Premier League Team of the Season: Record-breaker Haaland joins Kane up front

James Shearman

• Updated: 30 May 2023 11:42 BST
• 5 min read

The 2022-23 edition of the Premier League was as exciting as ever.

Pep Guardiola's Manchester City were pushed to the title by Mikel Arteta's youthful Arsenal side.

While Manchester United and Newcastle rounded out the Champions League places.

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Chelsea and Tottenham endured extremely difficult campaigns which included multiple managerial changes.

And at the bottom of the table, the relegation scrap was fierce, with Everton staying up at the hands of 2015-16 champions Leicester, as well as Leeds.

A number of teams relied upon excellent individual performances to achieve their goals, many of which have been rewarded with a place in FootballTransfers' Premier League Team of the Season.

The team takes shape in a 4-4-2 diamond formation, thanks to two elite forwards that simply couldn't be left out.

Nick Pope - Newcastle

Newcastle had the joint-best defence in the Premier League, alongside Man City, and goalkeeper Nick Pope is a key factor in that. The former Burnley man is a huge presence in net and made several crucial saves for Eddie Howe's side.

Kieran Trippier - Newcastle

Like Pope, Kieran Trippier has been vital in Newcastle's push for Champions League qualification. He has proven to be an extremely reliable defender, starting in all 38 games, but what separates him from most full-backs is his attacking output. Trippier contributed seven assists this season.

William Saliba - Arsenal

At just 22 years of age, William Saliba showed great maturity in a young Arsenal team this campaign. Alongside the less cool-headed Gabriel at the heart of the defence, Saliba proved his class throughout. Unfortunately, he suffered an injury towards the end of the season which coincided with the Gunners' collapse.

Manuel Akanji - Manchester City

Signed from Borussia Dortmund last summer, little was expected of Manuel Akanji in his debut season. But the German proved to be an important member of City's title-winning side. Featuring at centre-back and left-back, Akanji played more minutes in the Premier League than John Stones, Ruben Dias, Nathan Ake and Aymeric Laporte.

Pervis Estupinan - Brighton

Albeit the left-back position was the least competitive in this season's Premier League, Pervis Estupinan's place in this team is deserved nonetheless. The Ecuadorian featured in 35 of Brighton's games, providing one goal and five assists. He excelled as a full-back and as a wing-back under Roberto De Zerbi and turned out to be an ideal replacement for Marc Cucurella.

Casemiro - Manchester United

Casemiro has had the impact on Man Utd that Cristiano Ronaldo was supposed to. A leader with experience of the biggest stages in world football, the Brazilian has brought a fierce mentality to Erik ten hag's side. He never shies away from a challenge and has even contributed some decisive goals and assists along the way.

Kevin De Bruyne - Manchester City

De Bruyne's performances this season were perhaps the least surprising of anyone in the Team of the Season. We have become accustomed to the Belgian's incredible play in recent years. With seven goals and 16 assists, one can argue that he has been as important to City as their superstar striker.

Martin Odegaard - Arsenal

Arsenal's best player, Martin Odegaard, has developed immensely in the 2022-23 season. Already a very good player, the Norwegian has now entered into world-class conversations with his stunning play. Fifteen goals from midfield is a remarkable achievement, with seven assists to boot.

Mohamed Salah - Liverpool

Mohamed Salah has set such high standards in the past few years that this season has been viewed as somewhat of a disappointment for the Egyptian. But he has scored 19 goals from the right-wing position, in an under-performing Liverpool team, while also setting up a further 12. He continues to be Jurgen Klopp's main man and is deserving of a place in this team, even ahead of Bukayo Saka.

Harry Kane - Tottenham

Harry Kane's season has been overshadowed by a certain Norwegian, but he has arguably been as impressive. The England captain has scored 30 goals this season, in 26 different games - a Premier league record. And he has done it in a poor Spurs team that could only manage an eighth-place finish. It's fair to say that they would have been in the bottom half without him.

Erling Haaland - Manchester City

Erling Haaland's form tailed off towards the end of the season, so he scored just the 36 goals in the end - breaking Andy Cole's longstanding record for the most in a Premier League campaign. And it is no word of a lie to say that the 22-year-old was on course for 50 league goals for large parts of the season. A freak of nature, he has added extraordinary firepower to a City team that didn't need it, making them a scary proposition for years to come.