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Welcome back to the shiny, rebranded 50 best form players in the Premier League.
Look everyone, sometimes we get it wrong, we’re big enough to admit that (and/or blame it squarely on the editor). When undertaking our task this season of ranking (each and every month) the top 50 players in the division, we were a little clumsy with the details, compiling a mixture of players in form and players with long-standing reputations. It didn’t quite work.
Hey, that’s why pencils have rubbers (erasers, to our friends in the U.S.). Not even the Mona Lisa was perfect.
Anyway, we move, etc. We’re now exclusively looking at the best performers of this season, no matter what their reputation; the top scorers, the creative influences, the granite-like defenders, the players dragging their teams through matches, the ones with an upwards red arrow on old Pro Evo games, condition 100 per cent on Football Manager and form of 7.0 or above on Fantasy Premier League.
We’ve consulted our club writers, assessed the key data and, perish the thought, used our own eyes to come up with who we think are the best 50 players from the 2026-27 season so far.
We’re still going to publish this monthly but hopefully, with our thought process now a little clearer, you’ll be kinder in the comments.
No? Oh well.
Right, to the rankings!
50. Victor Lindelof (Aston Villa)
Much in the same manner that ex-Villa man Ezri Konsa has made a difficult task look relatively easy by seamlessly replacing William Saliba in Arsenal’s defence, so too Victor Lindelof, lower down the football food chain (sorry), has made a very big issue appear to be a much smaller one, by cancelling out Konsa’s departure with a string of commanding displays at centre-back. After also starring in midfield at the back end of last season, that’s not bad for a free signing.
49. Jan Paul van Hecke (Tottenham)
In any rational assessment of Tottenham Hotspur’s term, Van Hecke scores pretty highly. It’s not that he and they haven’t been punished — Van Hecke must have wondered early on what the hell he’d done by leaving the sanctuary of Brighton — but his quality has begun to shine through, and with better defenders around him, he’d gone up a notch too. He’ll most likely prove to be a savvy signing.
48. Morgan Gibbs-White (Nottingham Forest)
Probably the best No 10 in English football this calendar year, Gibbs-White’s end product hasn’t quite hit the heights of some other names on this list, although that may be more of a reflection of Forest’s wastefulness in front of goal. His expected assists (xA) figure of 2.37 is the third-highest in the league and no player has created more big chances than Gibbs-White’s eight.
47. Sean Steur (Newcastle)
Newcastle players aren’t heavily populating these rankings, because Newcastle are adrift in mid-table waters. But at 18, Steur — a £21.5m $28.5m) recruit from Ajax in July — looks loaded with potential. He loves having the ball at his feet, he’s fearless in going after it out of possession, and dispatches from up north say the St James’ Park crowd are falling in love with his passion rapidly. He’s one to follow.
46. Antonio Silva (Bournemouth)
Bournemouth appear to have done it again in nabbing a bargain youngster who, at this rate, will be sold on for a sizeable profit. The talent of this 23-year-old Portugal international wasn’t exactly a secret, albeit he had slightly lost his way at Benfica, but he adapted to the Premier League surprisingly quickly and was a major factor in Bournemouth’s recent five consecutive clean sheets in all competitions, playing every minute.
(Robin Jones – AFC Bournemouth/AFC Bournemouth via Getty Images)
45. Konstantinos Tzolakis (Hull City)
Tzolakis has been a busy man: already up to 41 saves in league fixtures this season. It’s a feather in Hull’s hat that they’ve limited opponents to 11 goals, and their Greek No 1 cuts an encouragingly nerveless figure as City’s last line of defence. Having come from Olympiacos, he ought to have had something about him — but very few competitions are more unforgiving than the Premier League.
44. Kevin Schade (Brentford)
Schade isn’t exactly stealing the show, but he’s a strong part of a useful, and largely effective, Brentford team. He got into the goals in August and September and while it’s dried up for him at that end of the field since then, he’s contributing to broadly decent results. His credentials as a top-flight footballer are solid.
43. Calvin Bassey (Fulham)
Probably one of the more underrated centre-backs in the Premier League in the past couple of years and he’s made an excellent start to the season with Fulham. Extra points for coming across like a bloody good bloke too.
42. Julio Enciso (Ipswich Town)
Two goals and two assists for Enciso, who epitomises the flowing attacking football Ipswich try and produce under Gary O’Neil. He’s a little unpredictable, yes, but also inventive and creative and a constant shooting threat from distance.
41. Murillo (Nottingham Forest)
All-action centre-back who is returning to form after a slow start to the season. He may try to score from the halfway line, like he tried against Manchester City the other day, or take on three players and be inches away from scoring a wondergoal, like against Arsenal the other week, but Murillo is also just an exceptional, no-nonsense defender. No centre-back has recovered the ball more times than the Brazilian, with 52.
40. Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Leeds)
His form reminds you why there was hype around him in his younger years. It’s not like playing up front in this Leeds team is a doddle, either. Chances can be limited but Calvert-Lewin has nailed the art of penalty-box poaching, leading the line pretty tirelessly. On top of his performances, he strikes you as a positive personality behind the scenes, which can only be a bonus. A new Elland Road contract is nigh.
(Stu Forster/Getty Images)
39. Lewis Hall (Newcastle United)
Still only 22 years old and blossoming into one of the best left-backs in European football, not just in England. He’s been Newcastle’s best player (not difficult) and has overcome the sizeable distraction of being linked with a move to Manchester United in the summer to crack on with some wonderfully consistent, attacking, marauding displays down the left flank. A gigantic 67 ball recoveries is the most by any defender in the league.
38. Thierno Barry (Everton)
Thierno Barry is joint-third in the scoring charts (with six from 10 appearances) and enjoying possibly the best purple patch of his career to date. Why not higher than 38th, then? Well, according to the analysts at Opta, he’s also missed 16 big chances this season. Sixteen. To put that in context, next on the list is Rayan with eight misses. Is Barry really good, or really bad? Like with Marmite, Coldplay and the new prime minister, we’re not quite sure.
37. Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)
Injury caught up with him during Arsenal’s Champions League draw at Bayern Munich and it’s not clear when he’ll be available again, but it was pleasing for Arteta to see Saka looking more like his usual self before his hamstring failed him. Arteta would still want the winger’s attacking numbers to increase, and assists from Saka are thin on the ground, but there’s no arguing with the team’s collective form.
36. Micky van de Ven (Tottenham Hotspur)
A defender previously known for his ability to bulldoze headfirst through a wall while gallivanting upfield is now more likely to paint you a nice picture with a football, having been remodelled under Roberto De Zerbi into a patient, confident, assured ball-playing centre-back. He can still do the crazy-fast stuff too, but Van de Ven is an early success story for the Italian boss, who has made him into a much more well-rounded defender.
35. Alex Iwobi (Fulham)
Will they write poems about Alex Iwobi or build statues in his honour? Probably not for his 35th-place ranking in our list of the 50 best Premier League footballers of the 2026-27 campaign (so far), no, but who knows, maybe for his 2.95 expected assists (xA), which is more than anyone else has managed this season. Iwobi is just a good, solid, creative midfield-based presence at Fulham, where a switch to the left wing from a more central position has been fruitful in recent weeks.
34. Alexander Isak (Liverpool)
It’s taken forever, but is Isak finally coming into his own at Anfield? He’s one goal away from double figures for club and country, and he’s behind only Erling Haaland in the Premier League goalscoring charts. He seems at home in Liverpool’s system and there’s no longer any question about whether he should be starting. Whisper it quietly but an impressive campaign might be incoming.
33. Brian Brobbey (Sunderland)
This boy must have been murder to play against in the school playground. When he’s in the mood, he dominates people mercilessly, as Chelsea found out last Saturday, and the pressure he exerted was crucial in earning Sunderland a victory they were desperate for. We don’t want to be the bearers of bad news, Sunderland fans, but he’s reported to have pulled out of the Netherlands squad through injury.
(Martin Rickett/PA Images via Getty Images)
32. Sandro Tonali (Tottenham)
Any manager worth his salt should be able to make use of Tonali, and Roberto De Zerbi succeeded in giving the Italian and others a timely kick up the rear end. Tottenham’s streak of three straight wins, in which Tonali grafted hard, put talk of relegation back in its box. Defeat to Leeds last weekend merely reminded us that Spurs are going to be up and down. That will probably be true of Tonali too.
31. James Trafford (Leeds)
We’ll brush over last month’s little aberration at Bournemouth, when Trafford might as well have passed the ball into his own net. He’s been good for Leeds and he’s maintained a solid record — eight league goals shipped so far — despite him being one of the Premier League goalkeepers who is being asked to make most saves. Four clean sheets is good going at this stage.
30. Jack Rudoni (Coventry City)
Stepping into England’s top flight with a team in Coventry City’s position — first time back in the division for a quarter of a century, constrained by an unavoidably low budget — doesn’t give a footballer a prime environment in which to shine. Coventry, though, are making a fist of surviving, and two of Rudoni’s three goals from midfield have contributed to precious wins. It’s been a long road for him since Crystal Palace released him as a kid.
29. Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (Everton)
A slow-ish start to the season but has been one of the form players in the league in recent weeks, lifting Everton’s performances at the same time, especially in the win at Newcastle, where he was magnificent. He ranks third in the league for big chances created and is a joy to watch (unless you’re Thomas Tuchel).
(Tony McArdle/Eveton FC via Getty Images)
28. Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool)
Five goals in all competitions from 16 appearances reflects his resurgence of late (albeit only one goal in the Premier League) after a very disappointing 2025-26 campaign. Mac Allister is such a clever player and has become Andoni Iraola’s manager on the pitch, with Liverpool’s boss saying recently: “He understands the game overall, not just the demands of his position. Sometimes he is the first to correct his team-mates, not just the one that is next to him. He understands what is happening, which is a very good quality to have.”
Incidentally, his improved form definitely has absolutely nothing to do with him wanting a new contract.
27. Johan Manzambi (Aston Villa)
An impressive start with two goals and three assists, despite only featuring for 52 per cent of Villa’s Premier League minutes so far. Manzambi is fun, fiery and fits that Unai Emery No 10 role perfectly.
The Athletic’s Villa correspondent Jacob Tanswell wrote about the exciting youngster recently: “In many ways, the Switzerland international is the perfect Emery attacker. He is malleable, a ball-carrier and supreme in transition. He is comfortable in tight spaces due to his first touch being taken at an angle and into space, rather than killing the ball dead, which invites pressure.”
26. Mohamed Belloumi (Hull City)
Belloumi’s time at Hull has been slightly weird. He contributed very little in his first season there, because an ACL injury ruined it for him, and only by a narrow margin did the club avoid relegation to League One. He then had a hand in promotion to the Premier League, without being totally regular. But he’s coped with the leap up and acclimatised quickly, with three goals and two assists. Despite their good start, Hull need plenty more where those came from.
25. Jarrad Branthwaite (Everton)
After a horrible, injury-hit 2025-26, Branthwaite has resumed his bid to become one of the best centre-backs in the Premier League. He ranks second in the division for blocks (14) and joint-eighth among defenders for aerial duels won (35).
As Patrick Boyland wrote in September when identifying Branthwaite as Everton’s key outfield player, Branthwaite is “someone who makes those around him look better and has qualities the side — particularly in defence — otherwise lacks”. And here’s a description from his centre-back partner James Tarkowski: “Strong as an ox, rapid, brilliant on the ball, two-footed, communicates really well.”
24. Maxim De Cuyper (Brighton)
Causing havoc down Brighton’s left while Diego Gomez does his thing on the right. The front end of Albion’s team looks pretty telepathic and, having been in and out of their line-up last season, De Cuyper is now a mainstay. Any player who assists twice in the first five minutes of a match has to be worth cultivating. You’d warn Brighton against selling him but one day they will, no doubt for a massive fee, and then recruit someone even better.
23. Riccardo Calafiori (Arsenal)
Began the season metaphorically on fire, running in directions and into spaces that most full-backs can only dream of, perfectly displaying the chaotic free-ish role he often brings to Arsenal’s attack. Piero Hincapie often had the nod at left-back last season but the shirt is Calafiori’s so far in 2026-27, with Mikel Arteta saying recently that the Italian has “special energy, a special aura around him”.
22. Rayan Cherki (Manchester City)
Five goals in nine games so far, including what may become one of the great Premier League forgotten goals, an 18-yard left-footed half volley against Nottingham Forest for which the term ‘spanked thunderbolt’ has been invented. Also netted two beauties in the win at Crystal Palace. Mercurial, inventive and so fun.
(Darren Staples / AFP via Getty Images)
21. Jeremy Jacquet (Liverpool)
The timing of what might well be Virgil van Dijk’s last year at Liverpool has been perfect for Jeremy Jacquet. It’s giving the Frenchman a sustained chance to play alongside Van Dijk and learn from him, before Van Dijk sails off into the sunset. Jacquet has a good skill set anyway but you can sense him settling in at Anfield and growing in stature. The baton had to pass on eventually.
20. Josh King (Fulham)
An England call-up was just reward for a wonderful start to the season for the Fulham teenager, who is surely now officially the best Josh King to ever play in the Premier League. Incessantly positive, quick, absolutely outstanding on the half-turn and creates chances from nowhere… there’s so much to like. Fulham’s best player already.
19. Morgan Rogers (Chelsea)
That chunky price tag doesn’t seem to have bothered Rogers much. It’s not that he’s been the making of Chelsea completely (Xabi Alonso is still fighting to bring them to heel) but he’s been one of the summer’s best signings to date, which isn’t always the case when clubs go big on a fee. Rogers’ impact on the goal front was immediate but his movement and ball-carrying are big assets too. Money well spent.
18. Zion Suzuki (Aston Villa)
One of the most interesting goalkeeper additions to the Premier League in a long while. Suzuki makes glorious instinctive saves, boings around like a spring and sprays passes like a cultured midfielder. He is also prone to the odd error, which just makes him all the more captivating. Anyway, overall, excellent so far.
17. Ronald Araujo (Liverpool)
If this list was based purely on aggressive, throwback-era fun in a manner that crosses the football-based violence of Stuart Pearce with the tomfoolery-based attitude of Paul Gascoigne, Araujo would be first. He heads the ball while he’s on the floor, he barges opponents to the ground, he jumps into the stands to celebrate goals and he launches into tackles like a human jackhammer. Araujo is good as well as fun, unexpectedly making the Anfield right-back slot his own.
(Michael Regan/Getty Images)
16. Joao Pedro (Chelsea)
Before you say it, yes, he’s out of action and, yes, he’s missed Chelsea’s last four games. The quad injury he suffered in October sparked a bit of Fantasy Premier League drama. But he was in the groove before that happened and Chelsea have been a bit diminished without him. So he’s holding a relatively high rank.
15. David Raya (Arsenal)
If you come back as a goalkeeper in a future life, come back as David Raya (and bring a deckchair). He’s being asked to make an average of two saves a game. Arsenal’s expected goals against tally (xGA) in the Premier League is a mere 7.6 after 10 matches, and they’ve only actually conceded five. That’s not to say the man at the back is permanently watching from a distance, though. He’s always on his toes, and he continues to look like one of the world’s best.
14. Marcus Tavernier (Bournemouth)
See Evanilson. Tavernier played a big part for Iraola and he looks no less at home with Rose in the technical area. He’s already on for a career-high total of league goals for a season — set at seven in 2025-26 — and there’s a lot to like about a Bournemouth front four of him, Evanilson, Justin Kluivert and Rayan. Best of all, they’re all comfortably on the right side of 30.
13. Diego Gomez (Brighton)
What’s not to like about this guy? He was a snip at £11m, he came in as a central midfielder but he’s now adapted to a role out wide, unlike that of the modern-day winger. For a start, he’s a right-footer on the right-hand side, in an era when coaches like their wider forwards to invert, and he also competes in aerial challenges far more than he dribbles. But he knows where the goal is and every second finish is weapons-grade; that strike against Brentford last weekend a case in point.
(Glyn KIRK / AFP via Getty Images)
12. Elliot Anderson (Manchester City)
Tasks that aren’t easy; 1) replacing Rodri, 2) having a wandering Enzo Fernandez as your midfield partner. As Sam Lee outlined recently, Anderson is being asked to do a lot, but he’s also doing a lot of things very well. No one has played more line-breaking passes per 90 minutes than his 21.6, for example, but Anderson is also protecting the defence and occasionally breaking into the opposition third too. Expectations were sky-high but he’s living up to them so far.
11. Tarik Muharemovic (Leeds United)
Looked pretty ace for Bosnia and Herzegovina at the World Cup, looks pretty ace for Leeds United in the Premier League and is essentially just pretty ace. Leeds, with Daniel Farke as manager, are quite conservative in an attacking sense, so an awful lot rests on the quality of their backline, in which Muharemovic has been dreamy. He’s competitive, he’s a ball player, he reads the game well and the next time he moves, it won’t be for £34m.
10. Gabriel (Arsenal)
Considering that Arsenal just don’t concede goals, there’s an argument to say that Gabriel should be permanently wedged at the top of this list. Suffice to say, he’s going to spend the whole year either in the top 10 or very close to it, because he’s a defender who does exactly what it says on the tin. The one thing Mikel Arteta hasn’t had from him this season is a whole lot of set-piece goals, but you know Gabriel: he’ll come up with them precisely when Arsenal need them.
9. Bart Verbruggen (Brighton)
The joint-most clean sheets (seven, with Raya), the joint-most goals prevented (4.4, with James Trafford and Lukas Hornicek) and one of the individual performances of the season when repelling Manchester City with seven saves at the Etihad in Brighton’s 1-0 victory. The 24-year-old buys coffee for everyone after a clean sheet, meaning they’re bouncing off the ceilings at the Amex this season.
8. Luka Vuskovic (Brighton)
It was hard to envisage this teenage centre-back would take to Premier League life so swimmingly, in what’s been a revelatory opening 10 appearances for Brighton from the incredibly reassured Vuskovic. Well, Spurs certainly didn’t envisage it, given they sold him to the Seagulls in the summer. Credit must also go to Lewis Dunk, the Alfred to Vuskovic’s Batman, for helping him settle into the Premier League’s second-best defence.
7. Nicolas Jackson (Aston Villa)
Things you thought you’d never write. Chelsea didn’t want him, Bayern Munich didn’t want him and when Jackson went to Aston Villa in the summer, we began the countdown to the day when they began fielding inquiries from prospective buyers. But no! The maligned forward has scored six times domestically, three times in the Champions League and made himself look like a valuable cog in the machine, defying our scepticism. In the words of OutKast (kind of): sorry Mr Jackson.
6. Martin Odegaard (Arsenal)
It’s been a welcome return to form for Odegaard, who has already scored more goals (three) than he managed in the whole of last season (just one). In terms of Arsenal dominating and seeing out games, the Norwegian’s rhythmic flow has been crucial and he’s approaching somewhere near his best form after a couple of dodgy, injury-hit seasons.
(James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images)
5. Evanilson (Bournemouth)
Once again, Bournemouth are proving that they know what they’re doing. Andoni Iraola was a seemingly huge loss but after an initial wobble, Bournemouth are on the march under Marco Rose — up to seventh place after four Premier League wins on the bounce. Players who did it for Iraola are doing it for Rose, and seven goals across all competitions is a superb haul from Evanilson. He’s assisting pretty regularly too. Whoever thought to spend £40m on the Brazilian in 2024 had their head screwed on, as per.
4. Ezri Konsa (Arsenal)
The highest possible compliment you can pay Konsa is that some Arsenal fans are advocating that he stays in the team despite William Saliba’s impending return from injury. Yes, Konsa is part of the best defensive unit the Premier League has seen for some time, which certainly helps make you look the part, but he’s barely put a step out of place and has been imperious in his one-on-one battles.
The resounding thud from his crunching tackle on Morgan Rogers is still reverberating around the Emirates.
3. Erling Haaland (Manchester City)
The Athletic tempted fate last month by saying that Haaland cutting his hair wasn’t having a Samson-like effect on him or Manchester City. Almost immediately, the club’s results spiralled out of control. Not much of the blame lies on Haaland for that, though. He’s outperformed his xG (6.55) by scoring nine league goals, and Enzo Maresca can’t seriously ask for more than that. There’s only so much weight the Viking can carry on his shoulders.
2. Declan Rice (Arsenal)
Captain Sensible (OK, he doesn’t wear the armband at Arsenal, but you get the point) is driving another charge to the title. In elite circles, it’s hard to think of a more quietly-going-about-his-business player than Rice, and the next stage of Mikel Arteta’s tireless search for marginal gains will surely be to genetically clone him. The consistency of Rice’s football is entirely symbiotic with the consistency of Arsenal’s. Defensively, they’re like Fort Knox.
1. Pascal Gross (Brighton)
Enjoying the best Indian summer since Mickey Rourke, returning from the football wilderness (aka the Bundesliga) in arguably better form than he ever showed when achieving legendary Brighton status in his first seven-year spell.
The 35-year-old Gross became one of the oldest-ever recipients of a Premier League player of the month award in September (still three years younger than Stuart Pearce and Teddy Sheringham), partly for his orchestration of Brighton’s demolition job against Arsenal, in which he scored one and set another up.
As well as goals (four) and assists (six) he’s also covered more ground than anyone else in the league (according to FotMob) at 119.5km and counting. That’s just shy of three marathons in 10 games and he also tops the league for chances created, with 29. What a guy.
(Ed Sykes/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images)