Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes became the latest name to join this select group of players. But 16 others did it before him.
Thierry Henry once held the record for the outright most assists in a Premier League season, with a whopping 20 in 2002-03.
Another Arsenal player looked destined to break it. Mesut Ozil had 19 in 2015-16, but 16 of those came before the turn of the year, on Matchweek 19. But the German midfielder ultimately fell short, dishing out just three in his final 17 games of the campaign.
A few years later we found out that Henry’s record wasn’t actually untouchable. But let’s not get too ahead of ourselves and start from the beginning.
Eric Cantona
- Season: 1992-93
- Clubs: Leeds, Man Utd
- Assists: 16
In the Premier League’s inaugural season of the modern era, Manchester United overcame a tough start to lift the trophy.
Eric Cantona actually fueled their title run after signing from Leeds United in November. In addition to the 16 assists he provided, the Frenchman also scored 15 of his own to go with it.
Matt Le Tissier
- Season: 1994-95
- Club: Southampton
- Assists: 15
A Premier League and Southampton legend, Matt Le Tissier set up 15 goals for his teammates.
It was a mid-table finish for the Saints in 10th, but Le Tissier also recorded a ‘double-double’, scoring another 19. He was named in midfield in the PFA Team of the Year, alongside Tim Sherwood and Paul Ince.
Steve McManaman
- Season: 1995-96
- Club: Liverpool
- Assists: 15
Steve McManaman was the third player to reach this tally, for a side that finished third in the league that year.
His 15 assists weren’t enough to push Liverpool closer to Newcastle United in second and champions Manchester United. The Reds did, however, win the League Cup thanks to a McManaman brace against Bolton Wanderers.
David Beckham
- Season: 1999-00
- Club: Man Utd
- Assists: 15
A few years went by until another player managed to record 15 assists in a Premier League campaign. David Beckham ended the drought in 1999-00 off the back of their treble-winning season.
The Red Devils were champions once again — but this time by a wide margin: 18 points clear of second-placed Arsenal.
Beckham also featured in the PFA Team of the Year for his performances.
Nolberto Solano
- Season: 1999-00
- Club: Newcastle
- Assists: 15
But Beckham wasn’t alone in the assists table. Newcastle’s Nolberto Solano joined him with 15 of his own and they both shared first place in this ranking.
To this day, the Peruvian remains the only ever South American to ever record 15+ assists in a Premier League season – and one of just two non-Europeans.
Robert Pires
- Season: 2001-02
- Club: Arsenal
- Assists: 15
Arsenal’s second Premier League title came just days after they won the FA Cup. A win over fierce rivals Manchester United meant they lifted the trophy at Old Trafford.
Thierry Henry was the top goalscorer with 24 goals, while Robert Pires topped the assists chart, with 15.
Pires also featured in the PFA Team of the Year and was the FWA Footballer of the Year.
Bet £10 & Get £30 in Free Bets with Bet365
Not signed up to bet365 yet? Here's how to claim one of the best bookmaker welcome offers around...
- Open an account (here's a link)
- Make a qualifying deposit of between £5* and £10*
- Claim the offer to receive three times your deposit in 'Free Bets'.
- To release your 'Free Bets', place qualifying bets to the value of your qualifying deposit and allow those bets to settle.
- Your 'Free Bets' will become available shortly after your qualifying bets have settled
- To use your 'Free Bets', select 'Use bet credits' in the bet slip.
Min deposit requirement. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits and are available for use upon settlement of qualifying bets. Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Time limits and T&Cs apply.
Thierry Henry
- Season: 2002-03
- Club: Arsenal
- Assists: 20
The following season saw Man Utd take the crown back from Arsenal, but Thierry Henry still made history.
The Frenchman established a record that stands to this day for most assists in a Premier League season: 20. And, once again, he scored 24 league goals – one short of Ruud van Nistelrooy.
Henry was named as the PFW Players’ Player of the Year and in the PFA Team of the Year.
Frank Lampard
- Season: 2004-05
- Club: Chelsea
- Assists: 18
Chelsea’s first Premier League title had Frank Lampard as one of the protagonists. Jose Mourinho’s defence became the story, but Lampard led the Blues both in goals (13) and assists (18).
The legendary midfielder and current Coventry City manager won three different awards: PFA Fans’ Player of the Year, FWA Footballer of the Year and Premier League Player of the Season. He was also named in the PFA Team of the Year in midfield, alongside Steven Gerrard.
Cesc Fabregas (2x)
- Seasons: 2007-08, 2014-15
- Clubs: Arsenal, Chelsea
- Assists: 17, 18, respectively
Cesc Fabregas became the first footballer to record 15+ assists in a single Premier League season multiple times.
He did first with Arsenal, in 2007-08 (17).The Gunners had already started to lose prestige, with the league title drought increasing and the 2006 Champions League final still fresh in fans’ minds.
Thierry Henry had just left the club to join Barcelona and Fabregas emerged as their next big thing.
Arsenal still finished third and the Spanish midfielder, then just 20 years old, won PFA Young Player of the Year and featured in the PFA Team of the Year.
His controversial move to Chelsea in 2014 hurt Gunners fans even more as the Blues won the league that season under Jose Mourinho – much thanks to Fabregas’ efforts. His partnership with Nemanja Matic was a memorable one.
He finished the year with 18 assists.
David Silva
- Season: 2011-12
- Club: Man City
- Assists: 15
Manchester City’s first Premier League title will always be rememberd by the Sergio Aguero goal in stoppage time against Queens Park Rangers. But David Silva was just as important throughout the whole campaign.
The Spanish magician had 15 assists and featured in the PFA Team of the Year that season. He spent 10 years at the Etihad and is still one of the finest players in their history.
Mesut Ozil
- Season: 2015-16
- Club: Arsenal
- Assists: 19
As we mentioned before, Ozil came closest to breaking Henry’s record. He was on pace to reaching nearly double of the Frenchman’s tally halfway through the season, but it wasn’t meant to be for Ozil and the Gunners themselves as Leicester City won the title and the German stopped at 19 assists.
It was still one of the finest and purest playmaking seasons in recent history, topped only by…
Kevin De Bruyne (4x)
- Season: 2016-17, 2017-18, 2019-20, 2022-23
- Club: Man City
- Assists: 18, 16, 20, 16, respectively
Kevin De Bruyne ultimately didn’t even come close to equalling Ryan Giggs’ Premier League record of 162 assists, staying in second with 119.
But Giggs did it over a career that lasted over 20 years, while De Bruyne spent 10 at Man City (and six months at Chelsea).
The Belgian will likely remain one of the (if not the outright) best playmakers in English football history. Equalling Henry’s seemingly untouchable record and fuelling the Citizens to a Premier League dynasty will forever be incredible achievements.
Sky Bet Offer: Get £40 in free bets when you place any bet
Looking for some free bets to boost your betting fund? Sky Bet are offering customers the chance to get £40 in free bets when they sign up and place any qualifying bet.
- Sign up at Sky Bet using this link
- Place a qualifying bet of at least 5p on a single or each way bet at odds of 1/1 or greater, as your first bet
- Claim your £40 free bet bonus
18+ NEW CUSTOMERS ONLY. FIRST SINGLE & E/W BET ONLY ODDS OF 1/1 OR GREATER. 4 X £10 BET TOKENS. FREE BET STAKES NOT INCLUDED IN RETURNS. FREE BETS ARE NON WITHDRAWABLE. FREE BETS ARE NON WITHDRAWABLE. FREE BETS EXPIRE AFTER 30 DAYS. ELIGIBILITY RESTRICTIONS AND FURTHER T&CS APPLY.
Christian Eriksen
- Season: 2016-17
- Club: Tottenham
- Assists: 15
De Bruyne wasn’t alone in the 2016-17 season. He did have more assists, but another player to reach the threshold of 15 was Spurs’ Christian Eriksen.
At the time, the Dane was probably underappreciated. Harry Kane stole the headlines — deservingly so — and Dele Alli had a ‘flashier’ game on his peak. But Eriksen’s ability to put teammates in positions of scoring with his elite ball-striking skills was amazing.
Leroy Sane
- Season: 2017-18
- Club: Man City
- Assists: 15
It wasn’t just the strikers that benefitted from Kevin De Bruyne’s playmaking skills at Manchester City. The Belgian also delivered a ton of second assists for runners playing on the last shoulder and squaring it for a teammate to tap it into an empty net.
How many of these plays had Leroy Sane delivering the final pass? The German became a starter in his second season at the Etihad and delivered everything Pep Guardiola wanted from a winger holding width in his system.
But that was as good as it got for him. Sane did manage to reach double digits in assists the following campaign, but with considerably worse performances. He left for Bayern Munich in 2020 after four seasons.
Eden Hazard
- Season: 2018-19
- Club: Chelsea
- Assists: 15
Eden Hazard’s final season at Chelsea was a thing of beauty. Europa League title, 31 goals+assists in the Premier League and countless take-ons.
The Belgian’s only individual Premier League award was PFA Fans’ Player of the Year, but it was an unforgettable campaign. Still the last time we saw him in top form, considering how his Real Madrid stint went.
Mo Salah
- Season: 2024-25
- Club: Liverpool
- Assists: 18
We are talking about one of the best and most impressive individual seasons in Premier League history here. Mo Salah reached a level thay maybe nobody else managed.
Twenty-nine goals and 18 assists en route to leading Liverpool to the title while playing all 38 games averaging 89 minutes per match.
He dropped off in the final stretch – but who could blame him after carrying such a heavy attacking load for so long?
Bruno Fernandes
- Season: 2025-26
- Club: Manchester United
- Assists: 16*
The newest member of the 15-assist club is Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes. He set up two goals in the win over Aston Villa last time out, which took him to 16 for the current campaign – with eight more games to play.
Michael Carrick brought him back to the No.10 role after a few months playing deeper under Ruben Amorim.
Considering that he has recorded at least one assist in each of his last three matches, there is a chance this run continues and he extends his tally. Look out Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne!