenal have won eight of nine, yet no single player has dominated the headlines. In contrast, Haaland scores in bunches. So a team of the season can look quite different from the table, and that’s fine.
Still, this is only our view, and we’ve tried to be fair about it. If Arsenal keep winning, their players will earn more credit by Christmas. By then, a few of them could push into the XI. In fact, we’d be surprised if at least one didn’t.
How last season’s scorers set the bar
Context helps here. Haaland won the 2025-26 Golden Boot with 27 league goals, five clear of Igor Thiago on 22. Antoine Semenyo finished third with 17. Because of that gap, any striker who wants to catch Haaland this season needs a very fast start.
Right now, nobody is close. Isak, João Pedro, Mbeumo and Tavernier all sit between four and five goals as of 21 October. So Haaland’s three-goal lead already looks big, and he’s still the one to catch. At the same time, nine games is early, and injuries can change a race quickly.
Honourable mentions and near-misses
Several players just missed out. Alexander Isak of Liverpool had five goals by 21 October, level with João Pedro. Bryan Mbeumo of Manchester United had four, and he’s one of the few bright spots in a poor start. Marcus Tavernier of Bournemouth also had four, and he scored in the win over Sunderland.
Bruno Fernandes deserves a mention as well. He scored three goals in the first two games of the season. Last season he led the assist chart with 21. However, United’s slump, which we cover in our look at the relegation battle, hurt his case.
Even so, none of these players quite cracked the XI, and each has a fair claim. That shows how thin the margins are. A few more goals could change the whole list by Christmas.
Who might break in next?
Watch the managers’ impact as well. New bosses at Chelsea, City and Liverpool all shape how their players perform. Our guide to the longest-serving and fastest-sacked bosses shows why stability matters. Arsenal’s players benefit from a settled system, so expect a few of them to push into this list.
Key takeaways
- Top scorer: Haaland led the chart with eight league goals as of 21 October.
- Fastest goal: João Pedro scored after 31 seconds on matchday one.
- Highest rated: Gross topped one ratings list after five gameweeks at 7.7.
- Chelsea’s pair: João Pedro and Morgan Rogers both make our front three.
- Caveat: This is a nine-game snapshot, and the defence picks rely on one list.
FAQs
Who is the Premier League top scorer this season?
Erling Haaland led the chart with eight goals as of 21 October.
Who scored the fastest Premier League goal this season?
João Pedro scored after 31 seconds against Fulham on matchday one.
Which clubs have the most points after nine games?
Arsenal lead with 24 points, and Manchester City follow with 21.
Is this a final team of the season?
No, it’s a nine-game snapshot built from published stats and ratings.
Who was the highest-rated player in one early list?
Gross topped a ratings list after five gameweeks with a 7.7 score.
Conclusion
Our Premier League team of the season so far mixes proven stars and surprise names, and it’s a snapshot, not a verdict. Haaland and João Pedro lead the attack, while Gross anchors the midfield. Since nine games is a small sample, the picture will change by winter. Still, this XI captures the best of the autumn.
