The Premier League Team of the Season is often dominated by the biggest names from the biggest teams every year, which is why we have an annual tradition of picking an XI of players from non-Big Six clubs. The so-called lesser lights deserve recognition when it’s due, so let’s give it to them here by excluding footballers from the clubs with the biggest revenues and highest wage bills, i.e. Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur.It may seem comical to keep including Spurs in the ‘Big Six’ after consecutive 17th-place finishes, but they remain one of the richest clubs in the country and by extension the world. In any case, no one from their squad was in danger of making either of our best XI’s.Here are our picks from this term, lined out in a 4-3-3 formation.Our non-Big Six Premier League Team of the Season for 2025/26: GK: Robin Roefs – SunderlandHats off to Sunderland, who conducted some excellent transfer business last summer to not only survive in the Premier League but thrive, qualifying for the UEFA Europa League on the final day.Costing just £9.5 million, Robin Roefs might be the best signing of the lot. He put in consistently top performances every week, finishing the year with 109 saves, the third-most in the Premier League, and 10 clean sheets.RB: Michael Kayode – BrentfordBrentford’s lethal weapon form the sideline, Michael Kayode caused chaos in opposition penalty boxes with his long, booming throw-ins. The Italian right-back is quick, strong and well able to win duels, which will attract the interest of bigger clubs this summer.Read – Our non-Big Six Premier League Awards for 2025/26 (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});CB: Marcos Senesi – BournemouthAfter Bournemouth sold Dean Huijsen and Ilya Zabarnyi last year, Marcos Senesi had to step up in the centre of defence. Although he doesn’t possess the same poise as either of those players, the Spaniard is busier than a worker bee in summer; he made a whopping 419 defensive contributions (clearances, blocks, interceptions and tackles), which is 43 more than the nearest defender.CB: Nordi Mukiele – SunderlandAnother fantastic addition to the Black Cats squad, Nordi Mukiele also arrived at the Stadium of Light for a mere £9.5m. No one expected much from the 28-year-old Frenchman, who failed to make much of an impression at PSG or Bayer Leverkusen, but he has adapted seamlessly to the English top flight.Read – Our writers’ end-of-season Premier League awards for 2025/26 (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});LB: Adrien Truffert – BournemouthIn an era when full-backs who can tuck in and control possession has become the norm, the sight of Adrien Truffert bombing down the left wing warmed the heart. He was the only player to make more than 50 overlapping runs and ranked in the top-five for underlapping runs, too.The Frenchmen is arguably better than Milos Kerkez, the player he replaced following his move to Liverpool. He started all 38 games and created five assists in his debut season in the Premier League.Lewis Hall is extremely unfortunate to miss out here after playing so well for Newcastle United.CM: Adam Wharton – Crystal PalaceIt’s a bit of a travesty that Adam Wharton will not be going to the FIFA World Cup next month. Jordan Henderson is going instead and, though he had a solid season at Brentford, makes it nowhere near our alternative team of the year.Wharton is more than a metronome who passes it side to side for Crystal Palace, he has an extraordinary ability to spot gaps in the opposition and exploit them with pinpoint line-breaking passes. He also puts in a big a defensive shift in midfield and could leave Selhurst Park for a massive transfer fee.Read – The Premier League players with the most goals & assists in 2025/26 (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});CM: Elliot Anderson – Nottingham ForestElliot Anderson, meanwhile, has made England’s squad for this summer’s tournament after a breakout season at Nottingham Forest. The midfielder is an absolute workhorse, completing a stunning 515 defensive contributions, more than any other player. But he’s also excellent at starting attacks with his forward passing, while registering four goals and four assists.Sunderland duo Granit Xhaka and Noah Sadiki deserve honourable mentions for forming a formidable midfield partnership so quickly after arriving at Sunderland last summer.RW: Harry Wilson – FulhamHarry Wilson enjoyed the best season of his Premier League career, scoring ten goals and creating seven assists, which is the most goal involvements he has ever accumulated in a single top-flight campaign. The Welsh winger exhibited some top-class finishing from range, but it was his mesmerising outside-of-the-boot finish from just inside the box against Palace that won him the BBC Match of the Day Goal of the Season.Harry Wilson v Crystal Palace. Your December Goal of the Month. pic.twitter.com/bfUH6Ewq98— Fulham Football Club (@FulhamFC) January 14, 2026Jarrod Bowen just missed out after registering nine goals and 11 assists for West Ham United.CAM: Morgan Gibbs-White – Nottingham ForestIt really speaks to the behind-the-scenes disorder at Nottingham Forest that they can own two brilliant English talents having the best seasons of their careers and still find themselves in a relegation battle.The Tricky Trees might have found themselves in deeper trouble had Morgan Gibbs-White pushed for a move to Spurs last summer, but he stayed and went on to score 15 goals, the fifth-most in the Premier League this season. He added four assists, too.Golden Boot – The Premier League top scorers in 2025/26 (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});LW: Morgan Rogers – Aston VillaThere was a point in the season when it felt like every shot Morgan Rogers would take from distance would hit the back of the net. That predictably slowed down as the year went on, but he nonetheless had a wonderful campaign, providing 10 goals and six assists to steer Aston Villa to a fourth-place finish.Though Rogers he is a natural no.10, Unai Emery has often deployed him on the left flank as an inverted winger.CF: Igor Thiago – BrentfordBrentford may have lost Ivan Toney and Yoane Wissa over the past two years, but they don’t miss either striker as Igor Thiago has slotted right in to provide the goals. The Brazil forward got the call to go to the World Cup from Carlo Ancelotti after finding the net 22 times, eight of which came from the penalty spot. That skill may come in very handy in the knockout stages.Substitutes bench: Caoimhín Kelleher, Lewis Hall, Malick Thiaw, Granit Xhaka, Jarrod Bowen, Dominic Calvert-Lewin.Is there anyone you think deserved to be in our alternative team of the season? Let us know in the comments below!Read – Every Premier League team to have qualified for EuropeSee Also – Our Premier League Team of the Season for 2025/26Follow the Football Faithful on Social Media:Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube | TikTokThe post Our non-Big Six Premier League Team of the Season for 2025/26 first appeared on The Football Faithful.