The Premier League’s shortlist for the Player and Manager of the Month awards for January 2026 has been revealed.
Last month’s winners, Leeds United striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Aston Villa boss Unai Emery, both miss out this time around, meaning the awards are destined to change hands.
January 2026 Premier League Player of the Month Nominees
- Yasin Ayari (Brighton & Hove Albion)
- Patrick Dorgu (Manchester United)
- Enzo Fernández (Chelsea)
- Junior Kroupi (Bournemouth)
- Crysencio Summerville (West Ham United)
- Igor Thiago (Brentford)
- Harry Wilson (Fulham)
- Florian Wirtz (Liverpool)
Kicking things off is Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Yasin Ayari. The 22-year-old enjoyed a quiet start to his Premier League career last season but has already bettered his tallies for both goals and assists this year, contributing to a goal in each of his four games across January—two goals and two assists.
Michael Carrick will have fond memories of January after a perfect streak as Manchester United’s interim manager, with Patrick Dorgu a key inspiration. Playing as a winger, he scored against both Arsenal and Manchester City, adding to an assist in Darren Fletcher’s league game as caretaker.
Chelsea vice-captain Enzo Fernández was among the goals in January, popping up at crucial moments for Liam Rosenior. Stoppage-time strikes against Manchester City and West Ham United were headline moments in a month which included a total of three goals and an assist.
Fernández’s late strike against West Ham United broke the heart of one of the game’s earlier scorers, Crysencio Summerville. Entering January, the Dutch winger had not scored in the Premier League since October 2024, but he now has three in his last three outings after netting against Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Sunderland.
Brentford striker Igor Thiago is looking to become the first player to win the prize for a second time this season. He added five goals to his tally, putting three past Everton and two against Sunderland.
Harry Wilson makes the shortlist for the second month in a row after another stunning few weeks. The Fulham star, who is approaching the end of his contract, netted against Chelsea, Brighton and Liverpool to keep Marco Silva’s side in the hunt for Europe.
It is a first nomination, however, for Liverpool midfielder Florian Wirtz, who continues to grow in confidence after a slow start to life in England. His return of three goals and an assist was a shining light across a month which yielded just one win in six games for Liverpool.
Previous Winners
| Player | Club | Month |
|---|---|---|
| Jack Grealish | Everton | August |
| Erling Haaland | Man City | September |
| Bryan Mbeumo | Man Utd | October |
| Igor Thiago | Brentford | November |
| Dominic Calvert-Lewin | Leeds | December |
January 2026 Premier League Manager of the Month Nominees
- Michael Carrick (Manchester United)
- Sean Dyche (Nottingham Forest)
- Andoni Iraola (Bournemouth)
- Liam Rosenior (Chelsea)
Michael Carrick is the first of two new faces to earn nominations at the first time of asking. United’s interim boss may have overseen just two matches in January, but those ended in impressive victories over both Manchester City and Arsenal.
Nottingham Forest finally began to turn things around in January. Sean Dyche’s side turned a run of four straight defeats into two wins and a draw from their four outings, falling only to Aston Villa.
Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola was stuck in a worse streak—11 games without victory—when they beat Tottenham Hotspur 3–2. Liverpool and Wolverhampton Wanderers also fell to the Cherries across a thoroughly successful month.
Previous Winners
| Manager | Club | Month |
|---|---|---|
| Arne Slot | Liverpool | August |
| Oliver Glasner | Crystal Palace | September |
| Ruben Amorim | Man Utd | October |
| Enzo Maresca | Chelsea | November |
| Unai Emery | Aston Villa | December |
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Premier League Player, Manager of the Month: Full List of January 2026 Nominees.
