EPL 100: Pre-Season Ranking of Premier League's Best Players
The Premier League returns for another season on Friday, as Arsenal and Leicester City kick off the much-awaited 2017/18 campaign at the Emirates Stadium.
In preparation for it, we've produced a Premier League 100: A ranking of the best players in the division. They are split into six categories in accordance with position and ranked via a combination of ability and projected impact for the season ahead.
With that in mind, don't expect to see the likes of Diego Costa or Daniel Sturridge in the strikers column. Both would find themselves in the top 10 if they played, but that's the problem, isn't it? Their impact will either be non-existent or severely lessened.
The midfield positions were by far the hardest to order—it really is dealer's choice when picking between certain players.
Goalkeepers
1 of 7
It's been clear who has been top of the Premier League goalkeeping pile for some time now; David de Gea reigns supreme and probably will until he ends his tenure with Manchester United.
Thibaut Courtois and Hugo Lloris complete a stellar top three, but from fourth down it gets interesting. Ederson Moraes should make a huge impact at Manchester City, but the things Pep Guardiola will ask him to do mean there's scope for error, while Kasper Schmeichel and Ben Foster's excellent 2016-17 seasons must be respected.
Simon Mignolet has been resurgent in 2017 and has responded to the competition Loris Karius provides, but he is just pipped to 10th by Everton new boy Jordan Pickford—the busiest goalkeeper in the league last term.
| Rank | Player | Club |
| 1 | David de Gea | Manchester United |
| 2 | Thibaut Courtois | Chelsea |
| 3 | Hugo Lloris | Tottenham |
| 4 | Ederson Moraes | Manchester City |
| 5 | Petr Cech | Arsenal |
| 6 | Kasper Schmeichel | Leicester City |
| 7 | Ben Foster | West Brom |
| 8 | Tom Heaton | Burnley |
| 9 | Jack Butland | Stoke City |
| 10 | Jordan Pickford | Everton |
Right-Backs/Right-Wing-Backs
2 of 7
Right-back play was strong in the Premier League in 2016-17, and this term it stands to get even stronger.
We're expecting something of a bounce-back year for Hector Bellerin, who is now free from an injury which dogged him last season, while Antonio Valencia should continue to motor along in his mechanical, unstoppable way.
The big point of intrigue is Kyle Walker's move to Manchester City. He was probably the best right-back in the division last season, and now he's a £50 million signing. Can he live up to last season and do for Guardiola what he did for Mauricio Pochettino?
Seamus Coleman has been included in anticipation of a return this side of Christmas. Danny Simpson was ranked 11 and would shift upward if the Irishman struggles to get fit.
| Rank | Player | Club |
| 1 | Kyle Walker | Manchester City |
| 2 | Victor Moses | Chelsea |
| 3 | Hector Bellerin | Arsenal |
| 4 | Antonio Valencia | Manchester United |
| 5 | Seamus Coleman | Everton |
| 6 | Danilo | Manchester City |
| 7 | Nathaniel Clyne | Liverpool |
| 8 | Cedric Soares | Southampton |
| 9 | Kieran Trippier | Tottenham Hotspur |
| 10 | Adam Smith | Bournemouth |
Left-Back/Left-Wing-Backs
3 of 7
Manchester City's new arrival at left-back—Benjamin Mendy—comes into the season ranked No. 1 in his position. He's an epic watch as he powers down the flank with speed and purpose, and his crossing is going to be a source of creativity for Guardiola.
Mendy's topping of the list pushes Danny Rose down to No. 2 and Marcos Alonso to No. 3—both of whom were stellar last season. Another new arrival, Sead Kolasinac, comes with a big reputation and a big frame to carry that weight of expectation at No. 4.
Matteo Darmian played the majority of his football at left-back during Manchester United's run-in, so he features here, rather than at right-back.
| Rank | Player | Club |
| 1 | Benjamin Mendy | Manchester City |
| 2 | Danny Rose | Tottenham Hotspur |
| 3 | Marcos Alonso | Chelsea |
| 4 | Sead Kolasinac | Arsenal |
| 5 | Ryan Bertrand | Southampton |
| 6 | Leighton Baines | Everton |
| 7 | Matteo Darmian | Manchester United |
| 8 | Ben Davies | Tottenham Hotspur |
| 9 | Daley Blind | Manchester United |
| 10 | Patrick van Aanholt | Crystal Palace |
Centre-Backs
4 of 7
It starts to get difficult—rankings-wise—when we come to centre-backs. So many of them are so close to each other in terms of ability that there are slim margins separating them.
Tottenham Hotspur boasted the best defensive line in the Premier League last season, so it won't surprise you to see their two centre-backs taking up the No. 1 and No. 2 spots.
The only player inside our top 10 who represents a non-top-six club is Virgil van Dijk, but that may well be corrected in the coming weeks given the fact he's handed in a transfer request at Southampton.
Ones to watch are Michael Keane and Nathan Ake. Now either on a bigger stage or in a position to play far more football, it'll be interesting to see how they progress and develop in 2017/18.
| Rank | Player | Club |
| 1 | Toby Alderweireld | Tottenham Hotspur |
| 2 | Jan Vertonghen | Tottenham Hotspur |
| 3 | Cesar Azpilicueta | Chelsea |
| 4 | David Luiz | Chelsea |
| 5 | Virgil van Dijk | Southampton |
| 6 | Eric Bailly | Manchester United |
| 7 | Laurent Koscielny | Arsenal |
| 8 | Gary Cahill | Chelsea |
| 9 | Eric Dier | Tottenham Hotspur |
| 10 | Vincent Kompany | Manchester City |
| 11 | Joel Matip | Liverpool |
| 12 | Victor Lindelof | Manchester United |
| 13 | Shkodran Mustafi | Arsenal |
| 14 | Antonio Rudiger | Chelsea |
| 15 | Jonny Evans | West Brom |
| 16 | Nacho Monreal | Arsenal |
| 17 | John Stones | Manchester City |
| 18 | Nathan Ake | Bournemouth |
| 19 | Michael Keane | Everton |
| 20 | Nicolas Otamendi | Manchester City |
Defensive Midfielders/Central Midfielders
5 of 7
Indisputably, N'Golo Kante enters the 2017-18 Premier League season as the best defensive midfielder/central midfielder. The reigning Player of the Season has little to prove after two emphatic campaigns in England.
Paul Pogba should enjoy a far better second season than first—not that he was as bad as some made out in 2016-17. With Nemanja Matic in place to hold the fort, he can be unleashed to full effect.
Expect Granit Xhaka, Fernandinho, Idrissa Gueye, Georginio Wijnaldum, Oriol Romeu and Wilfred Ndidi to be incredibly important to their teams from the centre—though not all of their good work will always be noticed.
Cesc Fabregas may well be ranked lower than you expect, but that's because projected impact is important in ranking these players and, as it stands, the Spaniard's role in this Blues side is still not clear.
| Rank | Player | Club |
| 1 | N'Golo Kante | Chelsea |
| 2 | Victor Wanyama | Tottenham Hotspur |
| 3 | Paul Pogba | Manchester United |
| 4 | Mousa Dembele | Tottenham Hotspur |
| 5 | Ander Herrera | Manchester United |
| 6 | Fernandinho | Manchester City |
| 7 | Tiemoue Bakayoko | Chelsea |
| 8 | Nemanja Matic | Manchester United |
| 9 | Granit Xhaka | Arsenal |
| 10 | Idrissa Gueye | Everton |
| 11 | Morgan Schneiderlin | Everton |
| 12 | Jordan Henderson | Liverpool |
| 13 | Georginio Wijnaldum | Liverpool |
| 14 | Cesc Fabregas | Chelsea |
| 15 | Oriol Romeu | Southampton |
| 16 | Wilfred Ndidi | Leicester City |
| 17 | Emre Can | Liverpool |
| 18 | Yaya Toure | Manchester City |
| 19 | Luka Milivojevic | Crystal Palace |
| 20 | Joe Allen | Stoke City |
Attacking Midfielders/Wingers
6 of 7
More tough calls and big decisions.
The attacking midfield/winger pool is loaded in the Premier League; the top two are interchangeable, as are the next 10. The likes of Willian, Juan Mata and Anthony Martial are ranked towards the bottom but could easily be some of the most impactful players if things go their way.
Expect big debut seasons from Bernardo Silva and Mohamed Salah—two superb, talented players of different ilks—and for Mesut Ozil to seriously improve on 2016-17's output.
Some good players have missed out on our top 20—that's how competitive it is—with the likes of Raheem Sterling, Marko Arnautovic, Son Heung-Min and Davy Klaassen just failing to make the cut.
| Rank | Player | Club |
| 1 | Eden Hazard | Chelsea |
| 2 | Alexis Sanchez | Arsenal |
| 3 | Christian Eriksen | Tottenham Hotspur |
| 4 | David Silva | Manchester City |
| 5 | Philippe Coutinho | Liverpool |
| 6 | Kevin De Bruyne | Manchester City |
| 7 | Bernardo Silva | Manchester City |
| 8 | Dele Alli | Tottenham Hotspur |
| 9 | Sadio Mane | Liverpool |
| 10 | Pedro | Chelsea |
| 11 | Mesut Ozil | Arsenal |
| 12 | Mohamed Salah | Liverpool |
| 13 | Henrikh Mkhitaryan | Manchester United |
| 14 | Leroy Sane | Manchester City |
| 15 | Gylfi Sigurdsson | Swansea City |
| 16 | Riyad Mahrez | Leicester City |
| 17 | Wilfried Zaha | Crystal Palace |
| 18 | Willian | Chelsea |
| 19 | Juan Mata | Manchester United |
| 20 | Anthony Martial | Manchester United |
Strikers
7 of 7
Sergio Aguero has been the established best striker in the Premier League for some time, but the emergence of Harry Kane cannot be ignored. The Tottenham man has won consecutive Golden Boots and scored 29 goals from just 29 starts last season, so he begins this term as our No. 1.
New boys Alvaro Morata and Alexandre Lacazette take up positions inside the top five, while the top 10 is rounded out by the ever-reliable Jamie Vardy and Jermain Defoe.
Gabriel Jesus' role this season will be interesting. Guardiola adores him and will work him into his team however possible, and if he can make good on the early promise he showed in January before his injury, he'll be one hell of a weapon to deploy.
| Rank | Player | Club |
| 1 | Harry Kane | Tottenham Hotspur |
| 2 | Sergio Aguero | Manchester City |
| 3 | Romelu Lukaku | Manchester United |
| 4 | Alvaro Morata | Chelsea |
| 5 | Alexandre Lacazette | Arsenal |
| 6 | Roberto Firmino | Liverpool |
| 7 | Javier Hernandez | West Ham |
| 8 | Gabriel Jesus | Manchester City |
| 9 | Jamie Vardy | Leicester City |
| 10 | Jermain Defoe | Bournemouth |
All statistics via WhoScored.com
.jpg?w=600 "Mendoza May Sit to Start Year")
