As the 2025-26 Premier League season progresses towards its mid point, the race for the Golden Boot and the Playmaker Award is heating up, with a familiar face dominating the scoring charts while the assists table sees a more open and diverse battle. The season has also showcased some fascinating tactical shifts and the emergence of unexpected contributors across the league. As I had discussed i my Van De Ven article, the rise of defence has become prominent as many of the top assets such as Palmer, Foden, Salah, Isak are not delivering this season.
The Norwegian goal scoring machine is back on top after a comparatively quiet 2024-25 campaign where injuries disrupted his rhythm and allowed Mohamed Salah to claim the Golden Boot, the Norwegian striker has roared back with vengeance. Through nine matches, Haaland has already reached 11 Premier League goals, marking his third time hitting double figures by this stage of a season. His consistency is frightening he’s scored 15 goals across all club competitions, nine more than any other Premier League player at the same juncture. What makes this dominance even more remarkable is the sheer concentration of Manchester City’s attack through their talisman. Haaland’s 11 goals represent 65 percent of City’s total of 17, with his Expected Goals tally accounting for nearly 60 percent of the team’s overall output.
While Haaland dominates at the summit, the race behind him has produced some unexpected names. There is a big drop from 11 goals to goals scored by Bournemouth winger Antoine Semenyo who has emerged as an early surprise challenger following braces against Liverpool and Fulham, showcasing the attacking talent bubbling throughout the league. The goalscoring landscape reflects a shift from last season’s concentration among traditional powerhouses. Players from clubs like Bournemouth, Brentford, and newly promoted Burnley are making their mark, suggesting a more distributed attacking threat across the division. The next big scorer from the traditional big six is Mbeumo from Manchester United with 4 goals in 8 matchdays!
Golden Boot Race
| Player | Club | Goals |
| Erling Haaland | Manchester City | 11 |
| Antoine Semenyo | Bournemouth | 6 |
| Igor Thiago | Brentford | 6 |
| Jean-Philippe Mateta | Crystal Palace | 5 |
| Danny Welbeck | Brighton & Hove Albion | 5 |
| El Kroupi | Bournemouth | 4 |
| Bryan Mbeumo | Manchester United | 4 |
| Nick Woltemade | Newcastle United | 4 |
The assists charts tell an equally compelling story of how the creative landscape has shifted this season. Jack Grealish, on loan at Everton from Manchester City, has emerged as the early leader with four assists with those 4 coming in two matches. The 29 year old’s rejuvenation away from the Etihad has been one of the season’s pleasant surprises, with his intelligent decision-making creating dangerous opportunities. Grealish shares the lead with Burnley’s Quilindschy Hartman and Tottenham’s Mohammed Kudus, representing a diverse group of clubs challenging for creative supremacy. This marks a departure from recent seasons dominated by established names like Kevin De Bruyne and Mohamed Salah. Just 4 assists from the top playmaker in 9 matches again indicates how football in the premier league has become very dry for goals at this stage. Last season Saka was on 7 assists, Salah on 6 and Palmer 5 after 9 matchdays.
Playmaker Award Race
| Player | Club | Assists |
| Jack Grealish | Everton | 4 |
| Mohammed Kudus | Tottenham Hotspur | 4 |
| Quilindschy Hartman | Burnley | 4 |
| Antoine Semenyo | Bournemouth | 3 |
| João Pedro | Chelsea | 3 |
| Jérémy Doku | Manchester City | 3 |
| Granit Xhaka | Sunderland | 3 |
| El Hadji Malick Diouf | West Ham United | 3 |
So what has changed this season? Mid table sides have strengthened from last year as we can see from the charts the prominent involvement of players from teams outside the established top contenders. Antoine Semenyo (Bournemouth) and Igor Thiago (Brentford) are sitting high in the Golden Boot standings, while Bournemouth is one of the league’s high fliers, propelled by their attacking output. This suggests a greater distribution of goal threats across the league, making for a more unpredictable competition.
Tactical trends are directly influencing goal and assist numbers. Data analysts have noted a sharp rise in long throws into the opposition box and an increase in long passes/goal kicks from goalkeepers into the opposition half. Long throws per match has risen from 1.52 per match last season to 3.25 a 3 fold increase. This emphasis on fast break, direct football and set piece opportunities is allowing physical, athletic forwards like Mateta, Thiago, and Semenyo to thrive, moving away from pure tiki taka build up play. These also cause a huge break in play and slow down the momentum of football matches.
The quality of the PL is in the absolute bin. Every game is unbelievably dull and decided by set pieces and long throws.
— Will (@willreyner) October 26, 2025
Following a season where all three promoted clubs were relegated, the newcomers have shown much greater fight in 2025-26. Burnley’s Quilindschy Hartman’s presence high up in the assist chart, and the competitive form of Sunderland who are now Fourth in the league, thanks to their back 5 shape and the veteran leadership and creativity of Granit Xhaka in midfield. Highlighting that the new teams are finding ways to be effective going forward immediately, rather than simply trying to survive.
Currently, all three promoted sides are outside of the relegation zone 📈
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) October 29, 2025
The last three clubs to achieve this were Bournemouth, Fulham and Nottingham Forest in 2023 👏 pic.twitter.com/SmeOhNlqhM
Players expected to be Golden Boot contenders have either been hampered by injury or failed to find their usual lethal form, leading to widespread concern among fans and Fantasy Premier League managers. Following a great 2024/2025 campaign, Palmer was widely expected to be Chelsea’s talisman. However, an early season groin injury has severely limited his impact. He has missed multiple games and struggled for match fitness in others, preventing him from establishing any consistent rhythm. His diminished presence is a key factor in Chelsea’s inconsistent attack. Despite being the record-breaking FPL points scorer last season, Mohamed Salah has started the 2025/2026 season below his expected output. With only a handful of goals and assists, the Egyptian King is failing to justify his premium status. Debate surrounds whether his age (now 33) or a change in Liverpool’s tactical setup perhaps moving from the free flowing 4-3-3 is the primary cause. A key observation is that he appears to be receiving fewer touches in the opposition box compared to previous seasons.
The Premier League feels like it's in a weird place right now… in terms of individual performances.
— Dougie Critchley (@DougieCritchley) October 29, 2025
This is the list of players that have scored 4 League goals to date:
Haaland (Man City): 11
Thiago (Brentford): 6
Semenyo (Bournemouth): 6
Mateta (Palace): 5
Welbeck…
The Premier League is exhibiting a clear trend towards becoming more defensive, characterized by a lower scoring rate and the widespread adoption of more conservative and direct tactical approaches. The Rise of Low Block and Counter Attack Styles has emerged and managers are favoring more conservative, reactive, and sit deep strategies, prioritizing defensive stability and counter attacking prowess over high possession play. A quarter of all goals scored this season have come from non penalty set pieces, an all time high. This suggests that teams are focusing more on defensive solidity in open play, making dead ball situations an increasingly crucial avenue for scoring against well organized defenses.
In conclusion, the current season shows a tactical recalibration where managers are prioritizing defensive structure and efficiency alongside a more direct, pragmatic attacking style, resulting in tighter matches and a lower overall goal average compared to the previous high scoring seasons.
