20 Best Players in the Premier League Right Now [Ranked]
Following a summer packed to the brim with international football – namely the Euro 2024 and Copa America – and a litany of incomings and outgoings across the Premier League’s 20-strong contingent, the campaign is back underway and already 22 gameweeks down.
Liverpool have started the season strongly under Arne Slot, while Manchester City and Arsenal have struggled to keep pace, and the likes of Manchester United have flattered to deceive, with Erik ten Hag becoming the first managerial casualty when he was replaced with Ruben Amorim back in November.
Moments of individual brilliance tend to shape a side’s aspirations for the season and, despite only being in the early stages of the campaign, there have been a plethora of instances when players have lifted bums off seats so far.
Taking that into consideration alongside the following ranking factors, here are the top 20 best Premier League players, in order, as the likes of in-form players such as Antonee Robinson and Chris Wood narrowly miss out.
Ranking Factors
How 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.
20-16
Emi Martinez, Bruno Fernandes, Bryan Mbuemo, Matheus Cunha, Ryan Gravenberch
The last few years have seen Aston Villa go from fighting against relegation to competing in the Champions League and Emi Martinez has been vital to their success. He’s one of the best shot-stoppers in the world and his exploits with Unai Emery’s side have earned him a spot here. 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.
The beating hearts of Brentford and Wolves, Bryan Mbuemo and Matheus Cunha have also been in red-hot form this term. While the Bees talisman has 16 goal contributions in 22 league appearances, Cunha – despite Wolves struggling this season – has notched 14 of his own in 21 league matches.
Ryan Gravenberch’s time at Anfield didn’t get off to the brightest of starts, but a transition into a new role as a six for Liverpool has seen him transform into one of the best players in the Premier League. He’s been a key cog in Arne Slot’s side so far and it’s hard to imagine they’d have been as successful without him.
15-11
Phil Foden, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Alisson Becker, Kevin De Bruyne, Martin Odegaard
Meanwhile, his teammate, Phil Foden, who was 2023/24’s Premier League Player of the Season, also failed to make the grade in the top 10 after a rough campaign so far. Stockport-born, the Manchester City ace has won all there is to win at the age of 24 – but has made a very slow start to the 2024/25 campaign.
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 86 assists across his 339-game Anfield career. He’s also found his way back into international team reckoning after winning three Man of the Match awards during Lee Carsley’s stint as interim boss.
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.
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.
Martin Odegaard, whose ability to control and, therefore, dictate the tempo of a game, sees him reside in 11th place on the list. Should an injury not have hampered his season, limiting him to fewer minutes of action, and there’s every chance he’d be pushing even further up the ranks with how good he’s been since returning.
The Norwegian, 26, has been pivotal to Mikel Arteta’s aspirations of winning Arsenal’s first Premier League for two decades and, galvanised by the responsibility of the armband, could be the difference maker if the north Londoners are to achieve Premier League greatness in years to come.
10-6
William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, Alexander Isak, Declan Rice, Rodri
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.
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 10 thanks to his brilliant displays and goalscoring touch of late – especially with the Frenchman having been out of action for parts of this season already.
Following their big-money takeover several years ago, Newcastle United have made a number of 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.
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 thus far 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 five. 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.
5-1
Erling Haaland, Bukayo Saka, Virgil van Dijk, Cole Palmer, Mohamed Salah
Kickstarting the top five 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.
Sitting in fourth 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, too. Now, he’s been forced onto the sidelines with an injury and Arsenal have looked lesser for it.
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 with him not missing a single minute of Premier League action this term.
Where would Chelsea be without the ever-reliable Cole Palmer? The courage to take the jump from Manchester to west London was commendable – but the 22-year-old’s 27-goal haul from last season proves he made the right choice. He has continued his fine form this term, notching 14 goals and six assists in 22 top flight outings. Officially, at the time of writing, only one player has contributed more – what a phenomenal talent Enzo Maresca has at his disposal.
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 62% of Liverpool’s goals this season as they sit six 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!
All statistics in this article per Transfermarkt – correct as of 24/01/2025.
