Ryan O’HanlonJan 29, 2026, 06:00 AM ETCloseRyan O’Hanlon is a staff writer for ESPN.com. He’s also the author of “Net Gains: Inside the Beautiful Game’s Analytics Revolution.”Follow on XMultiple Authors
play1:24Does Antoine Semenyo play with more freedom than other Man City players?The ESPN ‘FC TV’ crew react to Manchester City’s 2-0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League.
play1:11Laurens not convinced Salah will keep his Liverpool starting spotJulien Laurens says Mohamed Salah did not do enough to guarantee a starting spot against Bournemouth on his return to the Liverpool lineup vs. Marseille.
Burley: Man City won’t come close to winning the Champions League (0:37)Craig Burley believes Manchester City’s defence isn’t good enough for Pep Guardiola’s side to win the Champions League. (0:37)
Does Antoine Semenyo play with more freedom than other Man City players?The ESPN ‘FC TV’ crew react to Manchester City’s 2-0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League.
The ESPN ‘FC TV’ crew react to Manchester City’s 2-0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League.
Laurens not convinced Salah will keep his Liverpool starting spotJulien Laurens says Mohamed Salah did not do enough to guarantee a starting spot against Bournemouth on his return to the Liverpool lineup vs. Marseille.
Julien Laurens says Mohamed Salah did not do enough to guarantee a starting spot against Bournemouth on his return to the Liverpool lineup vs. Marseille.
50. Amad Diallo, winger/wingback, Manchester United
42. Cristian Romero, center back, Tottenham Hotspur
37. David Brooks, attacking midfielder, Bournemouth
36. Rayan Cherki, attacking midfielder, Manchester City
28. Micky van de Ven, center back, Tottenham Hotspur
26. Morgan Rogers, attacking midfielder, Aston Villa
And the race for the Champions League places is … bigger than ever? The gap between fifth and 13th is just seven points.
Or, well, maybe we are? We’re back with another edition of ESPN’s Premier League Top 50, our ranking of the best players in the league. While it used to be a relatively easy exercise — Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool, and Chelsea players, mostly — the league is more bunched up and more competitive than ever before. The top teams still have tons of talent, but the average Premier League team now has a roster equivalent to the average Champions League side.
So this isn’t just a list of all the most famous players in the league, we rank players using a combination of actual production — guys who are actually playing Premier League minutes and contributing to Premier League teams — and talent. If, for example, Marcos Senesi moved to Arsenal, he’d probably stop playing as many minutes and he’d probably fall off these rankings. But he’s on Bournemouth, so he’s playing a ton and he’s performing at a super-high level, so he makes the list.
As for the specifics of this version of the list, it prioritizes players who have played more minutes. And it has only two guys who didn’t at least hit the 900-minute threshold. Also, if you’re currently injured, then you’re not eligible, so: Tyler Adams, Rúben Dias, Alexander Isak, and Josko Gvardiol have all dropped off.
His per-90 numbers look more like a slightly-above-average forward than a star. But he’s played a ton of minutes — there’s value in that — and he might be the best defensive forward in the league.
Per data from Gradient Sports, he has contributed 35 pressures that have led to the ball being won in a “dangerous position,” which they define as “an area where the player could create a chance to score.” No one else in the league has even reached 30.
He might drop off the list if interim head coach Michael Carrick continues to not select him for United’s starting lineup. But United were also doing quite well before Carrick arrived and Cunha was playing more often.
Sure, he scored an incredible goal to beat the best team in the world last weekend, but that’s not as important as this: Per Gradient, Cunha has completed 12 dribbles where he’s attempted some kind of “trick” — most in the league so far this campaign.
He’s one of the most athletic fullbacks in the world. His passing has improved a lot since the season began, and well, there’s this chart — again.
That’s expected possession value created from throw-ins, and EPV determines how much a given action increases a team’s chances of scoring. Kayode might be better at throwing the ball into the box than anyone is at anything else.
Wirtz’s pure production hasn’t quite been there yet. He, of course, only has three goals and one assist, despite Liverpool paying a nine-figure transfer fee in order to acquire him.
Only one player in the league has created more possession value than Grealish has so far this season. And he’s made five ball carries leading to a clear chance, per Gradient, which is exactly what it sounds like. No one else in the league has done it more than three times.
Does Antoine Semenyo play with more freedom than other Man City players?
Laurens not convinced Salah will keep his Liverpool starting spot
But Rogers isn’t just some cipher who barely touches the ball and is only providing value when he’s picking out the top corner. He’s one of the best off-ball movers in the league, and he’s constantly picking up possession between the lines and helping Villa move the ball up field. He has people picking him as a starter for England because he’s scored a bunch of goals this season, but what makes him a good player is all of the stuff he does before a shot is attempted or a chance is created.
Both Anderson and Wharton could, and probably will, move for around $100 million in one of the next few transfer windows.
Per Gradient, Anderson has completed the most passes breaking multiple opposition lines, while 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 old, and Wharton is 21. England’s midfield is set, for a really long time.
Lose two center backs to Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid, and what do you do? Replace them with a guy who’s an even better passer.
Gradient grades every pass that every player in the Premier League makes every weekend, on a scale of minus-2 to plus-2, in increments of 0.5. (And then they normalize each player’s overall grade for the season or game on a 0-to-100 scale.) Senesi has completed 16 passes with a grade of 1.0 or better, and only one other player in the league is even in double digits.
I don’t really think he’s to blame for any of Liverpool’s issues, since he’s doing everything he did last year — possibly at an even higher level. Per Gradient, he’s the highest-graded ball carrier in the league, and he’s the only player in the league who’s received the ball while opening his body to goal at least 100 times.
The only times Liverpool’s possessions ever really gain any momentum this season are when Gravenberch turns through pressure, and then runs past a couple defenders.
He still hasn’t figured out how to score, but I wonder how much of that is by Pep Guardiola’s design. And I wonder how much it even matters:
Of note: Arsenal’s David Raya has conceded nearly two goals more than expected, while Liverpool’s Alisson Becker is well below average this season and just one goal better than average over the last two seasons combined.
The hype train really came to a screeching halt when he was red-carded in the first half against Arsenal, and then Chelsea managed to draw the game without Caicedo on the field.
But in addition to his fantastic defensive range and instincts, he’s developed into a sometimes-dangerous and very secure passer. Per Gradient, he has the highest passing grade while under pressure of any midfielder in England.
Newcastle are one of the better teams in the Premier League and a dark horse Champions League contender if he’s on the field. If he’s not, they fade into the gigantic midtable morass.
He’s leading the league in passes breaking the defensive line, while only two players in the league have received more line-breaking passes than him. The whole thing just falls apart if Bruno isn’t on the field.
Arsenal’s entire defensive approach is built on two planks: keeping the ball away from the opposition so they can’t score, and then not making mistakes during those rare stretches of play when the opponent does have the ball. And Saliba embodies all of that.
Per Gradient, he makes the fewest positional mistakes of any defender in the league, and he loses the ball under pressure less often than any other player in the league.
It’s been a down year for attackers not named Erling Haaland, but Bruno Fernandes has produced like a top-level attacker despite playing most of the season as a deeper-lying midfielder. He leads Manchester United in pressures attempted this season, and he’s Gradient’s highest-graded passer in the Premier League.
Without that combination of activity, United aren’t close to challenging for a Champions League spot. I don’t know how this is possible, but the best player on Manchester United is actually underrated.
Want to understand why Erling Haaland scores so many more goals than everybody else? Take a look at this chart, of all the players who have attempted at least 20 shots this season:
He’s attempting way more shots than everyone else, and only a couple players are taking higher-probability shots. Soccer is a game of trade-offs — between quality and quantity — unless you’re a 6-foot-5, blazing fast Norwegian center forward who plays for Pep Guardiola. Then, you get to have it all.
Burley: Man City won’t come close to winning the Champions League (0:37)Craig Burley believes Manchester City’s defence isn’t good enough for Pep Guardiola’s side to win the Champions League. (0:37)
Craig Burley believes Manchester City’s defence isn’t good enough for Pep Guardiola’s side to win the Champions League. (0:37)
Ryan O’HanlonJan 29, 2026, 06:00 AM ETCloseRyan O’Hanlon is a staff writer for ESPN.com. He’s also the author of “Net Gains: Inside the Beautiful Game’s Analytics Revolution.”Follow on XMultiple Authors