Leeds United striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin has been named the Premier League Player of the Month for December 2025, with Aston Villa’s Unai Emery taking home the monthly managerial prize.
The festive period began with Leeds in the relegation zone and on the cusp of parting ways with manager Daniel Farke, but a switch to a 3-5-2 has done wonders for the Yorkshire outfit, with Calvert-Lewin perhaps the biggest beneficiary.
He netted six goals in five appearances, finding the back of the net in each of his outings, to oversee victories over Chelsea and Crystal Palace and draws with Liverpool, Brentford and Sunderland.
It’s Calvert-Lewin’s first win of the award since September 2020 and the first time a Leeds player has been named the Premier League’s Player of the Month since Rio Ferdinand was celebrated in October 2001.
December 2025 Player of the Month Nominees
- Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Leeds United)
- Rayan Cherki (Manchester City)
- Hugo Ekitiké (Liverpool)
- Phil Foden (Manchester City)
- Erling Haaland (Manchester City)
- Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa)
- Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa)
- Harry Wilson (Fulham)
Previous Winners
| Player | Club | Month |
|---|---|---|
| Jack Grealish | Everton | August |
| Erling Haaland | Man City | September |
| Bryan Mbeumo | Man Utd | October |
| Igor Thiago | Brentford | November |
Emery Named Manager of the Month
Unai Emery: The Premier League Manager of the Month for December 👏 pic.twitter.com/9A1D7XoJQl
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) January 16, 2026
Leeds miss out on doing the double as Aston Villa’s Emery has beaten Farke to December’s Manager of the Month award.
Five wins from six games, including against Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United, have propelled the Villans into the Premier League title conversation and brought the spotlight on Emery over a festive period in which a number of big names have lost their jobs.
Indeed, Emery will hope to break a curse which appears to have been brewing with the Manager of the Month prize.
Ruben Amorim won the award in October, before Enzo Maresca took home the crown in November. Both subsequently lost to Emery’s Villa and currently find themselves out of work after leaving their respective posts with Man Utd and Chelsea.
December 2025 Manager of the Month Nominees
- Mikel Arteta (Arsenal)
- Unai Emery (Aston Villa)
- Daniel Farke (Leeds United)
- Pep Guardiola (Manchester City)
Previous Winners
| Manager | Club | Month |
|---|---|---|
| Arne Slot | Liverpool | August |
| Oliver Glasner | Crystal Palace | September |
| Ruben Amorim | Man Utd | October |
| Enzo Maresca | Chelsea | November |
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Premier League Player, Manager of the Month: December 2025 Winners Revealed.
