Best Midfielders in the Premier League

The following summer saw some of the legendary Premier League midfielders depart for other pastures. N'Golo Kante first comes to mind, Liverpool's longtime captain Jordan Henderson as well, and Ilkay Gundogan sought after new challenges tool. Yet there is still enormous quality with the current best midfielders in the Premier League.

Considering that they are the players that are in the centre of the pitch across the competition known for its highest tempo, one could argue they are pivotal for what's making the PL what it is. Of course, setting the high pace isn't the only thing that Premier League's best midfielders are doing in 2023!

Best Midfielders in the Premier League in 2023

Looking at their concrete returns primarily, in terms of trophies, goals, assists, games played in the league, and then overall importance to the team. We're also just looking at midfielders who operate in the middle of the pitch, not wingers. But equally valuing the attacking maestros, as well as box-to-box central midfielders, and the field-ploughing DMs.

#10 Best Midfielder in the Premier League: James Ward-Prowse (West Ham United), CM

Not the flashiest of names to start the list of the top midfielders in the Premier League, yet James Ward-Prowse has proven himself without a doubt. Yes, his stock hasn't risen by big money moves after elongated transfer sagas, yet the dead-ball maestro has amassed 350 games in the league! Scoring 51 goals and making 43 assists from the centre of the pitch! He is on course of becoming the player with the most free-kick goals in the Premier League. The longtime captain of Southampton is now with West Ham.

#9 Best Midfielder in the Premier League: James Maddison (Tottenham Hotspur), AM

Even though he has only just started his era with only his second club in the Premier League, Tottenham, James Maddison already earned the captain's armband. Proving that his worth to the team goes beyond statistics, where he also has a strong claim considering that in 171 combined PL matches for Spurs and Leicester City, Maddison has 45 goals scored and 39 assists made. Maddison won the Player of the Month award with THFC and is the second player on this list who got relegated, but still managed to make the cut.

#8 Best Midfielder in the Premier League: Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool), CM

Not including the World Cup winner from 2022 would be a crime, even for those who hold the English domestic league as the pinnacle of the sport. Especially as Mac Allister earned his spot amongst the squad for Qatar by outperforming expectations with Brighton & Hove Albion. Now holding a record of 106 Premier League games and 16 goals scored, alongside six assists, following his €42,000,000 deal to Liverpool. His stamina and tenacity make him not a desired, but needed player for the Jurgen Klopp style of football.

#7 Best Midfielder in the Premier League: Mateo Kovacic (Manchester City), CM

A running back of a midfielder, Mateo Kovacic is great at advancing the ball both by passing and by gliding between guardians with his deceptively long stride. Never a star at Chelsea, yet the Croatian maestro managed to get 142 matches just in the league, now at 148 with his additions at the Etihad. His stock might not be the highest due to a fee below €30,000,000 yet getting the nod of the league's ruling manager Pep Guardiola is enough.

#6 Best Midfielder in the Premier League: Rodri (Manchester City), DM

The teacher's pet. Rodri is not a flamboyant player whose compilations gets thousands of likes on social media, yet he keeps getting the job done. With him in the centre of it all, Manchester City has won three PL titles in a row. Arriving in 2019 for €70,000,000, Rodri has played 144 league games for the Citizens, scoring 16 goals and making 13 assists even though his position is a more defensive one.

#5 Best Midfielder in the Premier League: Casemiro (Manchester United), DM

One of the midfielders that marked this generation of footballers has arrived at Manchester United late in his career, in the summer of 2022, but has immediatly made an impact. Even though he has played only 36 Premier League matches, the defensive midfielder has scored five times and made three assists. Yet, truly, Casemiro enters this list mostly due to the work he put in at Real Madrid as it would be a travesty to not include the five-time Champions League winner.

#4 Best Midfielder in the Premier League: Declan Rice (Arsenal), DM

Even though he is only 24, Declan Rice has amassed 212 appearances in the Premier League and was the captain for West Ham United. The Englishman moved within the city and reinforced Arsenal in a €116,600,000 deal intended to raise the pillar of a new Gunners' era. Rice, a holding midfielder, scored 11 goals and made 10 assists for AFC and WHU so far but those numbers will rise quicker now that he is with a team that dominates the pitch more often. His tackling, consistency, and leadership skills are what separate Rice and put him so high on the list of top Premier League midfielders.

#3 Best Midfielder in the Premier League: Martin Odegaard (Arsenal), AM

It already seems like he has been in the league longer, yet Martin Odegaard stands at 95 PL games for Arsenal at the time of writing. This shows just how quickly he hit the ground running and made the team his own. With 26 goals and 15 assists, the still-only 24-year-old Norweigan seems like the face of this new generation of AFC, captaining the side too. The attacking midfielder was selected in the team of the year following a campaign that saw him score 15 times and make eight assists in 37 matches. Winning a Player of the Month award in the process.

#2 best midfielder in the Premier League: Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United), AM

One of the few transfer sagas Manchester United had to endure that was worth it in the end. Bruno Fernandes has collected 132 games for the Red Devils in the Premier League alone upon arriving in the winter of 2020, and has scored 46 goals - many of them from the spot - making 33 assists as well. Yet Bruno's impact on the United team has been that of a leader, although one that has shown one can't do it all alone. In the PL, the 29-year-old has won four Player of the Month awards, and there is a big gap between him and the eight predecessors compared to the best midfielder in the Premier League.

#1 Best Midfielder in the Premier League - Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City), AM

Yes, the Belgian is often injured, yet even with all the fitness woes following him, he has been by far the most consistently impressive midfielder in the PL for the past five and more years. Aged 32, KDB is now a veteran of the league with 243 games played in it overall, scoring 64 goals - most of them screamers - with 104 assists. He won the league five times, three in a row now. He also led the league in assists across three seasons, including the 2022/2023 when he had 18 assists to go with his seven goals in 32 PL matches.

With two Player of the Season awards to his name, he is in a class of his own compared to other top Premier League midfielders.

Honourable mentions as the top midfielders in the Premier League go to Tomas Soucek, Christian Eriksen, Youri Tielemans, Bruno Guimares, and Moises Caicedo, with the latter two on course of breaking into top 10 next year.