-
Ryan O’Hanlon
When I ranked the top 50 players prior to the launch of the Premier League season, the outlook appeared rather stable. Liverpool and Arsenal were expected to contend for the title, while Manchester City‘s prospects depended on Rodri’s</a] recovery. Chelsea, however, appeared somewhat distanced from the top three, likely settling as the fourth-best team in the league.
These four clubs were definitively seen as the strongest due to their superior rosters. So, what accounts for the current standings?
Nine matches into the season, Arsenal leads the table, yet they are followed by… Bournemouth, Tottenham, and Sunderland? Yes, you read that correctly! Bournemouth, Spurs, and Sunderland are in the top four? Meanwhile, Manchester City occupies fifth, Liverpool sits in seventh, and Chelsea—current Club World Cup champions—find themselves in ninth place, yet to face off against Man City or Arsenal.
This season has seen significant upheaval, but it’s still too premature to determine if it’s a season of transformation. Arsenal is seeing almost all of its squad members perform at an elevated level, and City’s forward Erling Haaland is delivering as expected. Beyond that, evaluation becomes murky. How do you assess players from Liverpool or Bournemouth, who have had contrasting experiences? Would you prefer Antoine Semenyo or Florian Wirtz?
To uncover the answers, stay tuned. Welcome to the latest installment of ESPN’s Premier League Top 50.
Understanding the Rankings
The rankings are based on an amalgamation of who I believe are the best players (those who would contribute significantly to victories if they played every minute) and the players providing the most value (who are actively playing minutes and aiding their teams’ success). This approach prevents the list from being dominated by players from a select few clubs.
In compiling this edition, I aimed to strike a balance between pre-season expectations and early-season observations. It’s hard to accept that Liverpool’s players have all suddenly become underperformers, hence you will see several players ranked lower than at the season’s outset. Conversely, Arsenal’s players have received upward adjustments due to their strong start.
My approach is to adapt rankings based on the first nine matches while avoiding drastic changes in perception from such a limited sample size.
As always, my analysis leans toward players showcasing measurable contributions; numerous actions on the field are still unquantifiable, and I may misjudge them by focusing too heavily on stats—yet, it is not solely a data-driven list.
Lastly, any players who are significantly injured and unavailable are excluded from this edition. Now, let’s dive into the list!
– Why Arsenal is likely to win the league
– Your pick: Mbappé or Lamine Yamal?
– Are set pieces damaging the Premier League?
50. Reece James, Full Back, Chelsea
49. Tyler Adams, Midfielder, Bournemouth
Adams has participated in 97% of the minutes for the second-place team in the Premier League, a correlation that shouldn’t be overlooked.
Bournemouth’s performance is remarkable given they lost a significant portion of their defense and arguably their best attacker during the summer. Adams remains a key player from last season, and while the Cherries employ a chaotic and direct playing style, the American’s elite anticipation and ball-winning ability enable their system to function effectively.
48. Matheus Cunha, Forward, Manchester United
47. Marcos Senesi, Center Back, Bournemouth
46. Sandro Tonali, Midfielder, Newcastle
45. Morgan Rogers, Attacking Midfielder, Aston Villa
Kayode’s long throw-ins may very well be the most lethal attacking weapon in the Premier League. According to Stats Perform’s expected possession value (xPV) model, which assigns a goal probability value to every action a player makes with the ball, he’s far ahead in this category.
Rory Delap, the former Stoke City player known for revolutionizing the long throw-in, would surely approve.
43. Daniel Muñoz, Full Back, Crystal Palace
41. Estêvão, Winger, Chelsea
This season has been notably peculiar, highlighted by this chart:
Among the peculiarities, Everton boasts three players in the top 10, while Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall stands 11th, with no other team having more than one player in the top 11.
It seems strange to say this about a David Moyes-managed team, but Everton is not only a poor team; they are entertaining to watch.
37. Eberechi Eze, Attacking Midfielder, Arsenal
35. David Raya, Goalkeeper, Arsenal
Vicario has allowed at least two fewer goals than expected for each of his initial two Premier League seasons, with an impressive 3.09 so far this season. As long as he remains fit, he is arguably the best shot-stopper in the league currently.
Moreover, he exemplifies the skills of elite goalkeepers through excellent positioning rather than relying solely on reflex saves. According to data from Gradient Sports, he has yet to make a positional mistake this season when facing shots.
32. Rúben Dias, Center Back, Manchester City
31. Adam Wharton, Midfielder, Crystal Palace
30. Jérémy Doku, Winger, Manchester City
In his first two seasons in the Premier League, I was convinced Doku’s presence was detrimental to Manchester City. Despite impressive dribbling statistics, he seldom created shots for himself or his teammates. His attempts to evade defenders seemed to take an eternity, providing the opposition enough time to regroup.
However, Doku seems to have significantly improved this season. Over nine matches, he has achieved an 88.2 passing grade from Gradient, ranking as one of the league’s top performances. Remarkably, despite receiving the ball less frequently than last season, he generates more chances and expected assists.
29. Cody Gakpo, Forward, Liverpool
28. Ismaïla Sarr, Forward, Crystal Palace
Examine Mateta’s shot map, sized according to the xG value of each attempt against Bournemouth:
He took 10 non-penalty shots, yielding an xG of 2.88. Since 2008, only one player has produced more: Arsenal’s Alexandre Lacazette, who recorded 2.97 xG against Manchester United back in December 2012.
24. Bryan Mbeumo, Forward, Manchester United
23. Marc Guéhi, Center Back, Crystal Palace
Their team, currently in 10th place, possesses the third-best xG differential in the league, behind Arsenal and City. They would likely hold the advantage over any non-Arsenal team in the current top four.
This may seem too low? It likely is. Timber’s performances this season deserve higher recognition. Last year, he excelled defensively but offered little in possession. Now, he’s a formidable defender contributing significantly in attack.
Among full-backs, only Kieran Trippier from Newcastle has notched more progressive passes than Timber’s mark. His 14 passes directed into the penalty area lead his position, and he holds the third-most non-penalty xG of all Arsenal players. Timber is also tied for the league lead in completed through balls (8), together with Newcastle’s Bruno Guimarães.
Witnessing his growth has been incredibly enjoyable, and if his form continues, his ranking will surely ascend in our future assessments.
21. Elliot Anderson, Midfielder, Nottingham Forest
This season, just two players across Europe’s top leagues have completed more than 70 progressive passes while also making over 30 tackles plus interceptions. One is AC Milan’s Luka Modric, and the other is Anderson, playing for a team currently in 18th place.
The 22-year-old has officially taken a major step forward, having already completed over half the progressive passes he achieved during the entirety of last season. Regardless of Forest’s relegation battle, Anderson’s tenure at the City Ground may soon come to an end.
18. Florian Wirtz, Attacking Midfielder, Liverpool
14. Rodri, Midfielder, Manchester City
Assessing the rankings of Salah and the two preceding players proved to be the most challenging aspect of this exercise. Salah was the obvious top choice pre-season, having been the standout player last season. Meanwhile, Rodri held the No. 1 spot prior to last season’s start, and Isak was ranked No. 5 heading into this season.
Unfortunately, Salah is enduring his poorest season to date, Rodri’s fitness has been inconsistent, and Isak has had similar struggles upon joining Liverpool. Were we to base rankings solely on this season’s performances, none of the three would likely make the top 50. However, all have established elite track records in recent seasons.
For projecting future performances, I’ve endeavored to balance early season findings with historical successes. With the significant investments made in Salah, Isak, and Rodri, teams would unlikely favor them playing at a fringe-top-10 level for the remainder of the season.
11. Josko Gvardiol, Center Back, Manchester City
10. Bruno Fernandes, Midfielder, Manchester United
Continuously ranking as one of the Premier League’s top passers year after year, Fernandes may be having his finest season yet. According to Gradient, he holds the highest passing grade this season (96.1 out of 100), ranking second for progressive passes behind Anderson, while achieving a better completion rate than ever.
Moreover, he has taken more shots than all but one teammate and has made more tackles and interceptions than all but three others. He has been a critical force keeping his club competitive over the last five years.
Like many Liverpool players this season, his ranking does not reflect exceptional early performances; however, he was last season’s best center back, justifying this ranking through an effective average.
A significant critique of Van Dijk this season has been his positional play when the ball goes wide. Last season, he and Ibrahima Konaté effectively disrupted many opposition attacks by anticipating early crosses and positioning themselves advantageously. Recently, Liverpool has conceded several goals from this exact scenario—wingers beating full-backs and center-backs failing to recover.
Nonetheless, Van Dijk remains dominant in aerial duels, having won 46—seven more than any other league player—while maintaining a win percentage of 78% in aerial battles, the best mark for those contesting at least 25.
Before the season began, Wirtz, purchased for £100 million, was anticipated to take over as Liverpool’s primary attacking midfielder from Szoboszlai. However, nine matches in, Szoboszlai has emerged as Liverpool’s top performer.
According to Gradient, he has traversed 98.44 kilometers this season—the fifth most in the league—and is second for sprinting distance, covering 3.86 kilometers at 25 kph or more. Among players covering at least 90 kilometers, Szoboszlai leads in sprint distance ratio. In essence, he stands out distinctly among his peers.
This fact is well-known, but what elevates him to this ranking is his ability to excel in three different positions (including right back) while becoming a crucial player in possession for Liverpool. Currently, only Anderson and Fernandes have a greater number of completed progressive passes.
To understand opposition defensive strategies, consider that while the attacking line is the simplest to bypass, it carries the highest penalties for failure. The defensive line is daunting to penetrate but incurs a smaller penalty for failure. The midfield line presents the worst of both worlds—challenging to breach while presenting a sizable downside for unsuccessful passes.
Stats reveal only nine players completed at least 25 passes over the opponent’s midfield line, and only one did so with an 80% or greater completion rate: Bruno Guimarães. He notably leads the league in both attempted (20) and completed (9) passes breaking the opponent’s defensive line.
He exhibits brilliance in understanding the risks and rewards associated with different areas of the pitch.
Allow Gradient’s assessments to speak for themselves:
Having arrived at Chelsea as a diligent ball-winner, Caicedo has evolved into one of the globe’s finest all-around midfielders, renowned for consistent, high-volume passing, exceptional dribbling under pressure, and a newfound ability to shoot accurately from distance.
While scaling back expectations for his long-range efforts, it’s clear that his presence at the edge of the opponent’s penalty box will require defenders’ respect, creating space for teammates.
Defensively, no other center back currently rivals his prowess, making it surprising to note he isn’t even the highest-ranked center back on his own team.
Saka, meanwhile, has had a somewhat muted start to the season. His key attacking metrics are comparatively lower than those from his most prolific seasons, marking the fewest shots per 90 minutes of his career while also creating fewer chances than in the two previous seasons.
However, even without accumulating goals or assists, he contributes significantly defensively—unlike many star forwards. He likely generates considerable threats that don’t necessarily result in shot attempts from teammates.
Furthermore, Salah is at an age (33) where many players begin to decline, while Saka (24) is at an age typically indicating growth and improvement. There’s a slight chance he may show signs of fatigue from his extensive playing time at a young age, but it’s reasonable to expect Saka to return to top form as Arsenal’s schedule quiets down in the forthcoming months.
3. Declan Rice, Midfielder, Arsenal
Rice excels at various aspects: scoring, assisting, making box runs, delivering set pieces, executing free kicks, winning headers, reading opposition tactics, battling for 50-50 balls, and progressing the ball forward.
As for his shortcomings? Perhaps struggling to evade pressure in his defensive zone or effectively beating opponents one-on-one? His rapping isn’t stellar either…
He is currently the finest all-around midfielder globally. No player integrates physical dominance and technical output—passing, carrying, goal contributions—quite like him. If given the opportunity to select any midfielder in Europe, I would opt for him.
And just to clarify his unique team role:
Rice is a strong defensive contributor, applying relentless pressure and creating chaos alongside the more composed Saliba. While not the best defender on the team, he has consistently proven himself as a reliable player, evidenced by the team’s steady performance despite Saliba’s recent absence.
Moreover, Gabriel plays a pivotal role in Arsenal’s dominance in set pieces—a key factor in their title contention. If he is not directly involved in scoring, he creates space for others due to defenders’ focus on him. While he may have only one goal this season, his influence is crucial for all of Arsenal’s set-piece opportunities.
The reason for Arsenal’s current dominance in the league lies in their unprecedented possession control and dead-ball effectiveness, with Gabriel leading the charge in both areas.
1. Erling Haaland, Forward, Manchester City
Having struck zero non-penalty goals in the initial nine games this season, I find myself closer to the second place on the Premier League scoring charts than the player claiming second is to Haaland at the top. He has undeniably transformed the Premier League into a familiar territory for himself.