Who is your side's most valuable Premier League player this season?
Who has created the most chances from open play? Which defender has won the most aerial duels? And many more!
Sunday 26 April 2020 13:48, UK
Want to know who your club’s most valuable player has been this campaign? Well, we have crunched all the numbers and here are the results...
Arsenal - Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was the final signing of Arsene Wenger's reign as Arsenal manager - and what a parting gift he has proven to be. Aubameyang has 20 goals in all competitions this season, the first Arsenal player to score 20 or more in back-to-back seasons since Robin van Persie. With 17 of his goals in the Premier League - only Jamie Vardy has more on 19 - Aubameyang could also become the first Arsenal player to win successive Golden Boots since Thierry Henry in the early 2000s. Aubameyang's total is made the more impressive as 11 of his 17 league goals have come when he has been playing on the wing, while only Sadio Mane's goals have been worth more points to his team across the division.
Aston Villa - Jack Grealish
Before this season, Jack Grealish's previous experience of the Premier League ended in 18 straight defeats and relegation in 2016. After a three-year hiatus from the top division, Grealish must have been desperate to prove his worth at the highest level this season. It is fair to say he has done that and then some, with more goals (seven) and more assists (six) than any other Aston Villa player. The division's most-fouled player (127 times, 33 more than anyone else), Grealish has also created 34 more chances from open play than any of his team-mates, equalling almost a quarter of Villa's entire total.
Bournemouth - Harry Wilson
Having top-scored for Derby with 18 goals last season, helping them reach the Championship play-off final, the natural progression for Harry Wilson in 2019-20 was an opportunity to play in the Premier League for the first time. The Liverpool loanee has impressed on the South Coast, offering a new dimension to a Bournemouth side in danger of going stale. He has had more shots (47) than any of his team-mates, despite completing 90 minutes only twice all season. Wilson has scored three goals from outside the box - in the last two full Premier League seasons, no Bournemouth player had done that more than once.
Brighton - Aaron Mooy
It came as little surprise when Brighton made Aaron Mooy's loan deal a permanent one towards the end of the January transfer window. The Australian has been a vital component in midfield for Brighton as manager Graham Potter strives to make them easier on the eye and more composed on the ball this season. Mooy averages 20.7 passes in the final third per 90 minutes (only Pascal Gross sees more of the ball closer to the opposition goal for Brighton) and it is no coincidence that his summer arrival from Huddersfield has seen the Seagulls return their most impressive Premier League statistics yet for possession and passing.
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Burnley - James Tarkowski
If ever a Premier League team were built in the image of its manager, it's Burnley. Sean Dyche was a no-nonsense centre-back in his playing career and his ever-present defender James Tarkowski is cut from similar cloth. Tarkowski leads the way for the most aerial duels won by defenders and the most headed clearances (81) this season. In no small part due to Tarkowski's interventions, the Clarets have conceded a league-low five per cent of their goals from set pieces. Neither Tarkowski nor his centre-back partner Ben Mee has missed a single minute of Premier League action since December 2018 - they are clearly the perfect fit for Dyche's team.
Chelsea - Willian
Chelsea's final two goals before the enforced break in the Premier League season were assisted or scored by Willian. And with more thinking time than ever, his manager Frank Lampard must now be giving serious consideration to extending the contract of the 31-year-old, which is set to expire this summer. Willian has been Chelsea's most creative force this season, setting up five goals and 51 chances for team-mates; he also ranks in their top threes for dribbles and shots, all that despite featuring in only 74 per cent of available minutes. Although Lampard has built his Chelsea side around youthful talent, there will surely remain a place for an experienced head, especially one with numbers as good as Willian.
Crystal Palace - Wilfried Zaha
Wilfried Zaha's return of three goals and three assists for Crystal Palace this season may not seem remarkable, but scratch the surface of his stats and there's a strong case to be made for the Ivorian winger being the most important attacking outlet to their team across the entire Premier League. Zaha has been responsible for over 40 per cent of his team's dribbles and fouls won in the final third this season, and he contributes over a quarter of the Eagles' touches in the opposition box. All pretty impressive when you consider Roy Hodgson's side average the seventh-lowest possession and seventh-lowest passing accuracy this season.
Everton - Richarlison
Richarlison has been a focal point for Everton in attack this season, recording the most shots and the most touches in the opposition box for his team, while his 10 Premier League goals is only bettered by strike partner Dominic Calvert-Lewin on 13. Richarlison's influence does not stop there, he is also the Toffees' top performer for creating chances in open play and dribbling past opponents. But perhaps his biggest contribution is his work rate off the ball - the Brazilian has made the most tackles of all Premier League forwards this season, 20 more than anyone else, providing Everton with one of the division's most rounded attackers.
Leicester - Wilfred Ndidi
Leicester lead the way for counterattacks this season, a hallmark of their game in recent years. The bedrock of their midfield and the key man in launching so many fast breaks is Wilfred Ndidi. The Nigerian is a master of the art of the turnover, regularly winning possession and springing attacks. His 4.4 tackles per 90 minutes is the highest in the Premier League this season and significantly higher than the next-best central midfielder, Oriol Romeu on 3.2. Ndidi's value was further demonstrated by his recent injury absence - a five-game run that saw the previously high-flying Foxes take only two points from a possible 15.
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Liverpool - Virgil van Dijk
Liverpool's defensive resilience has been the foundation for their relentless march towards the Premier League title. At the heart of that has been Virgil van Dijk, ever present this season and, indeed, for the last 80 matches. The Dutchman has helped Liverpool set division-lows for shots on target faced, goals conceded and xG against. Their total of 12 clean sheets is also the most in the Premier League, including 10 in a remarkable 11-game spell between December and February. Van Dijk's defensive contribution is supplemented by his ability on the ball - he has completed more passes than any other player across the division this season (2210).
Manchester City - Kevin de Bruyne
While Manchester City may eventually relinquish their two-year status as champions, Kevin De Bruyne would still have a fair claim of being this season's outstanding Premier League player. Creatively, he has been in a different stratosphere to the rest of the division, creating the most chances, and being miles ahead for most chances created in open play. The Belgian is also on course to break the record for most assists in a single Premier League campaign, currently held by Thierry Henry with 20 in 2002-03. Five more would do the trick for De Bruyne in City's remaining 10 games.
Manchester United - Harry Maguire
All eyes were on Harry Maguire when he became the most expensive defender in the world last August. His Manchester United debut against Chelsea brought a clean sheet and a man-of-the-match performance, he has played every minute in the Premier League since, and now wears the captain's armband too, following the departure of Ashley Young to Inter Milan. In Maguire's last 15 starts in all competitions, United have kept 11 clean sheets and he is the stats leaders in many key categories for his team. In proving his £80m transfer fee was money well spent, Maguire could hardly have done more in his first nine months at Old Trafford.
Newcastle - Martin Dubravka
Martin Dubravka has played every minute of Newcastle's 79 Premier League games since his debut in February 2018 - only fellow goalkeepers Ben Foster and Jordan Pickford are currently on longer uninterrupted runs. With Newcastle the joint-lowest scorers this season with Norwich on 25 goals, Dubravka's performances at the other end have been crucial. He has made more saves than any goalkeeper, preventing 7.7 'expected goals' - only Sheffield United's Dean Henderson (8.2) outperforms him there. With the enforced break giving him the opportunity to recover from a knee injury, Dubravka will aim to pick up where he left off when the Premier League resumes.
Norwich - Teemu Pukki
Teemu Pukki became only the sixth player in Premier League history to score six or more goals in their first five appearances when he hit the ground running in August last year. Although the goals have dried up to some extent since, it is fair to say Norwich would be far adrift at the bottom had it not been for the Finn's input. He has contributed 11 of the Canaries' 25 goals this season, making him the Premier League leader in scoring the highest percentage of his team's goals (44 per cent). He is in fact the only player in the division to have been directly involved in over half of his team's goals (56 per cent) when you also factor in his three assists.
Sheffield United - Dean Henderson
Sheffield United's goals-against record is one of the achievements of the season so far - their 25 conceded is only bettered by Liverpool. On-loan Manchester United goalkeeper Dean Henderson, playing in his first Premier League season, has been exceptional. The only time the Blades have conceded three or more goals in a match was the only one he missed, against his parent club in November. His 76 per cent save ratio is the fourth-best in the Premier League, and significantly better than any other English goalkeeper. In fact, Manchester United must be contemplating when to bring him back to Old Trafford, given that he has also statistically outperformed their No. 1 David de Gea.
Southampton - Danny Ings
With nine games still to go, Danny Ings has already made 2019/20 his best season for Premier League goals with 15 - quite a contrast to his previous four injury-hit seasons which yielded just 10 goals from a total of 38 appearances. To say his goals have been vital for Southampton would be an understatement. He has scored 43 per cent of the Saints' 35 goals this season, only Norwich's Teemu Pukki has a higher proportion for his team. Ings is the division leader for scoring the opening goal in games, having done so 13 times. And without his goals, Southampton would be 13 points worse off and joint-bottom with Norwich.
Tottenham - Heung-Min Son
Despite playing only two-thirds of Tottenham's minutes in the Premier League this season, Heung-Min Son has been directly involved in 16 goals, the most of any player at the club. His goal against Aston Villa in February was his ninth of the season in the league and the fifth successive game in which he had scored in all competitions. His total of seven assists is a club-high and already the most in any league campaign of his career. But as well as his last-minute winner, Son also came away from Villa Park with a fractured arm, and without him Tottenham have one point from three games, drifting seven points away from the Champions League places.
Watford - Etienne Capoue
Etienne Capoue has been integral to Watford's survival bid under Nigel Pearson. Just before Christmas, the Hornets were bottom of the Premier League and nine points from safety, but since then they have won five out of 12 games, taking them out of the drop zone on goal difference. Capoue has been Watford's only outfield ever present in that run since Christmas, in fact they are without a win in any of the five league games he has missed all season. The Frenchman is top in a number of categories for the club, while his tally of 61 interceptions is only bettered by Bournemouth's Diego Rico across the division.
West Ham - Declan Rice
Declan Rice is one of nine outfield players to have played every minute in the Premier League this season and the youngest of those by some five years. The 21-year old has covered 317 kilometres, only Southampton's James Ward-Prowse has more Premier League kilometres on the clock. Rice has also won possession in the middle third of the pitch 126 times this season; another Southampton man, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, is the only player to outperform him in that metric. Along with his work rate and ball-winning skills, Rice also has an eye for a pass, having started 25 sequences which end in a shot for his team, 10 more than any other Hammer.
Wolves - Adama Traore
Crystal Palace winger Zaha finished top of the Premier League's dribbling ranks in each of the last four completed seasons. But Adama Traore has emerged from the fringes at Wolves this season to surpass Zaha and become the division's most prolific ball carrier. Traore averages 6.25 successful dribbles per 90 minutes; he is undoubtedly the key man to the Wolves counterattack and their 29 'fast breaks' this season - only Leicester and Liverpool have had more. For a player who only started eight league games last season, it has been quite the rise for Traore in 2019-20.