Premier League playmaker race 2025/26: who will finish top for assists?
With the business end of the 2025/26 Premier League season fast approaching, the race for the Coca-Cola Golden Playmaker Award is heating up nicely. Ten matches remain, margins are tight, and momentum could decide everything.
Football writer Adrian Clarke breaks down the leading contenders, their form, and why this year’s assist battle is shaping up to be one of the most compelling yet.
What is the Golden Playmaker Award?
The Coca-Cola Golden Playmaker prize goes to the Premier League player who records the most assists in a single campaign. Introduced in 2017/18, the award has been dominated by elite creators, with only five different winners so far.
Two names stand above the rest historically: Kevin De Bruyne, who has won it three times, and Mohamed Salah, a two-time recipient and the reigning champion after his 18-assist haul in 2024/25. Past winners also include Eden Hazard, Harry Kane and Ollie Watkins.
Bruno Fernandes sets the pace
At this stage, Bruno Fernandes is the man everyone is chasing.
The Manchester United captain leads the standings with 13 assists, and his recent form suggests he is peaking at exactly the right time. Fernandes has produced six assists in eight league matches in 2026, underlining his influence as United push through the final stretch of the campaign.
If he maintains this lead, Fernandes would become the first United player to top the Premier League assist charts since Nani delivered 14 in the 2010/11 season — a landmark achievement for the Portuguese playmaker.
The closest challengers: Haaland and Cherki
Manchester City remain well represented in the race, with two serious challengers applying pressure.
Erling Haaland may be best known for his goal scoring, but his creative numbers are improving at pace. The league’s Golden Boot front-runner has contributed three assists in his last four starts, showing an increasingly rounded attacking game.
Alongside him is Rayan Cherki, whose subtlety and vision between the lines have made him one of City’s most reliable chance creators. All of Haaland and Cherki’s combined assists have come from open play, and Cherki’s assists-per-90 average (0.53) is almost identical to Fernandes’ league-leading 0.54.
The problem? Both trail Fernandes by six assists, with limited time left to close the gap.
Form guide: most assists in the last five matches
Several players are finishing the season strongly, as shown by assist output over the last five Premier League games:
- Bruno Fernandes – 3
- Erling Haaland – 3
- Declan Rice – 2
- Bryan Mbeumo – 2
- Mohamed Salah – 2
- Hugo Ekitike – 2
- Dango Ouattara – 2
- Harry Wilson – 2
- James Hill – 2
- Jarrod Bowen – 2
- Hannibal Mejbri – 2
- Adam Armstrong – 2
Fernandes and Haaland have been the standout creators over this spell, while Ekitike and Mejbri both registered double assists in Matchweek 28. Fulham’s Wilson continues to impress with creative contributions in back-to-back starts, and Rice has added goals for Bukayo Saka and Jurrien Timber to his growing highlight reel.
Verdict: advantage Fernandes — for now
With momentum, volume, and consistency on his side, Bruno Fernandes remains the clear favourite for the 2025/26 Golden Playmaker Award. However, with elite challengers like Haaland, Cherki and Salah still within striking distance, this race is far from settled.
Ten games. One assist crown. And no room for complacency. Photo by YantsImages, Wikimedia commons.