Troy Deeney names his Premier League team and manager of the week after latest round
On 24 August 2026, BBC football pundit Troy Deeney announced his Premier League team and manager of the week following the latest round of fixtures. He listed eleven players and a manager and invited readers to give their views via the BBC comments form.
Deeney provides a weekly XI and manager selection after each set of Premier League matches this season, offering assessment of performances and explanations for his choices. This article reproduces his selections for the current week and includes his commentary on individual contributions across clubs including Leeds, Brentford, Hull City, Chelsea, Brighton, Arsenal, Newcastle and Manchester City.
Goalkeeper James Trafford (Leeds) was chosen after what Deeney described as a strong showing at Nottingham Forest, one of the few goalkeepers to keep a clean sheet; Deeney also said the move to Leeds was a "big-pressure" one and quoted Trafford as thinking at the World Cup with England, "I should be playing more". Deeney selected two Brentford players in his outfield defence and midfield: Keane Lewis-Potter, whom he called "excellent defensively and attacking wise" and credited with a goal in Brentford's win over Tottenham, and Vitaly Janelt, described as "big, powerful and dominant" who mixed defensive basics with a goal against Aston Villa.
Defensive picks from other clubs included Nobel Mendy (Hull City), whom Deeney labelled "so good and powerful" after scoring Hull's second goal and offering defensive strength, and Maxence Lacroix (Chelsea), whose debut the pundit described as "very good" for the France defender, noting an assist, calmness and maturity. Deeney also named Maxim de Cuyper (Brighton), highlighting his two goals and aggressive early pressure on Aston Villa that set the tone for Brighton's performance.
In midfield Deeney selected Marc Guehi (Man City) as his holding midfielder, saying, "I'll have Guehi in as my holding midfielder," and noting Guehi should have scored twice against Bournemouth before scoring the equaliser and providing a calming presence compared with "City's £116m record signing Elliot Anderson". Christos Tzolis (Arsenal) was included for his goals and assists and for what Deeney described as a combination of output, calming influence and tenacity, likening his attributes to those of Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard in one.
Up front Deeney picked Anthony Elanga (Newcastle), saying Elanga had been treated poorly by Eddie Howe last season but had thrived under "a new formation, under a new manager" and produced an "unbelievable finish", running past Milos Kerkez despite Kerkez having a five-yard start. Cole Palmer (Chelsea) was chosen after what Deeney called a standout performance and suggested Palmer should have gone to the World Cup with England, while Joao Pedro (Chelsea), a former Watford team-mate of Deeney's, was cited as a player who will "make everyone question when they said he wasn't good enough" and as someone set for a breakout year.
For manager of the week Deeney named Sergej Jakirovic (Hull City), praising his tactical plan for Manchester United, his team's wide play and set-up that avoided quick transitions, and noting Jakirovic's previous Championship form and measured public demeanour; Deeney added cautious concern about Hull's overall squad quality but said that did not detract from Jakirovic's performance this week.
Do you agree with Troy's selections? The BBC invites readers to submit their views using the comments form below, follow their Premier League club on BBC Sport, try the site’s football quizzes, or have football news sent straight to their phone.
