Most assists in a single Premier League season – & where does Bruno Fernandes rank? | OneFootball

Legends from Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United are among the players with the most assists in a single Premier League season.

Goalscorers normally hog the headlines, but players who provide the assists have been getting more and more gratitude in recent years.

We’ve ranked the top nine in Premier League history in descending order to see where Bruno Fernandes currently sits.

9. Cesc Fabregas (17, 2007-08)

Fabregas had really established himself as Arsenal’s talisman by 2007-08, patrolling midfield in Arsene Wenger’s youthful team.

His 17 assists weren’t enough to mitigate against the Gunners’ traditional Spring wobble, but the Spaniard carried his form over to his nation’s successful Euro 2008 campaign.

=5. Cesc Fabregas (18, 2014-15)

Eight years later, via Barcelona, and Fabregas had swapped Arsenal for Chelsea. His prowess hadn’t dimmed in the intervening period.

The scene for his 18-assist season was set in the opener at Burnley, with a ridiculous one-touch assist for Andre Schurrle. It might be one of the best in football history.

Fabregas left Chelsea in 2019 with two Premier League winners’ medals to his name.

=5. Kevin De Bruyne (18, 2016-17)

Pep Guardiola’s first season at Manchester City was a crash course in the realities of English football, with the likes of Everton and Leicester delighting in ruffling his feathers.

But De Bruyne’s return of 18 assists was a sign of things to come. The Belgian was one of the best passers of a football in Premier League history, spotting angles that Pythagoras wouldn’t have conceived of.

=5. Frank Lampard (18, 2004-05)

Chelsea eased to the title under Jose Mourinho in 2005, their dominance so complete that it was impossible not to think of their boot on English football’s throat for a decade to come.

Lampard was a big part of their success, notching 13 goals to go with his 18 assists.

It was this season that established his reputation as one of his generation’s finest midfielders, finishing second behind Ronaldinho in the Ballon d’Or ranking.

=5. Mohamed Salah (18, 2024-25)

It already feels semi-forgotten just how imperial Salah was in 2024-25, given the magnitude of Liverpool’s problems since.

The cynics will say the Egyptian was playing for a new contract at Anfield, but that shouldn’t dilute his achievements.

Eighteen assists were paired with 27 goals as Salah effectively led Liverpool to the title single-handedly.

=3. Mesut Ozil (19, 2015-16)

Sixteen of Ozil’s Premier League assists in 2015-16 came in his first 18 games, a tantalising glimpse of the game-changing player Arsenal were so excited to have signed.

But these soon dried up. The final 17 games saw only three assists, with Olivier Giroud pinpointed as the main culprit for squandering so many gift-wrapped chances.

=3. Bruno Fernandes (19*, 2025-26)

Fernandes didn’t assist a goal in any of his first seven league appearances in 2025-26, before locking in to lead Manchester United back to the Champions League.

It’s amusing to remember how willing the club’s hierarchy were to selling the midfielder to Saudi Arabia last summer. United may genuinely have been fighting relegation without their talisman.

=1. Thierry Henry (20, 2002-03)

Arsenal were pipped to the title by Manchester United in 2002-03, but Henry might have put together the best individual campaign in Premier League history.

The Frenchman scored 24 league goals and provided 20 assists, finessing his assist tally with three against relegated Sunderland on the final day.

=1. Kevin de Bruyne (20, 2019-20)

De Bruyne reached his record-equalling total from 35 games, two fewer than Henry in 2002-03.

The midfielder recorded at least seven more assists than any other Premier League player that season, ahead of Trent Alexander-Arnold (13) in second.

Manchester City were miles off the pace and finished 18 points behind Liverpool. And the campaign ending in empty stadiums due to COVID didn’t help burnish his achievement in the memory either.

But De Bruyne sits in second place in the competition’s all-time assist list, behind only Ryan Giggs, for a reason. A sensational footballer.