After a summer filled with international football events, including Euro 2024 and Copa America, along with numerous transfers within the Premier League’s 20 teams, the new season has commenced, with 22 gameweeks already completed.
Liverpool has performed admirably under the management of Arne Slot, while Manchester City and Arsenal have found it challenging to maintain their competitiveness.
Meanwhile, Manchester United has not lived up to expectations, leading to Erik ten Hag being the first manager to be dismissed, subsequently replaced by Ruben Amorim in November.
Individual moments of brilliance often define a team’s ambitions for the season, and even at this early stage, there have been numerous occasions where players have captivated the audience.
Considering these factors, we present the ranking of the top 20 Premier League players, noting that in-form players like Antonee Robinson and Chris Wood have narrowly missed inclusion.
Ranking FactorsHow well they’ve started the current Premier League season.
Their performances since arriving in the English top flight.Importance to their respective sides.
For forwards – goals and assists have been taken into account.
Memorable performances from recent seasons.20-16Morgan Rogers, Ryan Gravenberch, Kevin De Bruyne, Matheus Cunha, Phil Foden
Morgan Rogers and Ryan Gravenberch have enjoyed remarkable seasons in the English top-flight that have seen both men announce themselves on the Premier League stage.
The former is a key cog in Unai Emery’s Aston Villa side, while the latter has been an ever-present in Arne Slot’s soon-to-be title-winning Liverpool.
Purely in terms of passing, long or short, there may not be a better player on the planet than the talismanic Kevin De Bruyne, who is regarded as one of the greatest midfielders in Premier League history.
And despite missing a large part of the current season and last, the Belgian magician is just as effective when gracing the turf.
Matheus Cunha is being linked with some of the biggest clubs in the division after becoming Wolves’ talisman in an overall underwhelming campaign at Molineux. The Brazilian has hit double-figure goals for a team that looked like they could be dragged into a relegation battle.
Phil Foden, who was 2023/24’s Premier League Player of the Season, failed to make the grade in the top 15 after a more-than-rough campaign so far.
Stockport-born, the Manchester City ace has won all there is to win at the age of 24 – but has endured his own difficulties after a very slow 2024/25 campaign.
The Best Premier League Players – 20-16RankPlayerPositionClubNationality20.Morgan RogersCAMAston VillaEngland19.Ryan GravenberchCMLiverpoolNetherlands18.Kevin De BruyneCAMManchester CityBelgium17.Matheus CunhaSTWolvesBrazil16.Phil FodenCAMManchester CityEngland15-11Trent Alexander-Arnold, Alexis Mac Allister, Gabriel Magalhaes, Martin Odegaard, Cole Palmer
A divisive figure among Premier League aficionados, there can be no qualms over Trent Alexander-Arnold’s natural talent. Able to place the ball on a sixpence, the Liverpool-born right-back is recognised as one of the best passers in world football, having notched 90 assists across his 349-game Anfield career.
Alexis Mac Allister has been superb under the watchful eye of new boss Slot.
Liverpool’s central midfielders, by virtue of Mohamed Salah’s red-hot form in front of goal, often go under the radar but are mightily instrumental to how the Dutch tactician sets up on the red side of Merseyside.
Arsenal’s Gabriel Magalhaes, who ‘has an aura’ around him in north London but is often overshadowed by William Saliba, finds himself in the top 15 thanks to his brilliant displays and goalscoring this term.
The Best Premier League Players – 15-11RankPlayerPositionClubNationality15.Trent Alexander-ArnoldRBLiverpoolEngland14.Alexis Mac AllisterCMLiverpoolArgentina13.Gabriel MagalhaesCBArsenalBrazil12.Martin OdegaardCAMArsenalNorway11.Cole PalmerCAMChelseaEngland10-6Bruno Fernandes, Alexander Isak, Alisson Becker, William Saliba, Bukayo Saka
Things haven’t been easy for Manchester United recently.
The club have been vastly underperforming this season, but things could have been so much worse if it wasn’t for Bruno Fernandes in the middle of the park. He’s been a creative force since joining the club, and that hasn’t changed this season.
Following their big-money takeover several years ago, Newcastle United have made several very smart and significant signings.
None have been more important than Alexander Isak, though, who seems to be improving year after year in England.
The Swede has been in the best form of his Magpies’ career this season, scoring for fun as they’ve climbed back into Champions League contention.
Since arriving from AS Roma in the summer of 2018, there have been few – if any – shot-stoppers that have been able to replicate the exploits of Alisson Becker between the sticks.
Not only has he won everything there is to win, but his varied skill set makes him such a unique and important player for Liverpool, although his absence doesn’t show this, as Caoimhin Kelleher is always up to the task whenever he’s out.
Nobody foresaw what William Saliba would achieve in Arsenal colours after a series of loan spells elsewhere.
Defensively imperious, it would be difficult to find a centre-forward on earth – including none other than Erling Haaland – that could give the Bondy-born gem a difficult day at the office.Sitting in sixth is Arsenal poster boy Bukayo Saka.
The Hale End graduate, regarded as his side’s most important player, has lacked sufficient cover in his position and, as such, has been an ever-present for Arteta in recent seasons – but his output has never waned.
Instead, it was boosted in Odegaard’s absence across 2024/25, with him taking on the responsibility of being his side’s creator-in-chief
The Best Premier League Players – 10-6RankPlayerPositionClubNationality10.Bruno FernandesCAMManchester UnitedPortugal9.Alexander IsakSTNewcastleSweden8.Alisson BeckerGKLiverpoolBrazil7.William SalibaCBArsenalFrance6.
Bukayo SakaRWArsenalEngland5-1Declan Rice, Rodri, Virgil van Dijk, Erling Haaland, Mohamed Salah
Declan Rice’s move to Arsenal had fans wondering whether he’d be able to replicate his West Ham United exploits – but, well, of course he has.
As dynamic as ever, the Englishman has performed like a ticking metronome in the London club’s engine room and has gone from strength to strength, adding a layer of goals to his game.
Despite having limited Premier League game time in 2024/25, Spain and Manchester City midfield maestro Rodri is one of the standout options as the top flight’s best player.
Combative, comfortable in possession and a player who often weighs in with an important goal, the ex-Atletico Madrid man is unrivalled among his positional peers.
His poorly-timed ACL injury means he falls just short of the leading three.
However, if he wasn’t injured, there’s a case out there to suggest he could be number one after winning the Ballon d’Or.
Regarded as one of the best centre-backs in Champions League history, the imposing Virgil van Dijk is stationed in third spot, taking the mantle from the aforementioned Saliba as the league’s best, and most consistent, central defender.Next is the inevitable Erling Haaland, formerly of Borussia Dortmund.
A goalscoring machine of the highest order, the Norwegian record-breaker entered the new campaign as prolific as ever and, if he continues to fire at the same rate, could quite easily become a Premier League great, although his astonishing rate has slowed down in recent months.
Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah has been a revelation since joining the Reds in 2017, becoming the club’s record scorer in the Premier League.
While many thought that he’d drop off in the post-Jurgen Klopp era, the Egyptian started the season like any other, doing what he does best: bamboozling defenders and contributing to shedloads of goals.
With him taking part in a large chunk of Liverpool’s goals this season as they sit 13 points clear at the top of the table, there’s no doubt he’s the best player in the Premier League right now, if not the world!
The Best Premier League Players – 5-1RankPlayerPositionClubNationality5.RodriCDMManchester CitySpain4.Erling HaalandSTManchester CityNorway3. Bukayo Saka RWArsenalEngland2.Virgil van DijkCB LiverpoolNetherlands1.
Mohamed SalahRWLiverpoolEgyptAll statistics in this article per Transfermarkt – correct as of 19-04-25.