The 12 best Premier League midfielders right now have been ranked (2024)

The Premier League has been home to some of the best midfielders in the world over the years. Patrick Vieira, Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, Roy Keane and Paul Scholes are just a handful of names that come to mind when discussing those who have patrolled the middle of the park since the league's inception in 1992. That quintet, of course, have long since retired, and there is now a new batch of star names in England's top tier.

The Premier League is the top league in the world, and thus, some of the very best talents on the planet tend to flock to the division. There is a vast array of impressive midfield players plying their trade in England's top flight, and picking the best of the bunch is not an easy task by any means.

But who are the current top midfielders in the division? GIVEMESPORT have attempted to answer that question. Be warned - this list is only our opinion and is not definitive. A whole host of factors have been taken into consideration when formulating the standings below - with importance to their team, goals, assists, and overall impact on games. It also has to be considered that some midfielders are more defensive-minded, while others are tasked with making more telling contributions going the other way.

12 Joao Palhinha

Fulham

Not every midfielder is destined to stuff the ball into the top corner from the edge of the penalty box or unpick the opposition rearguard with an eye-of-the-needle pass. For Fulham's Joao Palhinha, there is plenty of glory in the gritty side of the game.

Since the Portuguese midfielder with sharpened elbows and telescopic limbs moved to west London in 2022, no Premier League player can come close to his staggering tally of tackles. Fulham coughed up just £17.2m to prise Palhinha away from Sporting CP - almost £100m less than Chelsea's Moises Caicedo for comparison. He's been worth every penny.

11 Casemiro

Manchester United

Given that Casemiro won everything there is to win at Real Madrid and played in a midfield trio including Luka Modric and Toni Kroos for years at the Santiago Bernabeu, you have to wonder why some were so eager to criticise the Brazil international as he initially adapted to a new country and league. It wasn't long before the 31-year-old began to exert his influence both on the Red Devils and the rest of the Premier League during his debut season in England, which is hardly surprising considering he made over 300 appearances for one of the best clubs in the world before his move to these shores.

After years of underwhelming displays from United's midfield, Casemiro, along with Christian Eriksen, gave Erik ten Hag's outfit a strong identity in 2022/23, even if it is a shame that the duo are both closer to the end of their careers than the start. Time does look to perhaps be catching up on the Brazilian, unfortunately, but he is still an excellent enforcer on his day.

10 Bruno Guimaraes

Newcastle United

Bruno Guimaraes is indispensable for Eddie Howe and co. The Newcastle United midfielder - signed for £33.3m plus around £6.5m in add-ons, per Sky Sports - has been heavily involved in the club's resurgence. Not only was he integral to their Champions League-securing campaign, but the Brazil international has been worthy of his fee throughout the entirety of his Magpies career.

The fact that the likes of Manchester United were keeping tabs on the former Lyon man before his move to England speaks volumes of his talent - and fans have seen that up close and personal since his move. Guimaraes is arguably the player who kick-started Newcastle’s recent transformation and the Brazilian is, without a doubt, one of the most influential midfielders in the division.

9 Douglas Luiz

Aston Villa

Much of Unai Emery's success at the helm of Aston Villa has been attributed to Ollie Watkins' ability to hit the back of the net - but without Douglas Luiz, they'd be in a much worse position. The glue to the Villa Park brilliance, the Brazilian is enjoying a career-best season from a goalscoring perspective. But that doesn't even scratch the surface of the 25-year-old's tool kit.

An accurate passer and tackler, too, there are not many midfielders in the top flight that can claim they are more well-rounded than Luiz. He covers a lot of ground during a match but always ensures he is clever in his play, picking out the right pass and never over-complicating the simple aspects of the beautiful game. Luiz is a pleasure to watch and Emery and his entourage will be over the moon that he didn't choose to join Arsenal when they were sniffing around his signature.

8 James Maddison

Tottenham Hotspur

Leicester City struggled throughout the 2022/23 season and eventually met their fate with relegation, but James Maddison was a bright spark almost throughout. His fine run of form piqued the interest of Tottenham Hotspur, who quickly swooped in and captured the England international during the summer of 2023.

Maddison started his Spurs career in scintillating form, leading Spurs to the Premier League summit with nine direct goal contributions from the first 10 games of the campaign. Fully warranting a place in an early Premier League's Team of the Season, the riotous form of Maddison and Tottenham as a whole was cut short by a significant hamstring injury in November. The wandering conductor returned to fitness in the new year to reclaim his place at the epicentre of Ange Postecoglou's plans.

7 Bernardo Silva

Manchester City

Pep Guardiola's man for the big occasion, Bernardo Silva is one of the integral cogs in Manchester City's winning machine. Blessed with a Velcro touch and unrivalled stamina, the Portuguese scamp can slot into any position across the middle third of the pitch.

Bernardo has dropped deeper than Rodri, drifted wider than Phil Foden and charged beyond Kevin De Bruyne as one of the modern game's luxury utility players. Hailed by Guardiola as "unique" and simply "the best", the controlling midfielder's appreciation of a match's rhythm isn't captured by the cold hard numbers of goals and assists. Thirteen major trophies during his City career is a more flattering figure.

6 Alexis Mac Allister

Liverpool

In the embryonic stages of the 2023/24 campaign, it would've been Alexis Mac Allister's teammate Dominik Szoboszlai taking up a spot in this list. However, the latter has begun to come into his own in Merseyside. He has rapidly adapted to Liverpool's style of play seamlessly after transferring over from Brighton & Hove Albion - despite often being utilised in unfamiliar territory: the number six role. Screening the defence was not part of the Argentine's duties on the south coast, with him more likened to their creative hub, but that has somewhat changed since his well-earned move.

Having arrived for £35 million during the summer of 2023, Liverpool were keen to revamp their engine room ahead of a title challenge in Jurgen Klopp's final season as Reds boss. Considered one of the German tactician's best-ever bargains, the World Cup champion will be looking to provide a winning mentality in the closing stages of the current campaign.

5 Bruno Fernandes

Manchester United

There are few midfielders that have joined the Premier League and made the impact that Bruno Fernandes has at United. The Portuguese star, who moved to Old Trafford in January 2020, has been a major success for the Red Devils, providing a bucket load of both goals and assists. His first full season in the Premier League saw the midfielder score 18 goals and bag 11 assists from the centre of midfield.

His offensive flair has been crucial for a side that’s lacked a little firepower at times, and it’s hard to imagine where the club would have wound up if it wasn’t for his impact in midfield. Having reached double figures in goals in all four of his seasons at the Theatre of Dreams so far, the 29-year-old's influence on the team has been heightened in 2023/24 after being appointed Manchester United’s first team captain.

4 Martin Odegaard

Arsenal

For years, it seemed as if Martin Odegaard would fail to deliver on the early promise that saw him become Real Madrid's youngest-ever player and a goalscorer in the Norwegian top flight at the age of just 15. However, strong loan spells at Heerenveen and Real Sociedad gave him a platform to showcase his ability, and Arsenal moved to sign him permanently after a short stint on loan for the second part of the 2020/21 season.

He has only been at the Emirates Stadium for three years, yet is already the club captain and one of the Premier League's best players. As the Gunners mounted an unlikely title challenge in his first season with the armband, Odegaard was the orchestrator of many of their attacks. He is at home playing under Mikel Arteta, and the £30m Arsenal paid for his services looks to have been an absolute bargain.

3 Declan Rice

Arsenal

It is sometimes easy to forget that Declan Rice is just 25 years of age, given the leadership and authority he displays on the field. Without him, West Ham would probably have not be a European outfit. He became a key player for his side after making his debut in east London, and is unsurprisingly included in their greatest ever academy XI. He has always been blessed with strength and a strong understanding of the game, but his clear improvement in possession is the result of hard work and dedication.

Having ended his Hammers career with a Europa Conference League win in Prague, Rice decided to join a title-challenging team in the form of Arsenal. The Gunners faced stiff competition to sign the Englishman from other top clubs, but Arteta's side securing his signature has proven to be one of the best bits of business in 2023/24. Exerting his influence in the engine room already, Rice has given the Gunners an excellent chance of lifting a first league title in 20 years.

2 Rodri

Manchester City

One of two Manchester City players at the top of this list, Rodri has barely been out of the side since his switch to the Etihad Stadium from Atletico Madrid in 2019. Guardiola's side had been looking for Fernandinho's long-term replacement, and they found their man in the Spain international. Playing in a Diego Simeone team was perhaps the perfect preparation for the physicality of the Premier League, and Rodri has seldom, if ever, looked out of place.

Despite being a defensive midfielder, he still managed to contribute four goals and five assists for his side in the 2022/23 season, including the crucial winning goal in the Champions League final to seal the historic treble. Rodri is one of the best defensive-minded midfielders in the world, able to dictate the tempo of the game from deep while getting stuck in and breaking up a flood of opposition counter-attacks.

1 Kevin De Bruyne

Manchester City

Kevin De Bruyne would probably have topped this list at any time across the past decade, such has been his influence and consistency for City. The Belgian has a knack for casting a spell on supporters and, indeed, opposition defences when he is in possession. Undoubtedly the best Belgian player in Premier League history, De Bruyne has left City fans with so many memorable moments during his time at the Etihad.

He has racked up more than 15 Premier League assists in three different campaigns and has also found the back of the net at a healthy rate. The four strikes he managed against Wolverhampton Wanderers towards the end of the 2021/22 term were an example of how he can take the game by the scruff of the neck. By the time he is finished, he may not only be the best current midfielder in the league, but perhaps the greatest it has ever seen.

Statistics provided by TransferMarkt.