Best XI of RELEGATED Players From the Premier League This Season

The Premier League season is over. It has been a miserable campaign for West Ham United, Burnley and Wolves – all three suffered relegation at the end of the season.

With that being said, the three teams haven’t been devoid of quality. Today, we’ll put together an XI of the best players who played for relegated clubs in the Premier League this season.

GK: Martin Dubravka

It was hard to pick a goalkeeper for this XI – none of them had performed particularly brightly (get used to hearing that). Regardless, Martin Dubravka was the best of the bunch.

No goalkeeper made more saves in the Premier League last season than he did – however, this was largely down to the gargantuan number of shots he faced above anything else.

RB: Kyle Walker

This was far from Kyle Walker’s best Premier League campaign, but the former Manchester City ace showed flashes of his past for Burnley this season.

Lacking the electric pace he once possessed, Walker was forced to use his defensive intelligence. An effective presence most of the time, it was nonetheless evident that his time in the elite circles of the game is but a wistful memory in 2026.

CB: Maxime Esteve

Maxime Esteve had plenty of work to do for Burnley at the heart of the Clarets’ defence – he seldom got much support from midfield.

A brave defender with underrated technical ability, Burnley should do everything they can to hang onto him – he was immense in their most recent Champinship campaign.

CB: Konstantinos Mavropanos

After he spent the first half of the season blighted by injuries, Konstantinos Mavropanos burst into life in the latter half of the campaign. Had he remained fit for the whole year, the Hammers might have just had enough to beat the drop.

An all-action centre-back, Mavropanos wasn’t just a ferocious presence at the back – he was also very dangerous from attacking set-plays, scoring three goals in 2025/26.

LB: El Hadji Malick Diouf

El Hadji Malick Diouf is still a raw talent, but showed plenty of promise during West Ham’s relegation campaign this season. He must work on his defensive acumen, but his pace and power make him a real threat down the left flank.

He notched up five assists over the course of 32 Premier League appearances for the Hammers in the previous campaign – furthermore, he’s only 21 years of age.

CM: Mateus Fernandes

Mateus Fernandes now has two relegations on his CV, having been relegated with Southampton last season as well. Regardless, even in poor outfits, he has been able to show the quality he possesses.

A near-constant presence at the heart of West Ham’s midfield this season, Fernandes scored three goals and notched up four assists in the Premier League.

CM: Joao Gomes

A stout-hearted, battling midfielder with more attacking ability than his goal record might suggest, Joao Gomes is far too good to be playing in the Championship next season.

A very well-rounded footballer with plenty to offer, Wolves intelligently tied him down until 2030 – if he does leave the club, they’ll be able to command a sizeable fee.

RW: Jarrod Bowen

In our eyes, Jarrod Bowen is the best player to be relegated from the Premier League this season. With 20 combined goals and assists in the Premier League this year, it’s a bit of a no-brainer.

Bowen has been outstanding in a largely lacklustre West Ham squad – his efforts were not enough to land him a place in Thomas Tuchel’s England team at the World Cup, however.

AM: Mateus Mane

At just 18 years of age, not many people expected Mateus Mane to have such an impact for Wolves this season. Whilst most of their senior players floundered, Mane showed excellent initiative to step up to the plate when his peers would not.

A skilful, easy-on-the-eye attacking midfielder, Mane showed some real promise for Wolves this season. He scored three goals and registered two assists – in a stronger team, these numbers would have probably been higher.

LW: Jaidon Anthony

Jaidon Anthony is another player who wasn’t expected to do much this season, but delivered beyond his brief nonetheless. He registered a 12 combined goals and assists this season – more than players such as Eberechi Eze, Pedro Neto and Anthony Gordon.

Swiftly establishing himself as Burnley’s main man on the wings, some audiences saw him as an outside contender for the England squad.

ST: Zian Flemming

Like Anthony, Zian Flemming also had an underrated campaign in 2025/26. Burnley looked like a doomed outfit from the offset, but the Dutchman was able to give even the top teams in the division issues.

All in all, he scored 11 goals in 29 Premier League appearances – for a debut campaign in England’s top flight, these are very encouraging numbers indeed.