EPL 100: Ranking of Premier League's Best Players After Matchday 37
As the EPL 100's movements are becoming few and far between, we're dedicating some weeks to highlighting certain profiles of players. Last week it was the unsung heroes; this week, it's the transfer targets.
Accompanied by each position group's top 10/20 is a mini-profile of one player who could be on the move this summer. Remember those names as you peruse the rumour mill each day during the window!
We have updated our lists to take into account last weekend's fixtures. They are divided into seven position groups and are based solely on performances in the Premier League in 2017-18.
To be eligible, a player must have taken part in at least half the games his team has played.
Goalkeepers
1 of 7
Watching Jack Butland cry his eyes out on the pitch at the final whistle on Saturday was an uncomfortable experience. There will be some in that Stoke City dressing room who don't care enough—there always are—but that's not something you can say about the England goalkeeper.
He'll cost a lot this summer, but it seems like there's sufficient interest to find him a path away from the Bet365 Stadium. Steve Wollaston of the Birmingham Mail reported Wolves are keen.
Biggest rise: Mat Ryan (+1)
Biggest fall: Kasper Schmeichel (-1)
| Rank | Player | Club |
| 1 | David De Gea (Stay) | Manchester United |
| 2 | Ederson (Stay) | Manchester City |
| 3 | Nick Pope (Stay) | Burnley |
| 4 | Lukasz Fabianski (Stay) | Swansea City |
| 5 | Jordan Pickford (Stay) | Everton |
| 6 | Thibaut Courtois (Stay) | Chelsea |
| 7 | Mat Ryan (+1) | Brighton & Hove Albion |
| 8 | Kasper Schmeichel (-1) | Leicester City |
| 9 | Jonas Lossl (-1) | Huddersfield Town |
| 10 | Jack Butland (Stay) | Stoke City |
Right-Backs/Right Wing-Backs
2 of 7
Cedric Soares' crossing has been a real disappointment this season, but give him enough opportunities to swing it in, and he will eventually get one right.
That was the case against Everton, with his second-half delivery finding Nathan Redmond for a goal in their 1-1 draw, and he allied that with good on-the-ball work and sound defensive stock.
According to the Manchester Evening News' Samuel Luckhurst, Manchester United are taking a look at him ahead of an important summer window. Should Saints be relegated, he surely won't stick around long.
Biggest rise: Multiple (+1)
Biggest fall: Multiple (-1)
| Rank | Player | Club |
| 1 | Kyle Walker (Stay) | Manchester City |
| 2 | Victor Moses (+1) | Chelsea |
| 3 | Matthew Lowton (-1) | Burnley |
| 4 | Antonio Valencia (Stay) | Manchester United |
| 5 | Hector Bellerin (+1) | Arsenal |
| 6 | Kieran Trippier (-1) | Tottenham Hotspur |
| 7 | Kiko Femenia (Stay) | Watford |
| 8 | DeAndre Yedlin (Stay) | Newcastle United |
| 9 | Cedric Soares (Stay) | Southampton |
| 10 | Florent Hadergjonaj (Stay) | Huddersfield Town |
Left-Backs/Left Wing-Backs
3 of 7
Cedric Soares' full-back partner, Ryan Bertrand, is likely to start for England at the 2018 World Cup this summer. It almost goes without saying that a player such as that won't tolerate life in the Championship.
According to Simon Jones and Anthony Hay of the MailOnline, the 28-year-old was considered by Manchester City in both the summer and winter transfer windows of this season. That stands as a marker of his quality, and it suggests there'll be plenty of interest in him this summer regardless of what happens to his club.
Biggest rise: Multiple (+1)
Biggest fall: Multiple (-1)
| Rank | Player | Club |
| 1 | Andy Robertson (Stay) | Liverpool |
| 2 | Fabian Delph (Stay) | Manchester City |
| 3 | Ben Davies (Stay) | Tottenham Hotspur |
| 4 | Marcos Alonso (Stay) | Chelsea |
| 5 | Ashley Young (+1) | Manchester United |
| 6 | Stephen Ward (-1) | Burnley |
| 7 | Sead Kolasinac (+1) | Arsenal |
| 8 | Ryan Bertrand (-1) | Southampton |
| 9 | Patrick van Aanholt (Stay) | Crystal Palace |
| 10 | Ben Chilwell (Stay) | Leicester City |
Centre-Backs
4 of 7
This summer's transfer window is set to require a dual effort from Chris Hughton. He must work on improving his squad to ensure Brighton are stronger next season but also fend off interest in his best players.
One of said best players is Lewis Dunk, the vice-captain and central defensive rock who has consistently impressed in 2017-18. The Daily Star's Alex Wood reported West Ham are interested, and it wouldn't be the first time they've raided a south-coast club for a player of his ilk recently.
Biggest rise: Multiple (+3)
Biggest fall: Multiple (-3)
| Rank | Player | Club |
| 1 | Jan Vertonghen (Stay) | Tottenham Hotspur |
| 2 | Cesar Azpilicueta (Stay) | Chelsea |
| 3 | Nicolas Otamendi (Stay) | Manchester City |
| 4 | Ben Mee (Stay) | Burnley |
| 5 | James Tarkowski (Stay) | Burnley |
| 6 | Jamaal Lascelles (Stay) | Newcastle United |
| 7 | Antonio Rudiger (+3) | Chelsea |
| 8 | Davinson Sanchez (-1) | Tottenham Hotspur |
| 9 | Nacho Monreal (Stay) | Arsenal |
| 10 | Virgil van Dijk (-2) | Liverpool |
| 11 | James Tomkins (Stay) | Crystal Palace |
| 12 | Christopher Schindler (+1) | Huddersfield Town |
| 13 | Harry Maguire (-1) | Leicester City |
| 14 | Lewis Dunk (+3) | Brighton & Hove Albion |
| 15 | Andreas Christensen (Stay) | Chelsea |
| 16 | Phil Jones (-2) | Manchester United |
| 17 | Kurt Zouma (-1) | Stoke City |
| 18 | Nathan Ake (Stay) | Bournemouth |
| 19 | Angelo Ogbonna (New!) | West Ham |
| 20 | Florian Lejeune (Stay) | Newcastle United |
Defensive Midfielders/Central Midfielders
5 of 7
Abdoulaye Doucoure's attracted plenty of admirers this season. His performances in midfield for Watford are the kind that naturally attract the eye.
He won the club's Player of the Year award last weekend to no one's surprise, and there are Watford fans who could already be lamenting the fact they seem bound to lose him this summer.
He's lacked consistency at times this term but has flashed the sort of ability that would fit right in at a top-six club.
Biggest rise: Multiple (+1)
Biggest fall: Mario Lemina (-2)
| Rank | Player | Club |
| 1 | David Silva (Stay) | Manchester City |
| 2 | Fernandinho (Stay) | Manchester City |
| 3 | N'Golo Kante (Stay) | Chelsea |
| 4 | Nemanja Matic (Stay) | Manchester United |
| 5 | Aaron Ramsey (+1) | Arsenal |
| 6 | Paul Pogba (-1) | Manchester United |
| 7 | Mousa Dembele (Stay) | Tottenham Hotspur |
| 8 | Jack Cork (Stay) | Burnley |
| 9 | Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Stay) | Liverpool |
| 10 | Eric Dier (Stay) | Tottenham Hotspur |
| 11 | Emre Can (Stay) | Liverpool |
| 12 | Wilfred Ndidi (Stay) | Leicester City |
| 13 | Luka Milivojevic (+1) | Crystal Palace |
| 14 | Abdoulaye Doucoure (Stay) | Watford |
| 15 | Mohamed Diame (Stay) | Newcastle United |
| 16 | Aaron Mooy (-1) | Huddersfield Town |
| 17 | Mario Lemina (-2) | Southampton |
| 18 | Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (Stay) | Southampton |
| 19 | Cesc Fabregas (+1) | Chelsea |
| 20 | Jonathan Hogg (New!) | Huddersfield Town |
Attacking Midfielders/Wingers
6 of 7
Willian might soon find himself at the centre of another blockbuster transfer, with Steve Bates of the Mirror reporting his potential involvement in a cash-plus-player swap deal.
It's being mooted that Chelsea could send the Brazilian (and £40 million) Manchester United's way in exchange for Anthony Martial. It's a move that would see Jose Mourinho reunited with a trusted lieutenant, and Chelsea get substantially younger on the flanks.
Biggest rise: Jose Izquierdo (+2)
Biggest fall: Multiple (-1)
| Rank | Player | Club |
| 1 | Kevin De Bruyne (Stay) | Manchester City |
| 2 | Mohamed Salah (Stay) | Liverpool |
| 3 | Raheem Sterling (Stay) | Manchester City |
| 4 | Leroy Sane (Stay) | Manchester City |
| 5 | Christian Eriksen (Stay) | Tottenham Hotspur |
| 6 | Eden Hazard (Stay) | Chelsea |
| 7 | Sadio Mane (Stay) | Liverpool |
| 8 | Heung-Min Son (Stay) | Tottenham Hotspur |
| 9 | Mesut Ozil (Stay) | Arsenal |
| 10 | Jesse Lingard (Stay) | Manchester United |
| 11 | Alexis Sanchez (Stay) | Manchester United |
| 12 | Riyad Mahrez (Stay) | Leicester City |
| 13 | Dele Alli (Stay) | Tottenham Hotspur |
| 14 | JB Gudmundsson (Stay) | Burnley |
| 15 | Jose Izquierdo (+2) | Brighton & Hove Albion |
| 16 | Willian (-1) | Chelsea |
| 17 | Bernardo Silva (-1) | Manchester City |
| 18 | Pascal Gross (New!) | Brighton & Hove Albion |
| 19 | Ruben Loftus-Cheek (Stay) | Crystal Palace |
| 20 | Anthony Knockaert (New!) | Brighton & Hove Albion |
Strikers
7 of 7
Wilfried Zaha has given his all for Crystal Palace this season. To say he's led them away from the relegation single-handedly would be wrong, but the impact he's had is incredible.
The efforts have not gone unnoticed. According to The Sun's Mike McGrath, Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham are all interested in signing him.
The last time he left his boyhood club was a disaster, but he's grown as a footballer and as a person since then.
Biggest rise: Multiple (+1)
Biggest fall: Jamie Vardy (-2)
| Rank | Player | Club |
| 1 | Roberto Firmino (Stay) | Liverpool |
| 2 | Harry Kane (Stay) | Tottenham Hotspur |
| 3 | Sergio Aguero (Stay) | Manchester City |
| 4 | Romelu Lukaku (Stay) | Manchester United |
| 5 | Gabriel Jesus (Stay) | Manchester City |
| 6 | Wilfried Zaha (Stay) | Crystal Palace |
| 7 | Alexandre Lacazette (+1) | Arsenal |
| 8 | Jamie Vardy (-1) | Leicester City |
| 9 | Marko Arnautovic (Stay) | West Ham United |
| 10 | Chris Wood (Stay) | Burnley |
All statistics via WhoScored.com
