Despite the power of individual teams like Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and Paris Saint-Germain, the Premier League remains the strongest soccer competition in terms of depth of talent. It’s the richest soccer league in the world, and that financial firepower means it can attract most of the best players.
While it’s always subjective, we have compiled a list of the 15 best players in the EPL right now. There may be some who you feel should have made the list, but based on the performances of last season and our projections going into the next one (starting in August), we feel these 15 stars have outshone the rest.
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Mo Salah (Liverpool)
The league’s top scorer last season, a candidate for the Ballon d’Or, and best player for the team with the Premier League trophy in its cabinet right now, Mo Salah is Liverpool’s Egyptian King and seems to get better with age.
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Erling Haaland (Manchester City)
The biggest threat to Salah’s dominance as the league’s best goalscorer. In fact, Haaland didn’t play at 100% fitness for much of last season, so he may have caught him in the end. He is still only 24, so it is scary how many goals he will score in a career that is already record-breaking.
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Rodri (Manchester City)
Man City’s title defense hit the skids last season when Rodri got injured. Now that he’s back, plenty of bettors will be looking at City’s Premier League odds for the 2025/26 season, knowing that the Spanish midfielder makes the team tick. His importance cannot be overstated.
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Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United)
A terrible 2024/25 season for Manchester United had only a handful of bright spots, with the performances of captain Bruno Fernandes standing out. He is a truly wonderful player, one for whom it feels unfortunate that his tenure as United captain has coincided with the team’s decline. Stick him in a Barcelona or Real Madrid team, and people would be calling him the best in the world.
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Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)
Saka is arguably underrated by all but Arsenal fans. He is still highly thought of, but he is so talented and crucial to everything good that Arsenal does in an attacking sense that he should receive more praise. One of the best wingers in world soccer.
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Cole Palmer (Chelsea)
An understated genius who should be the central part of the revolution at Chelsea. The club has signed too many players and has never hit the right formula consistently. Now, under Enzo Maresca, there are signs that could change. Palmer will be the key to unlocking a team stuffed with talent.
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Alexander Isak (Newcastle)
Potentially the hottest property in the summer transfer window, many teams are trying to sign Isak, a striker who shot Newcastle to its first major trophy in decades. Isak’s head may be turned by offers from ‘bigger’ clubs, but he is adored in Newcastle and can be part of what the club is building.
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Declan Rice (Arsenal)
Rice is one of those players who do the simple things well. Or more aptly, he makes the game look simple, screening the defense, managing transitions, etc. In recent months, though, he has managed to add some flair and goals to his game – he is quietly becoming one of the best midfielders in Europe.
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Virgil Van Dijk (Liverpool)
The colossus at the heart of Liverpool’s defense has been the best defender in Europe of the 2020s thus far. He is arguably just as important to Liverpool as Salah, and that’s saying something.
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Mattheus Cunha (Wolves/Manchester United)
Potentially, Cunha is the first controversial name on this list. The Brazilian had a brilliant 2024/25 season, earning him a move from unfashionable Wolves to Manchester United . It could look like a masterstroke on United’s part, and fans will be salivating at the prospect of Cunha and Fernandes linking up together next season.
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Bryan Mbeumo (Brentford)
Another who, like Cunha, might be on his way to United, Mbeumo is another whose name might look out of place on this list, as he has played for a smaller club. That said, he tore defenses apart last season, becoming one of the best attackers in the league.
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William Saliba (Arsenal)
Perhaps the best candidate to challenge Van Dijk as the best defender in the Premier League, Saliba has rarely put a foot wrong in an Arsenal shirt. Arsenal does everything perfectly on the pitch, although the team has long been missing a striker with a killer instinct. That perfection is exemplified by Saliba at the other end of the pitch.
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Eberechi Eze (Crystal Palace)
An electrifying player who is a joy to watch, Crystal Palace will be doing everything in its power to hold on to Eze this summer. Like Isak above, he was one of the main reasons for delivering a trophy to his club (the FA Cup) after fans waited for decades for a taste of glory.
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Josko Gvardiol (Manchester City)
A key player in Pep Guardiola’s vision for how Man City should play, Gvardiol is incredibly influential in how he initiates attacks from defensive positions. He doesn’t often pop up on these kinds of lists, but he really should.
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Alisson Becker Liverpool)
We will finish with the best goalkeeper in the league. Alisson has been so quietly excellent for Liverpool down the years that it becomes a little boring to talk about how good he is. Every now and again, he gives us a reminder; however, if you want proof, just look at his performance against PSG in the Champions League last season. One of the best you’ll ever see.
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