After a thrilling World Cup, the 2026/27 Premier League season is just around the corner.
We witnessed an incredible tournament in North America, where the biggest stars brought their very best, scoring a deluge of goals and putting on a creative masterclass.
It’s the latter we’re focusing on here. And we can only hope that the Premier League’s biggest names deliver in the same way they did during the World Cup.
To that end, we’ve picked out a favourite, a dark horse and an outsider to scoop the prestigious Premier League Playmaker of the Season award, given to the player with the most assists.
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The favourite: Bruno Fernandes
It’s absolutely impossible to ignore Bruno Fernandes in this conversation. The Portuguese midfielder set a new standard in terms of Premier League playmaking last season, recording a competition-record 21 assists. He sat at least nine clear of any other player.
Given his sheer level of chance creation, Fernandes may even be a little disappointed with just 21 assists. After all, he created 136 chances, making him the only player in 2025/26 to reach triple figures in this regard. And, again, Fernandes sat 58 clear of his nearest rival. His 33 big chances created were also 14 more than any other English top-flight playmaker.
Perhaps most impressive was the fact that Fernandes was first in the Premier League for assists from set-pieces, but also second only to Rayan Cherki (11) for open-play assists (10).
Even in an age where we’ve seen the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Harry Kane and Mo Salah crowned, there has never been a more deserving winner of the Premier League Playmaker award.
Manchester United look like they mean business this summer. They’ve already bolstered their midfield behind Fernandes with Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos. They certainly don’t appear to be finished yet, either.
There will be extra challenges, of course, with Man Utd returning to the Champions League and the condensed calendar that brings. However, Fernandes has proven that from both dead balls and the thick of the action, he’s the Premier League’s ultimate creative force right now.
The dark horse: Rayan Cherki
You’ll have noted that Cherki was first in the Premier League for open-play assists last season with 11. He was also the player to challenge Fernandes closest, sitting second behind the 31-year-old on 19 big chances created and 12 assists. That’s despite having played over 1,200 fewer minutes.
In fact, when extrapolated to a per-90-minute basis, Cherki was red-hot on the heels of Fernandes at 0.62-0.60 assists, 0.97-0.96 big chances created and 3.99-3.02 chances created.
Like with Fernandes, there are some uncertainties for Cherki to deal with. Chief among those is the departure of legendary manager Pep Guardiola, replaced by Enzo Maresca.
However, Cherki enters the 2026/27 campaign more rested than most after a frustrating World Cup with France. He only he played just 124 minutes amid competition from the likes of Michael Olise, Desire Doue and Bradley Barcola.
What’s more, there’s the not-so-small matter of having Erling Haaland to aim for up front. Even when Manchester City didn’t win the title, Haaland scooped the Golden Boot last season, and enjoyed a stunning World Cup campaign with Norway that yielded seven goals in just five matches.
While he undoubtedly endured some quiet spells, Cherki dazzled at times in his debut Premier League campaign. And he now feels primed for a tilt at Fernandes’ crown.
The outsider: Adam Wharton
You’re probably thinking that Adam Wharton is an incredibly left-field shout, but the numbers back it up.
The Crystal Palace midfielder was sixth in the Premier League for big chances created (14), registered five assists and created chances at a rate of 1.55 per 90. Like Cherki, he ran up these numbers having played significantly fewer minutes than Fernandes — 504 fewer, to be precise.
Wharton is a technical master and was one of the more notable omissions from Thomas Tuchel’s England squad. However, that makes him very well rested. The likes of Liverpool and Chelsea also continue to be linked with a blockbuster move, which would only enhance Wharton’s playmaking potential.
All five of Wharton’s Premier League assists last season came from open play. But the 22-year-old did often find himself on set-piece duty, taking 44 corners. If he stays at Palace, the likes of Jean-Philippe Mateta, Jorgen Strand Larsen and Chris Richards are considerable targets in that regard.
Wharton is the ‘outsider’ for a reason, but don’t sleep on him.