Ryan O’Hanlon(*50*)Jan 29, 2026, 06:00 AM ET
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- Ryan O’Hanlon is a employees author for ESPN.com. He’s additionally the creator of “Net Gains: Inside the Beautiful Game’s Analytics Revolution.”
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The title race is … again on? The Premier League has three groups inside 4 factors of first.
And the race for the Champions League locations is … larger than ever? The hole between fifth and thirteenth is simply seven factors.
There may be a relegation race, too, after two wins from two has 18th-place West Ham United 5 factors clear of Nineteenth-place Burnley and 5 factors again of Sixteenth-place Nottingham Forest. But we’re not likely nervous about the backside of the desk as we speak.
Or, nicely, possibly we are? We’re again with one other version of ESPN’s Premier League Top 50, our rating of the greatest players in the league. While it was a comparatively simple train — Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool, and Chelsea players, principally — the league is extra bunched up and extra aggressive than ever earlier than. The top groups nonetheless have tons of expertise, however the common Premier League staff now has a roster equal to the common Champions League facet.
So, in this seemingly brand-new aggressive atmosphere, what does the top 50 seem like?
How we rank, and who is not eligible
So this is not only a listing of all the most well-known players in the league, we rank players utilizing a mixture of precise manufacturing — guys who are really enjoying Premier League minutes and contributing to Premier League groups — and expertise. If, for instance, Marcos Senesi moved to Arsenal, he’d most likely cease enjoying as many minutes and he’d most likely fall off these rankings. But he is on Bournemouth, so he is enjoying a ton and he is acting at a super-high degree, so he makes the listing.
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Individual participant analysis is actually tough. See: all of the players Liverpool, and Manchester City, and Arsenal signed this previous summer season who actually aren’t doing all that a lot for his or her new groups. Although a bunch of stats are cited all through, that is rather more artwork than science, and we may be extra assured about the top of the listing than the backside.
As for the specifics of this model of the listing, it prioritizes players who’ve performed extra minutes. And it has solely two guys who did not not less than hit the 900-minute threshold. Also, if you happen to’re presently injured, then you definately’re not eligible, so: Tyler Adams, Rúben Dias, Alexander Isak, and Josko Gvardiol have all dropped off.
Now, to the Premier League Top 50 …
50. Amad Diallo, winger/wingback, Manchester United
48. Igor Thiago, ahead, Brentford
The second-highest scorer in the league cannot break into the top 40? Well, he is scored 5 penalties, and he is additionally working about three objectives forward of his expected-goals (xG) tally, which is a way more correct illustration of what we’re making an attempt to find out with this listing.
His per-90 numbers look extra like a slightly-above-average ahead than a star. But he is performed a ton of minutes — there’s worth in that — and he may be the greatest defensive ahead in the league.
Per knowledge from Gradient Sports, he has contributed 35 pressures which have led to the ball being gained in a “dangerous position,” which they outline as “an area where the player could create a chance to score.” No one else in the league has even reached 30.
46. Matheus Cunha, ahead, Manchester United
He may drop off the listing if interim head coach Michael Carrick continues to not choose him for United’s beginning lineup. But United have been additionally doing fairly nicely earlier than Carrick arrived and Cunha was enjoying extra typically.
Sure, he scored an unimaginable aim to beat the greatest staff in the world final weekend, however that is not as vital as this: Per Gradient, Cunha has accomplished 12 dribbles the place he is tried some sort of “trick” — most in the league up to now this marketing campaign.
45. Sandro Tonali, midfielder, Newcastle United
44. Daniel Muñoz, fullback, Crystal Palace
43. Reece James, midfielder/fullback, Chelsea
42. Cristian Romero, middle again, Tottenham Hotspur
41. Robin Roefs, goalkeeper, Sunderland
He’s one of the most athletic fullbacks in the world. His passing has improved so much since the season started, and nicely, there’s this chart — once more.
That’s anticipated possession worth created from throw-ins, and EPV determines how a lot a given motion will increase a staff’s possibilities of scoring. Kayode may be higher at throwing the ball into the field than anybody is at the rest.
37. David Brooks, attacking midfielder, Bournemouth
36. Rayan Cherki, attacking midfielder, Manchester City
Taking photographs and creating possibilities is, I do not know, 80% of being a great attacker. And, nicely …
The solely motive each Brooks and Cherki are not greater is that they’ve solely performed about 900 minutes, and that is the cut-off I’ve used for the chart. Erling Haaland, in the meantime, has performed over 1,900 minutes.
34. Florian Wirtz, attacking midfielder, Liverpool
Wirtz’s pure manufacturing hasn’t fairly been there but. He, of course, solely has three objectives and one help, regardless of Liverpool paying a nine-figure switch payment in order to amass him.
But his underlying numbers have inched as much as proper round 0.5 xG+xA per 90 — a very stable mark for an attacking midfielder. And he is been a key determine in a ton of nice possessions that we instantly forgot about as a result of nobody completed the likelihood or Liverpool discovered a technique to blow the recreation.
Wirtz has accomplished 104 passes into harmful positions — by far the most in the league.
33. Anthony Gordon, winger, Newcastle United
Only one participant in the league has created extra possession worth than Grealish has up to now this season. And he is made 5 ball carries resulting in a transparent likelihood, per Gradient, which is precisely what it seems like. No one else in the league has accomplished it greater than 3 times.
31. Rodri, midfielder, Manchester City
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28. Micky van de Ven, middle again, Tottenham Hotspur
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26. Morgan Rogers, attacking midfielder, Aston Villa
Lots of data-adjacent individuals are fairly skeptical of Rogers, primarily as a result of his anticipated objectives and assists numbers are solely about common for his place. His output is means greater than that, and his output is not going to proceed to be means greater than that for lengthy.
But Rogers is not just a few cipher who barely touches the ball and is barely offering worth when he is selecting out the top nook. He’s one of the greatest off-ball movers in the league, and he is continually selecting up possession between the traces and serving to Villa transfer the ball up area. He has individuals selecting him as a starter for England as a result of he is scored a bunch of objectives this season, however what makes him a great participant is all of the stuff he does earlier than a shot is tried or an opportunity is created.
He’s obtained 96 passes in harmful positions, whereas nobody else in the league is above 88.
25. Elliot Anderson, midfielder, Nottingham Forest
24. Adam Wharton, midfielder, Crystal Palace
Both Anderson and Wharton may, and possibly will, transfer for round $100 million in one of the subsequent few switch home windows.
Per Gradient, Anderson has accomplished the most passes breaking a number of opposition traces, whereas Wharton leads the league in passes breaking the midfield line. Anderson is first in xPV added from defensive actions, and Wharton is second. Anderson is 23 years outdated, and Wharton is 21. England’s midfield is about, for a very very long time.
22. Marcos Senesi, middle again, Bournemouth
Lose two middle backs to Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid, and what do you do? Replace them with a man who’s a good higher passer.
Gradient grades each go that each participant in the Premier League makes each weekend, on a scale of minus-2 to plus-2, in increments of 0.5. (And then they normalize every participant’s general grade for the season or recreation on a 0-to-100 scale.) Senesi has accomplished 16 passes with a grade of 1.0 or higher, and just one different participant in the league is even in double digits.
I do not actually suppose he is accountable for any of Liverpool’s points, since he is doing every part he did final 12 months — probably at a good greater degree. Per Gradient, he is the highest-graded ball provider in the league, and he is the solely participant in the league who’s obtained the ball whereas opening his physique to aim not less than 100 instances.
The solely instances Liverpool’s possessions ever actually acquire any momentum this season are when Gravenberch turns by means of stress, after which runs previous a pair defenders.
20. Jérémy Doku, winger, Manchester City
He nonetheless hasn’t found out how you can rating, however I ponder how a lot of that’s by Pep Guardiola’s design. And I ponder how a lot it even issues:
Everyone else on this listing has performed not less than 1,500 minutes. Doku hasn’t even performed 1,200.
Shot-stopping knowledge can get fairly unstable from season-to-season, so I desire to have a look at issues throughout an extended timeline to get a way of who the greatest goalkeepers actually are. And here is how everybody in the Premier League compares over this season and final season, for the quantity of objectives they’ve prevented. Or, put one other means: the quantity of objectives they’ve conceded under what the Stats Perform mannequin suggests they need to’ve, primarily based on the problem and the quantity of the photographs they’ve confronted:
Of be aware: Arsenal’s David Raya has conceded practically two objectives greater than anticipated, whereas Liverpool’s Alisson Becker is nicely under common this season and only one aim higher than common over the final two seasons mixed.
18. Cody Gakpo, ahead, Liverpool
17. Marc Guéhi, middle again, Manchester City
16. Cole Palmer, attacking midfielder, Chelsea
13. Bryan Mbeumo, ahead, Manchester United
The hype prepare actually got here to a screeching halt when he was red-carded in the first half in opposition to Arsenal, after which Chelsea managed to attract the recreation with out Caicedo on the area.
But in addition to his unbelievable defensive vary and instincts, he is developed right into a sometimes-dangerous and really safe passer. Per Gradient, he has the highest passing grade whereas beneath stress of any midfielder in England.
7. Bruno Guimarães, midfielder, Newcastle United
Newcastle are one of the higher groups in the Premier League and a darkish horse Champions League contender if he is on the area. If he isn’t, they fade into the gigantic midtable morass.
He’s main the league in passes breaking the line of defense, whereas solely two players in the league have obtained extra line-breaking passes than him. The entire factor simply falls aside if Bruno is not on the area.
Arsenal’s whole defensive method is constructed on two planks: retaining the ball away from the opposition to allow them to’t rating, after which not making errors throughout these uncommon stretches of play when the opponent does have the ball. And Saliba embodies all of that.
Per Gradient, he makes the fewest positional errors of any defender in the league, and he loses the ball beneath stress much less typically than some other participant in the league.
3. Bruno Fernandes, midfielder, Manchester United
It’s been a down 12 months for attackers not named Erling Haaland, however Bruno Fernandes has produced like a top-level attacker regardless of enjoying most of the season as a deeper-lying midfielder. He leads Manchester United in pressures tried this season, and he is Gradient’s highest-graded passer in the Premier League.
Without that mixture of exercise, United aren’t near difficult for a Champions League spot. I do not know the way that is doable, however the greatest participant on Manchester United is definitely underrated.
2. Declan Rice, midfielder, Arsenal
I’m simply going to maintain posting this:
He’s the greatest midfielder in the world as a result of he is 6-foot-2 and he is good at every part.
1. Erling Haaland, ahead, Manchester City
Want to grasp why Erling Haaland scores so many extra objectives than everyone else? Take a have a look at this chart, of all the players who’ve tried not less than 20 photographs this season:
He’s trying far more photographs than everybody else, and solely a pair players are taking higher-probability photographs. Soccer is a recreation of trade-offs — between high quality and amount — except you are a 6-foot-5, blazing quick Norwegian middle ahead who performs for Pep Guardiola. Then, you get to have all of it.
