20 Best Midfielders in the Premier League Ranked
The Premier League is bursting with some of the best midfield talents on the planet right now.
The job of those in the engine room has changed over the years, with many teams now looking to move the ball quickly and strike a fine balance between attack and defence across what is usually a three-man midfield.
So, who is the best around right now? Which operators would you most want protecting the defence and launching attacks in your team?
Football Insider has produced a definitive list of the top 20 best midfielders in the Premier League flight today, based on current and previous form, and taking into account individual achievements and the impact they have had on their teams.
We rank only those who play in a central midfield two or three, which eliminates those playmakers who are more attack focused.
20. Carlos Baleba (Man United)
Baleba kicks off the list as he aims to become a key man in Man United's midfield following a £70million move from Brighton. He was key to the Seagulls' numerous qualifications for European football in his three seasons at the club.
The Cameroonian international is still in his early 20s and has already proven himself as a standout midfielder in the best league in the world. He relies on outstanding physicality and defensive awareness to win the ball back and covers ground effortlessly. The best compliment you can pay him is that he looks like a young N'Golo Kante.
19. John McGinn (Aston Villa)
Aston Villa captain McGinn is one of the most underrated players, let alone midfielders, in the Premier League and has been for many seasons. The Scottish star has been at the club for so long that he has been a vital part of their journey from Championship obscurity to Champions League campaigns and Europa League glory.
His awkwardness and throwback physique belies a combative, high-energy player whose tactical intelligence and ball-carrying abilities make him the ideal package for Unai Emery's side in the middle of the park. McGinn is also a real leader on the pitch and one of the best characters in the top flight off it. A goal-maker and goalscorer with a taste for the spectacular, he will go down as one of Villa's biggest modern-day legends.
18. Kobbie Mainoo (Man United)
Mainoo has been a regular in Man United’s midfield over the last three seasons now, but is still only 21 years old. The academy graduate is a real joy to watch when on top form, and has that rare ability to run a game from the middle of the pitch.
Mainoo burst onto the scene in 2023-24, and while he is yet to reach anywhere near his full potential, he continues to progress at a healthy rate despite the neverending issues anxiety persisting around Old Trafford. Being a regular starter for one of the biggest clubs in the world at such a callow age deserves respect. As well as a place on this list.
17. Youri Tielemans (Man United)
Man United’s next central midfielder comes in just after his partner in the middle of the park. Tielemans is perhaps one of the most underrated players of the modern Premier League era, to the extent that it raised eyebrows recently when United shelled out £35million to sign from Aston Villa. It shouldn't have.
The Belgium international, who captains his country and is closing in on the 100-cap mark, has a CV that demands respect. He has been one of the best-performing midfielders in the top flight ever since he joined Leicester in 2019 and played a key role in Villa’s Europa League success in 2025-26. Like his old Villa teammate McGinn, his chubby cheeks suggest he may not cover the pitch that well. But his running stats are as good as anyone, and he has a tasty technique as well.
16. Granit Xhaka (Sunderland)
Xhaka deserves real plaudits for orchestrating Sunderland’s improbable European challenge last season upon their long-awaited return to the top flight. The Swiss legend had a mixed time at Arsenal when his ball-playing brilliance was often overshadowed by his temperamental flaws but he returned to England a more mature player after helping Bayer Leverkusen to an unbeaten Bundesliga title.
The Black Cats star was among the best midfielders in the Premier League last term for big chances created, line-breaking passes and fewest times dribbled past per 90, while also being in the 90th percentile for duels won percentage. He won their Player of the Season award for 2025-26 and remains a leader of men on Wearside at 34 years old.
15. Ryan Gravenberch (Liverpool)
Had we done this list a year ago Gravenberch would have been pushing hard for a top-three spot. But, like a lot of his Liverpool teammates his star has fallen over the last 12 months as a majestic 2024-25 campaign was followed by an awful 2025-26 one. Ignited by his fellow Dutchman Arne Slot in a new number six role, Gravenberch was outstanding in his second season at Anfield and ended the campaign with a title medal and the Premier League Young Player of the Season award. Many an opponent was left on his backside as the imposing Dutchman pulled off his trademark turn with balletic ease before romping up the pitch like peak Patrick Vieira.
Yet, under Andoni Iraola, Gravenberch's role is already different. Dropped after a horrific opening-day display at Newcastle, the manager sees the Dutchman not as a playmaking number six, but more of a number eight and, against Villarreal in the Champions League, he even operated for one half in the number 10 role and the other at right-back. But Florian Wirtz he is not. In terms of ball carriers and recovery tacklers, there are few better than the 24-year-old in England right now. He has plenty of time to improve and has a new contract running until 2032 to showcase that.
14. Phil Foden (Man City)
Foden could also well have been in the top three of this list just a few years ago, but his dramatic drop-off in form means he is arguably fortunate to even be included at all. The Man City playmaker has scored 14 league goals across the last two seasons, after bagging 19 in the previous campaign as he won the Premier League Player of the Season award.
He remains one of the best midfielders in the top flight purely because everyone knows just what he can produce when in top form. But those days when he runs the show are few and far between and he does not even make City's first-choice XI anymore. The 26-year-old rightfully missed out on the World Cup as a result of his fitful form and has much to do to show that he is still the generational player everyone was convinced he was when first breaking through. An October Champions League hat-trick against lowly AEK Athens was a healthy sign, but English football expects the Sky Blue talisman to demolish the elite and not just the weak.
13. Sandro Tonali (Tottenham)
Tottenham spent a club-record £100m fee to prise Tonali from Newcastle in the summer after two successive standout seasons at St James’ Park made him one of the most in-demand midfielders in the world. That fee appeared on the toppy side even though the Italian was a real enforcer for the Magpies as they made the Champions League on two separate occasions under Eddie Howe. His own 2024-25 campaign was especially stellar.
Tonali has made an underwhelming start in north London, but there is a clear sense that compatriot Roberto De Zerbi will build the team around him. Spurs fans not only want to see him dominate the midfield and dictate the play like he did against Coventry City on Monday night, but demonstrate some cutting edge in the final third. To move up this list, he needs to add some silk to his steel.
12. Alex Scott (Bournemouth)
Scott is surely the next young English midfield talent to make a mega-money move to an elite club. Some players are just too good not to be in the Champions League and that is the case for Bournemouth's finest. He has a fantastic platform right now, though, after playing a pivotal role in their midfield as they qualified for the Europa League for this season.
But few expect Scott to be wearing the red-and-black shirt this time next season. The 23-year-old is now well established in the top flight and has already served notice of his talent in an English jersey. Technically outstanding, he is able to dictate play from deep or burst through to deliver a killer pass in the final third. He is one of the best midfielders in the league at winning fouls. Expect a £100million-plus move next summer, if not before.
11. Adam Wharton (Crystal Palace)
Wharton deserves huge praise as he continues to feature for a smaller Premier League club, in Crystal Palace. He has been a catalyst for their recent success, playing key roles in FA Cup and Conference League triumphs to build his profile as one of the best-rated young holding midfielders in the world. He is still only 22 and has plenty of time in the game to progress even further at a top side.
Numerous bigger clubs have been linked with the Eagles star and a move could be on the horizon. For what he lacks in physicality, he makes up for it with outstanding passing, dribbling and ball-winning attributes, and he continues to shine for Palace despite so many of their stars moving on.
10. Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool)
Mac Allister is another Liverpool star who took a few steps backwards during a wretched 2025-26 campaign. But, after being a key man in Argentina’s run to the World Cup final in North America, with starts in seven of their eight matches, he has been reignited by Iraola replacing Slot. Hurt by being snubbed for a new contract while Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai were granted ones, he has been playing like a man possessed in the early weeks of the new season.
Operating in a slightly deeper role than under Slot, he has been tasked with taking the ball from defence and launching attacks. It has worked to the extent that he has married game-dictating displays with an armful of match-turning goals. On his bad days, Mac Allister slows the game down too much and goes down too easily. But the demanding Iraola, who puts a far greater emphasis on moving the ball quickly to the front men, is getting the best out of a player capable of being the best midfielder in the Premier League.
9. Morgan Gibbs-White (Nottingham Forest)
Gibbs-White was criminally overlooked by Thomas Tuchel for the World Cup after enjoying the season of his life at Nottingham Forest. He picked up the Reds’ Player of the Season award for 2025-26 after registering 15 goals and four assists in 37 league appearances, and is still the highest-scoring midfielder in the PL in 2026 by some way.
The England playmaker is another who could end up making a big-money move soon, with Forest previously batting away interest from Tottenham, Man City and Bayern Munich. He is a clinical finisher with fantastic composure in front of goal, while he was a standout among top flight midfielders for line-breaking passes, shots on target, aerial duels won and fewest times dispossessed per 90.
8. Moises Caicedo (Chelsea)
Too low? Maybe. Chelsea’s midfield has been anchored adeptly by Caicedo in recent years, but there is still a sense that there is plenty more to come. The Ecuadorian was outstanding in 2024-25 when he won multiple individual club awards. At his best he is Kante MK II, lightning across the ground, expert at recovering the ball and precise in launching attacks.
The former Brighton star has now made over 150 appearances for the Blues over the last three and a bit years and is the player Chelsea's title challenge will be built upon. He ranked among the top midfielders for successful passes, duels won, fouls won and interceptions per 90 in last season's Premier League. But he can still do better. If he does, Chelsea could take some stopping.
7. Martin Odegaard (Arsenal)
Odegaard is bouncing back from some iffy form to produce far better output for Arsenal in 2026-27. He captained the Gunners to the Premier League title last season but personally it was a pretty average campaign. The goals, assists and chance creation dried up, and many Gooners were backing the ridiculously talented Max Dowman to take his place running the game from an inside right midfield role.
But at his best the Norwegian is a true artist who links up play beautifully and can execute passes that some players never even see. His left foot is one of the most bewitching in the Premier League and when he is good, so are Arsenal. But can he go to that Vitinha-esque Champions League-dominating level? That is the challenge.
6. Dominik Szoboszlai (Liverpool)
Szoboszlai is Liverpool’s standout midfielder and possibly their most important player. His appetite for the hard yards and the gegenpressing has never been in doubt but he took his game to a new level last season with a photo album's worth of dazzling goals, including some of the best free-kicks the Premier League has ever seen. The Hungarian hoovered up the Liverpool Player of the Season award after registering 25 goal contributions in 53 appearances across all competitions.
It is to his credit that he performed adeptly in a series of right-back stints, and the comparisons with Steven Gerrard from his early Liverpool days, soon after that £60m move from Leipzig, are not now looking so far fetched. The Liverpool star was in the 94th percentile for big chances created per 90 by midfielders last season, while also being a standout for top speed, shots per 90 and successful crosses per 90. Like Stevie G, he can do it all and it's telling that, like Klopp and Slot before him, Iraola already sees Szoboszlai as an Anfield untouchable.
5. Enzo Fernandez (Man City)
Man City equalled the British record transfer fee by signing Fernandez from Chelsea for £125m in September. He was also bought for big money by the Blues in 2023 and boasts an impressive trophy cabinet at club and international level. Fernandez is a true all-rounder who can score, create and defend to a seriously impressive standard.
The Argentine star has been an instant hit at the Etihad and could prove pivotal to their title challenge under Enzo Maresca, although the club’s future remains uncertain. He was in the 96th percentile among PL attacking midfielders for line-breaking passes per 90 in 2025-26, and also a top performer in other key metrics like duels won, touches, fouls won and interceptions per 90 too. Fernandez won't win too many popularity awards among other fanbases but he is a fearsome competitor and doesn't shirk the hard yards. City are lucky to have him.
4. Elliot Anderson (Man City)
It is quite something that Fernandez is not the best £100m+ midfielder signed by City in the summer of 2026. Anderson had perhaps the toughest task of all the mega signings of replacing the seemingly irreplaceable, Rodri. That he has slotted in so seamlessly and made barely anyone pine for the former Ballon D'Or winner hints at a rare self belief and mental toughness, not to mention A1 quality. That club-record £116m fee is not looking so daft now.
A penny for the thoughts of the Newcastle top brass, who somehow allowed Anderson to join Nottingham Forest in 2024 as they desperately looked to cut their financial losses and avoid a points deduction? Now an England and Champions League regular, it is hard to see any other scenario than Anderson dominating top-level midfields for many years to come.
3. Bruno Guimaraes (Arsenal)
Talking of players leaving Newcastle, now we come to the outstanding player of their Saudi era. That Arsenal managed to bolster their midfield with one of the best players in the Premier League just months after winning the title shows how far they have come, and that £75m fee in this market looks an absolute steal. Sure, Guimaraes has celebrated his 28th birthday, but who wouldn't want a player with that tenacity and technical quality in their midfield? The Newcastle fans howled at his departure precisely because he was so good.
Guimaraes is still working things out Arsenal but he has already leapfrogged 2025-26 favourite Martin Zubimendi and it won't be long before Gooners are purring over this pure box-to-box talent. Few players have his will to win or desperate desire to go that extra metre. A lot would have to go wrong for him not to be a resounding success in north London.
2. Declan Rice (Arsenal)
It seems almost unfair that Arsenal have Rice and Guimaraes in their midfield but no club has spent better in recent years, certainly in English football. Rice was the driving force of Arsenal’s title-winning team and his availability and willingness to put his body on the line makes him the first name on Mikel Arteta's teamsheet. A vocal presence on and off the pitch, he already feels like he has been at Arsenal his entire career, but he served a length apprenticeship at West Ham, half of it played in central defence, before getting his £105m move.
Rice has been named in the PFA Team of the Year in each of the last three seasons and has won back-to-back Arsenal Player of the Season awards. A set-piece specialist, he is near-impossible to win the ball from and an outstanding ball-carrier. Too good on the ball to be a centre-back and number six, he looks made for the number eight role that he has made his own at Arsenal. He could be there for another decade.
1. Bruno Fernandes (Man United)
It is unthinkable to imagine where Man United would have been in the last decade without their midfield orchestrator. Fernandes' superhuman output has covered up plenty of ills at Old Trafford during a generally forgettable era. When on song, there isn't a midfielder who can touch his creativity and who could blame him for the manic celebrations last season when he broke the Premier League assist record (21) across a single campaign. For good measure, he was named the Premier League and FWA Player of the Year for his outstanding performances in 2025-26.
Critics say Fernandes is tactically naive and doesn't really have a position. He sometimes struggles in a central midfield two, and even when in his favoured number 10 role often follows where the ball is like a playground footballer. But his volume of output is awe-inspiring and his unwillingness to yield to strains and niggles puts plenty of teammates to shame. There is a sense that, at 32, Bruno's best days may be behind and when we do this list at the end of the season, he may not top it. But enjoy him while you can. He is a true one-off.