Arsenal
Evaluating the Premier League’s Best Midfielders
Assessment of the Premier League’s leading midfielders: roles, form, transfers and impact. Season 25.
The Premier League currently fields an unusually deep pool of midfield talent, spread across the traditional powers and beyond. Below is a concise assessment of the players outlined in the original draft, concentrating on roles, recent form and defining attributes.
Xavi Simons arrived at Tottenham Hotspur last summer from RB Leipzig and is still adapting to English football. The Netherlands international has shown glimpses of his creative brilliance. A versatile attacking midfielder, Simons excels in small spaces, using a low centre of gravity and a quick turn of pace to influence play around the penalty area.
Martin Ødegaard remains one of the division’s top midfielders despite a dip in stock over the past year due to injuries and questions over his long-term role. The Arsenal captain is often deployed into the wide right space by the system, but he has built a strong relationship with Bukayo Saka. He may be better suited to a traditional attacking midfield role where his playmaking and left foot are most threatening.
Bruno Guimarães has been a model of consistency since joining Newcastle United in 2022. An all-action presence, he combines tackles, accurate diagonals and timely goals with a tireless work rate, forming a central trio with Sandro Tonali and Joelinton.
Martín Zubimendi turned down Liverpool in summer 2024 before joining Arsenal. The Spaniard has adapted quickly, offering defensive midfield control through a blend of ferocity and finesse.
Sandro Tonali returned from a 10-month ban for breaching betting rules and has repaid Newcastle’s faith since early in the 2024–25 season. He contributes goals, tempo, ball carrying and accurate distribution, backed by tenacity.
Dominik Szoboszlai impressed Liverpool supporters with spectacular strikes on arrival but has been noted for his work ethic. Used across midfield and even at right back, he is valued for stamina, clean ball striking and passing range.
Enzo Fernández required time to settle at Chelsea but now matches the expectations of his £107 million transfer fee, offering box-crashing runs and chances from both deeper and more advanced positions.
Rodri, the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner, has been hampered by injuries and missed nearly all of 2024–25. On form he remains one of the best defensive midfielders, a calming, intelligent presence essential to Manchester City.
Bruno Fernandes has been Manchester United’s standout player in recent years, producing double-digit goals and assists in each of his five full seasons at the club with exceptional touch and vision.
Alexis Mac Allister rose to prominence at Brighton & Hove Albion, claimed the World Cup while representing the Seagulls, and has since become Liverpool’s deep-lying playmaker.
Cole Palmer, a Manchester City academy product, emerged at Chelsea as a talisman after a breakthrough debut season in 2023–24 and is described as a generational talent.
Florian Wirtz has had a subdued start since his £116 million move to Liverpool but previously spearheaded Bayer Leverkusen to the Bundesliga and DFB Pokal double in 2023–24 and is expected to improve.
Ryan Gravenberch was redeployed into a combative defensive midfield role under Arne Slot in 2024–25, playing a key part in Liverpool’s title and winning the Premier League Young Player of the Season award.
Declan Rice, acquired for £105 million, has transformed Arsenal’s midfield. Effective as a holding player and in a box-to-box role, he contributes goals, assists and set-piece delivery and is viewed as a complete midfielder.
Arsenal
October Premier League award nominees announced
Premier League October award nominees include standout performers and managers across the division.
The Premier League has named the contenders for its October 2026 Player and Manager of the Month awards, with eight players and six managers included on the respective shortlists.
Bournemouth forward Evanilson enjoyed a productive month, finishing October with four goals and one assist from four appearances as his team beat Sunderland, Manchester United and Leeds United after a slow opening to the season.
Aston Villa striker Nicolas Jackson also reached four goals in the month. The former Chelsea player scored twice in the 2-1 win over Manchester City and also found the net in draws against Brentford and Fulham.
Arsenal are represented by Ezri Konsa and Declan Rice after a perfect month. Konsa impressed in defence while William Saliba was absent, keeping two clean sheets in three outings and scoring his first goal for the club. Rice contributed two important assists at the other end.
Jack Rudoni’s form has helped Coventry City. The newly promoted side took two wins from four matches in October, with Rudoni scoring three times as they moved further away from the relegation zone.
Tottenham Hotspur also had an unbeaten month, and Jan Paul van Hecke played a key role in wins over Coventry, Chelsea and Crystal Palace. No player attempted or completed more passes than the Dutch defender last month.
Brighton have two nominees in Luka Vušković and Bart Verbruggen. Three clean sheets in four matches brought recognition for the Seagulls’ defence.
On the managerial shortlist, Chelsea scored more goals than any other team in October with nine, while Arsenal’s Mikel Arteta guided his side to the top of the table. Roberto De Zerbi, Unai Emery, Fabian Hürzeler and Marco Rose complete the list after strong runs during the month.
Month
Player
Club
August
João Pedro
Chelsea
September
Pascal Groß
Brighton
Month
Manager
Club
August
Sergej Jakirović
Hull
September
Arsenal
Barcola highlights Liverpool’s control problem after Arsenal defeat
Barcola says Liverpool need more control after Arsenal and the numbers partly support him.
Bradley Barcola’s reaction to Liverpool’s loss to Arsenal has put a clear focus on the next stage of Andoni Iraola’s rebuild. The forward said the team need greater control and more composure in matches of this kind, especially when they are drawn into direct play rather than keeping the ball on the ground.
That message comes against a generally positive backdrop. Liverpool have already moved past Atlético Madrid, LASK and Villarreal with different levels of comfort, and they remain on course for a top-eight finish for the third straight season. That would spare them two extra fixtures in the new year.
Results have not been the major issue in Iraola’s opening months. Arne Slot’s successor has suffered only two defeats in all competitions, and Liverpool’s European form has been matched by a Carabao Cup quarterfinal place and fifth position in the Premier League. Even so, the rare home defeat to Arsenal showed that the side are still evolving.
Liverpool had their strongest moments after falling behind, with their work without the ball making life difficult for the champions. They controlled territory for long stretches and recorded 30 touches in Arsenal’s box in the first half, yet they did not manage a shot on target before the interval. Alexis Mac Allister also had a chance to level the game before half-time.
After the break, Mikel Arteta’s adjustments helped Arsenal settle, and Liverpool’s momentum faded. Barcola struggled to make repeated one-on-one progress and at times did not even look to take Jurrïen Timber on.
The numbers back up part of his complaint. Liverpool completed just 11 long passes, with a success rate of 25%, and only 11% of their crosses found a team-mate. Their average possession share ranks seventh in the Premier League, per Opta, while they have also produced 17 through balls, the joint-10th-highest total.
Barcola’s own game is built around running in behind, and he is still waiting for his first Premier League goal. Signed for huge money as Liverpool’s third-most expensive arrival ever, he was not universally viewed as a direct Mohamed Salah replacement because he prefers to play on the left. Salah left Anfield at the end of last season and later joined Trabzonspor on a free transfer, but Barcola said he feels no pressure from that departure: “Regarding Mo Salah, he’s a legend here. A huge one. He’s done big things here, and for that I have an enormous respect for him. But it’s not pressure for me at all.
Arsenal
Arteta sees Saliba return as a solution, not a selection issue
Arteta says Arsenal’s centre-back depth is a luxury, not a problem, as Saliba nears his return.
Mikel Arteta does not view Arsenal’s growing options at centre back as a concern. Instead, he believes the return of William Saliba, alongside Gabriel and Ezri Konsa, gives the squad a chance to manage the season more effectively.
Konsa, who started most of England’s run to a third-place finish at the tournament, was signed in August with the understanding that Saliba would be unavailable for several months. Since then, he has settled into the Arsenal line-up and has been consistently reliable.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday after Arsenal arrived in Czechia for their Champions League meeting with Slavia Prague, Arteta suggested Saliba is now close to being available whenever the manager chooses to call on him.
“He’s in, and he’s in like anybody else,” Arteta explained. “All the preparation has been done to measure all the loads and all the steps that he had to do to minimize that risk. Now he’s in a really good place. He’s built the capacity that we needed and now it’s about giving him minutes.
“A center back normally has to be able to play 90 minutes and that’s why all the preparation that we’ve done to build him.” Saliba himself, Arteta said, is “very desperate” to get back and will have the “right amount of minutes very soon.”
For Saliba to regain his place, one of Gabriel or Konsa would need to step aside. Arteta said that having all three available is a “luxury” Arsenal have not enjoyed earlier in the season.
“I wouldn’t call it a problem,” he said. “We can talk about problems that are very different to that one.”
Arteta has long spoken about the physical strain placed on players across four club competitions, plus international commitments. He believes a deeper pool at centre back can help Arsenal rotate more intelligently and handle the demands of the schedule with greater control.
