{"id":1475974,"date":"2026-07-28T14:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-28T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/?post_type=features&#038;p=1475974"},"modified":"2026-07-27T11:55:00","modified_gmt":"2026-07-27T10:55:00","slug":"premier-league-playmaker-award-analysis","status":"publish","type":"features","link":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/premier-league-playmaker-award-analysis\/","title":{"rendered":"Premier League Playmaker Award: 2026\/27 favourite, dark horse and outsider options"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>After a thrilling World Cup, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/stats\/competitions\/premier-league-2026-2027\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">2026\/27 Premier League<\/a> season is just around the corner.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It&#8217;s the latter we&#8217;re focusing on here. And we can only hope that the Premier League&#8217;s biggest names deliver in the same way they did during the World Cup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To that end, we&#8217;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.<\/p>\n\n\n<hr \/>\r\n<h2><strong>Bet \u00a310 &amp; Get \u00a330 in Free Bets with Bet365<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n<p>Not signed up to bet365 yet? Here's how to claim one of the best bookmaker welcome offers around...\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li><strong>Open an account (<a href=\"\/en\/go\/bet365?q=gb-all-con-wof-s-spo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">here's a link<\/a>)<\/strong><\/li>\r\n<li><strong>Make a qualifying deposit of between \u00a35* and \u00a310*<\/strong><\/li>\r\n<li><strong>Claim the offer to receive three times your deposit in 'Free Bets'.<\/strong><\/li>\r\n<li><strong>To release your 'Free Bets', place qualifying bets to the value of your qualifying deposit and allow those bets to settle.<\/strong><\/li>\r\n<li><strong>Your 'Free Bets' will become available shortly after your qualifying bets have settled<\/strong><\/li>\r\n<li><strong>To use your 'Free Bets', select 'Use bet credits' in the bet slip.<\/strong><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p><a href=\"\/en\/go\/bet365?q=gb-all-con-wof-s-spo\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-1422493 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2022\/04\/06113042\/image-141-1024x446.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"446\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2022\/04\/06113042\/image-141-1024x446.png 1024w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2022\/04\/06113042\/image-141-300x131.png 300w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2022\/04\/06113042\/image-141-768x335.png 768w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2022\/04\/06113042\/image-141-400x174.png 400w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2022\/04\/06113042\/image-141-459x200.png 459w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2022\/04\/06113042\/image-141-138x60.png 138w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2022\/04\/06113042\/image-141-150x65.png 150w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2022\/04\/06113042\/image-141-40x17.png 40w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2022\/04\/06113042\/image-141.png 1537w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\r\n<p><em>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&amp;Cs apply.<\/em><\/p>\r\n<hr \/>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-the-favourite-bruno-fernandes\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">The favourite: Bruno Fernandes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"819\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/07\/27111849\/player_shot-and-shot-assist-map-three-stats-819x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1475985\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/07\/27111849\/player_shot-and-shot-assist-map-three-stats-819x1024.jpg 819w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/07\/27111849\/player_shot-and-shot-assist-map-three-stats-240x300.jpg 240w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/07\/27111849\/player_shot-and-shot-assist-map-three-stats-768x960.jpg 768w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/07\/27111849\/player_shot-and-shot-assist-map-three-stats-1229x1536.jpg 1229w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/07\/27111849\/player_shot-and-shot-assist-map-three-stats-214x267.jpg 214w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/07\/27111849\/player_shot-and-shot-assist-map-three-stats-160x200.jpg 160w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/07\/27111849\/player_shot-and-shot-assist-map-three-stats-48x60.jpg 48w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/07\/27111849\/player_shot-and-shot-assist-map-three-stats-120x150.jpg 120w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/07\/27111849\/player_shot-and-shot-assist-map-three-stats-59x74.jpg 59w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/07\/27111849\/player_shot-and-shot-assist-map-three-stats.jpg 1620w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 819px) 100vw, 819px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It&#8217;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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Even in an age where we&#8217;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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/stats\/clubs\/manchester-united\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Manchester United<\/a> look like they mean business this summer. They&#8217;ve already bolstered their midfield behind Fernandes with Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos. They certainly don&#8217;t appear to be finished yet, either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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&#8217;s the Premier League&#8217;s ultimate creative force right now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-the-dark-horse-rayan-cherki\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">The dark horse: Rayan Cherki<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"819\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/07\/27111847\/player_shot-and-shot-assist-map-three-stats-1-819x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1475984\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/07\/27111847\/player_shot-and-shot-assist-map-three-stats-1-819x1024.jpg 819w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/07\/27111847\/player_shot-and-shot-assist-map-three-stats-1-240x300.jpg 240w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/07\/27111847\/player_shot-and-shot-assist-map-three-stats-1-768x960.jpg 768w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/07\/27111847\/player_shot-and-shot-assist-map-three-stats-1-1229x1536.jpg 1229w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/07\/27111847\/player_shot-and-shot-assist-map-three-stats-1-214x267.jpg 214w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/07\/27111847\/player_shot-and-shot-assist-map-three-stats-1-160x200.jpg 160w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/07\/27111847\/player_shot-and-shot-assist-map-three-stats-1-48x60.jpg 48w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/07\/27111847\/player_shot-and-shot-assist-map-three-stats-1-120x150.jpg 120w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/07\/27111847\/player_shot-and-shot-assist-map-three-stats-1-59x74.jpg 59w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/07\/27111847\/player_shot-and-shot-assist-map-three-stats-1.jpg 1620w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 819px) 100vw, 819px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You&#8217;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&#8217;s despite having played over 1,200 fewer minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What&#8217;s more, there&#8217;s the not-so-small matter of having Erling Haaland to aim for up front. Even when <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/stats\/clubs\/manchester-city\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Manchester City<\/a> didn&#8217;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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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&#8217; crown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-the-outsider-adam-wharton\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">The outsider: Adam Wharton<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"819\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/07\/27111846\/player_shot-and-shot-assist-map-three-stats-2-819x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1475983\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/07\/27111846\/player_shot-and-shot-assist-map-three-stats-2-819x1024.jpg 819w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/07\/27111846\/player_shot-and-shot-assist-map-three-stats-2-240x300.jpg 240w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/07\/27111846\/player_shot-and-shot-assist-map-three-stats-2-768x960.jpg 768w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/07\/27111846\/player_shot-and-shot-assist-map-three-stats-2-1229x1536.jpg 1229w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/07\/27111846\/player_shot-and-shot-assist-map-three-stats-2-214x267.jpg 214w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/07\/27111846\/player_shot-and-shot-assist-map-three-stats-2-160x200.jpg 160w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/07\/27111846\/player_shot-and-shot-assist-map-three-stats-2-48x60.jpg 48w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/07\/27111846\/player_shot-and-shot-assist-map-three-stats-2-120x150.jpg 120w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/07\/27111846\/player_shot-and-shot-assist-map-three-stats-2-59x74.jpg 59w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/07\/27111846\/player_shot-and-shot-assist-map-three-stats-2.jpg 1620w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 819px) 100vw, 819px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You&#8217;re probably thinking that Adam Wharton is an incredibly left-field shout, but the numbers back it up. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/stats\/clubs\/crystal-palace\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Crystal Palace<\/a> 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 &#8212; 504 fewer, to be precise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Wharton is a technical master and was one of the more notable omissions from Thomas Tuchel&#8217;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&#8217;s playmaking potential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">All five of Wharton&#8217;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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Wharton is the &#8216;outsider&#8217; for a reason, but don&#8217;t sleep on him.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class='vccm vccm-compare'data-compare=\"r5PO9nVGn4GPnuGLhbNvA\" data-show-sponsor=\"false\"><\/div>\n\n\n<h3><strong>Read more:<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/football-tips\/premier-league\/\"><strong>Premier League predictions &amp; tips<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/outright-markets\/premier-league-title-odds\/\"><strong>Premier League outright odds <\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/news\/\"><strong>Latest football news<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/betting-sites\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Best betting sites<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/betting-sites\/best-free-bet-offers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Best free bet offers<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/football-tips\/accumulator\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Football accumulator tips<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>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&#8217;s the latter we&#8217;re focusing on here. And we can only hope that&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":56,"featured_media":1475988,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw":"premier league playmaker award","_yoast_wpseo_title":"","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"The 2026\/27 Premier League season is just around the corner. Who is in line to scoop the prestigious Playmaker Award?","footnotes":""},"tags":[],"features-category":[],"squawka-category":[],"class_list":["post-1475974","features","type-features","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":{"external_featured_image_url":"","hide_featured_image_pattern":false},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v28.0 (Yoast SEO v28.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Premier League Playmaker Award: 2026\/27 favourite, dark horse and outsider options | Squawka | EN<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The 2026\/27 Premier League season is just around the corner. Who is in line to scoop the prestigious Playmaker Award?\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/premier-league-playmaker-award-analysis\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Premier League Playmaker Award: 2026\/27 favourite, dark horse and outsider options\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The 2026\/27 Premier League season is just around the corner. Who is in line to scoop the prestigious Playmaker Award?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/premier-league-playmaker-award-analysis\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Squawka | EN\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SquawkaFootballNews\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/07\/27112419\/3EG1G60-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1707\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@squawka\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.squawka.com\\\/en\\\/features\\\/premier-league-playmaker-award-analysis\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.squawka.com\\\/en\\\/features\\\/premier-league-playmaker-award-analysis\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Chris Jones\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.squawka.com\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/dcaaeb201e0e17d78934592371278e5c\"},\"headline\":\"Premier League Playmaker Award: 2026\\\/27 favourite, dark horse and outsider options\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-28T13:00:00+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.squawka.com\\\/en\\\/features\\\/premier-league-playmaker-award-analysis\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":773,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.squawka.com\\\/en\\\/features\\\/premier-league-playmaker-award-analysis\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/media.squawka.com\\\/images\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/27112419\\\/3EG1G60-scaled.jpg\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.squawka.com\\\/en\\\/features\\\/premier-league-playmaker-award-analysis\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.squawka.com\\\/en\\\/features\\\/premier-league-playmaker-award-analysis\\\/\",\"name\":\"Premier League Playmaker Award: 2026\\\/27 favourite, dark horse and outsider options | Squawka | EN\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.squawka.com\\\/en\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.squawka.com\\\/en\\\/features\\\/premier-league-playmaker-award-analysis\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.squawka.com\\\/en\\\/features\\\/premier-league-playmaker-award-analysis\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/media.squawka.com\\\/images\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/27112419\\\/3EG1G60-scaled.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-28T13:00:00+00:00\",\"description\":\"The 2026\\\/27 Premier League season is just around the corner. 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