> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.arsenalwomentrailblazers.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Why Arsenal’s three PFA WSL Team of the Year selections are fully deserved - URL: https://www.arsenalwomentrailblazers.com/arsenal-pfa-wsl-team-of-the-year-2025-26/ - Published: 2026-08-29T20:00:53.000Z - Updated: 2026-08-29T20:00:52.000Z - Description: mily Fox, Mariona Caldentey and Alessia Russo made the 2025/26 PFA WSL Team of the Year after earning recognition from their fellow players. - Author: Roberto Revilla - Tags: Arsenal Women News, Alessia Russo, Mariona Caldentey, Emily Fox, Latest At the end of Arsenal’s squad where nobody’s wondering whether they need a loan move to get a few minutes, Emily Fox, [Mariona Caldentey](https://www.arsenalwomentrailblazers.com/mariona-caldentey-thinks-arsenal-are-ready-i-think-shes-right/) and [Alessia Russo](https://www.arsenalwomentrailblazers.com/getting-to-know-alessia-russo-the-journey-behind-arsenals-number-23/) have all been named in the 2025/26 PFA WSL Team of the Year. The comments sections have inevitably become a cesspit of accusations about bias towards Arsenal. What some people either don’t realise or choose not to acknowledge is that the PFA awards are voted for by the players themselves. That changes the feel of the selections slightly. We can all have our favourites, and supporters will almost always argue for their own players. The voters for this award, though, are the people who actually have to play against the nominees. Somewhere, there’s a winger who’s spent 90 minutes trying to get past Emily Fox and gone home thinking, “Yep, she’s one of the best defenders in the league.” Somewhere else, there’s a midfielder who’s spent an afternoon playing whack-a-mole as Mariona Caldentey moved her all over the pitch, and she’s decided Mariona probably belongs in the Team of the Year too. Alessia Russo being selected by the defenders who have to deal with her week in, week out might be the best compliment she can receive. They know how unpleasant she is to play against in ways we can’t fully appreciate from the stands or while watching on television. ### Back-to-back recognition for Arsenal’s trio What makes the three selections even more impressive is that Fox, Caldentey and Russo were all named in the PFA WSL Team of the Year last season too. That’s where it moves beyond a player enjoying a particularly good spell or one outstanding season. Maintaining that level over two campaigns is much harder, especially when everything around you changes. There are different teammates, different opponents, new tactical demands, injuries and fluctuating runs of form. You’ve got to keep finding ways to affect games. All three have done exactly that. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d2/b6/d2b6c83b-fa2f-458d-b44c-82aebbd18640/content/images/2026/08/DSC00552.JPG) ### Emily Fox’s consistency stands out Fox’s recognition makes complete sense because so much of what makes her good is her consistency. She doesn’t need every match to become an EMILY FOX PERFORMANCE in capital letters. She just keeps quietly doing a lot of things very well. That reliability is probably a major reason why her teammates and opponents continue to be so impressed by what they see from her. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d2/b6/d2b6c83b-fa2f-458d-b44c-82aebbd18640/content/images/2026/08/DSC00462.JPG) ### Mariona Caldentey is almost impossible to track Mariona’s slightly different. You can watch her for five minutes and still not know exactly what position she’s playing. If that’s how we feel, imagine what it’s like for the player who’s been asked to mark her. She starts in one position, drifts somewhere else, magically appears in a pocket nobody had noticed and suddenly Arsenal have an extra player exactly where they need one. Against Charlton, she started on the left wing. Although she played there regularly for Barcelona, it’s a position she’s admitted she isn’t as used to playing anymore. Within a few minutes, though, she was still finding ways to appear in central areas and influence the game. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d2/b6/d2b6c83b-fa2f-458d-b44c-82aebbd18640/content/images/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-29-at-17.28.35.png) ### Alessia Russo earns the respect of her opponents Russo was also shortlisted for the PFA Players’ Player of the Year award, which was won by Bunny Shaw. Shaw had an outstanding season, so I don’t think we need to spend ten minutes claiming there’s been a grave injustice because an Arsenal player didn’t win absolutely everything. We’ll leave Manchester City and Chelsea supporters to spend their energy complaining about that sort of thing. Being shortlisted by her peers while also making the PFA WSL Team of the Year for a second consecutive season is a pretty clear indication of how highly Russo is regarded within the women’s game. When the players who face you every week repeatedly identify you as one of the league’s best, it’s recognition worth taking seriously.