Arsenal and FA Cup winners Crystal Palace dominate the 2025 London Team of the Year selections, with Declan Rice, Moises Caicedo, and Marc Guehi emerging as the only unanimous picks.
Standard Sport writers have unveiled their London Team of the Year for 2025, a year marked by significant silverware for the capital’s clubs.
Crystal Palace emerged as the standout story after securing the FA Cup, while Tottenham ended their trophy drought with a Europa League title and Chelsea claimed the Club World Cup.
Despite these varied successes, the selections are heavily weighted toward Arsenal’s title-contending squad and the resurgent Eagles, leaving little room for West Ham or Brentford stars.
The midfield selections saw total unanimity, with Declan Rice and Moises Caicedo described by Matt Verri as “the best midfielders in the Premier League, never mind London.”
In defense, Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi was a “shoo-in” across all ballots following his leadership during the Eagles’ historic cup run.
Arsenal’s defensive pair of Gabriel and Jurrien Timber also featured prominently, reflecting the Gunners’ status as one of Europe’s most formidable defensive units under Mikel Arteta.
Attacking slots sparked the most debate, as Eberechi Eze’s FA Cup heroics and north London derby hat-trick secured his place in every XI.
Jean-Philippe Mateta was widely preferred up front, having netted 17 league goals over the calendar year.
Dom Smith noted the difficulty in narrowing down the backline, stating, “William Saliba and Maxence Lacroix were just pipped by Micky van de Ven into a three-man back-line that simply had to feature Gabriel and Marc Guehi.”