The Athletic’s opening 2026-27 Premier League Player Rankings

Who is the best player in the Premier League? The Athletic is attempting to answer that throughout the 2026-27 campaign with a monthly ranking built from form, data and the eye tests of Phil Hay and Tim Spiers. The August edition looks at last season’s performances while projecting what to expect next.

Mohamed Salah and Rodri have gone, diminishing the league’s superstar power and pushing a couple of unexpected names into the top ten. The Athletic notes it’s a sign of the league’s strength that a £55m midfielder who won the Premier League and the World Cup last season doesn’t make the list, and neither does a gifted £73m striker who plays for Manchester United. A World Cup-winning goalkeeper who, if he doesn’t get a move, may not even get a game is also omitted.

Top of the table

1. Erling Haaland – Manchester City – 112 goals from 132 Premier League games. The Norwegian continues to define the position, with the Athletic warning England at the World Cup and Arsenal last season proved he can’t carry a team alone, but there is still no poacher like him.

2. Bruno Fernandes – Manchester United – The 31-year-old Portuguese maestro broke the Premier League assist record with 21 assists in 2025-26, previously jointly held by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne. He remains the player carrying United.

3. Declan Rice – Arsenal – One of the few £100m-plus signings to justify the fee after playing an influential role in Arsenal’s long-overdue title success in 2025-26. Now 27, he is entering his prime.

4. Gabriel – Arsenal – A hugely consistent, world-class defender aerially and on the ball, a vital cog in Arsenal’s attacking set-piece machine and the gold-standard partner for William Saliba.

5. William Saliba – Arsenal – Described as “Pinky” to Gabriel’s “Brain”, Saliba combines class and brute strength in equal measure as Arsenal’s other centre-back.

Rising and returning names

Bruno Guimaraes moves to Arsenal in the ranking at No.6, while Moises Caicedo is No.7 for Chelsea, with Gary Neville having called the 24-year-old the Premier League’s best midfielder last season. Dominik Szoboszlai is No.8 for Liverpool after a star turn in a turbulent year, and Bukayo Saka is No.9 for Arsenal.

Florian Wirtz, Elliot Anderson and Virgil van Dijk round out the top 12. The Athletic notes Van Dijk, 35, was more exposed last season under Arne Slot but could be revitalised with a high-calibre partner before a contract expires in under 12 months.

Notable entries outside the top ten

Cole Palmer is 13th for Chelsea after a fallow assist return cost him a World Cup spot, while Antoine Semenyo jumps to 14th following ten goals for Bournemouth and seven after his January move to Manchester City.

David Raya is 15th for Arsenal, praised for reflex saves and Spain’s goalkeeping depth with Unai Simon and Joan Garcia. Rayan Cherki is 16th for Manchester City, lauded as an artist-like creator, ahead of Enzo Fernandez at 17 and Joao Pedro at 18 for Chelsea, who scored 20 goals and nine assists in 50 matches.

Jeremy Doku is 19th for Manchester City, Ismaila Sarr 20th for Crystal Palace as the highest-ranked non-Big Six player after 21 goals in all competitions and a strong World Cup for Senegal. Alexander Isak is 21st for Liverpool after a disastrous opening year at Anfield, while Alisson remains 22nd despite hamstring issues.

The list continues with Morgan Rogers at 23, Hugo Ekitike at 24 and Martin Odegaard at 25 for Arsenal, despite injury restricting him to 16 Premier League starts. Granit Xhaka is named the best signing of 2025-26 at No.26 for Sunderland, with Morgan Gibbs-White 27th for Nottingham Forest and Ruben Dias 28th for Manchester City.

Alexis Mac Allister is 29th for Liverpool after a difficult season, Gianluigi Donnarumma 30th for Manchester City, and Reece James 31st for Chelsea despite only 20 league starts. Ezri Konsa is 32nd for Aston Villa, with Igor Thiago 33rd for Brentford after 22 league goals and Phil Foden 34th for Manchester City after missing England’s World Cup squad.

Marc Guehi is 35th for Manchester City, Bryan Mbeumo 36th for Manchester United, Adam Wharton 37th for Crystal Palace, Ollie Watkins 38th for Aston Villa, Sandro Tonali 39th for Tottenham Hotspur and Viktor Gyokeres 40th for Arsenal.

Mateus Fernandes is 41st for Tottenham Hotspur after a strong season for West Ham, with Rayan of Bournemouth at 42 and Eberechi Eze at 43 for Arsenal. Micky van de Ven is 44th for Tottenham, Matheus Cunha 45th for Manchester United, Youri Tielemans 46th for Manchester United, Alex Scott 47th for Bournemouth, Marcus Rashford 48th for Manchester United, Iliman Ndiaye 49th for Everton and Jordan Pickford 50th for Everton.

The rankings will be updated monthly, with the Athletic inviting readers to debate who should miss out as competition for places remains fierce.