Revealed: The stats that illustrate Bukayo Saka’s importance to Arsenal
With the November international break drawing to a close, we’re continuing to reflect on the 2024/25 Premier League season so far.
In this article, we’ve taken a look at each Premier League club, and their highest rated player so far this term.
Furthermore, players have been ranked by the difference in rating between themselves and their club’s next highest rated player, to highlight which individuals are most crucial to their respective sides, if you will.
To be considered as part of this exercise, players must have started at least five matches in the Premier League this season.
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20. Alex Iwobi (Fulham) - 0.01 rating difference to second place
Starting with the lowest rating difference between first and second, we have Fulham, who boast a host of strong performers so far this season. Alex Iwobi, the club’s highest rated player thus far, takes top spot among his team-mates with a WhoScored rating of 7.16, just 0.01 more than Antonee Robinson.
19. Danny Welbeck (Brighton) - 0.03 rating difference to second place
For Brighton, 33-year-old striker Danny Welbeck is top of the charts, with a 7.08 WhoScored rating for his efforts to this point. Welbeck has six goals and two assists so far, helping to a rating just 0.03 higher than team-mate Carlos Baleba.
18. Mateus Fernandes (Southampton) - 0.04 rating difference to second place
20-year-old attacking midfielder Mateus Fernandes leads the way for Southampton, having arrived from Sporting in the summer transfer window. The Portugal youth international beats out Kyle Walker-Peters by just 0.04 rating points to earn top spot among his Saints team-mates.
17. Eberechi Eze (Crystal Palace) - 0.06 rating difference to second place
Despite registering just one goal and one assist at this stage, Crystal Palace talisman Eberechi Eze continues to standout among his team-mates, with a WhoScored rating of 6.97 higher than second-placed Trevoh Chalobah’s 6.91.
16. Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United) - 0.06 rating difference to second place
Bruno Fernandes may have taken his time to get up to speed this season, but the Manchester United captain remains the club’s highest rated player, with a WhoScored rating of 7.09 marginally higher than summer recruit Noussair Mazraoui, who has impressed.
15. Leif Davis (Ipswich) - 0.08 rating difference to second place
Ipswich left-back Leif Davis may count himself unfortunate not to have featured during Lee Carsley’s experimental reign as England interim head coach, given his strong performances for what is a newly-promoted Premier League side. The 24-year-old is the highest rated Ipswich player so far, and 0.08 higher than fellow defender Dara O’Shea.
14. Anthony Gordon (Newcastle) - 0.08 rating difference to second place
One player who has made his mark for England of late is Newcastle’s Anthony Gordon, who, with two goals and an assist, is the Magpies’ best rated player this term, pipping fellow Three Lions international Lewis Hall to top spot.
13. Chris Wood (Nottingham Forest) - 0.10 rating difference to second place
One of the stories of the season so far has been Nottingham Forest, and red-hot hitman Chris Wood, who has eight goals to his name after 11 matches. The New Zealand international is out in front ahead of Callum Hudson-Odoi as the club’s best rated player, with a WhoScored rating of 7.10.
12. Dwight McNeil (Everton) - 0.11 rating difference to second place
Dwight McNeil is the only Everton player to have registered multiple goals and multiple assists in the Premier League this season, with his six goal involvements (three goals, three assists) going some way to justifying his place as the Toffees’ highest rated performer, 0.11 rating points higher than summer signing Iliman Ndiaye.
11. Jarrod Bowen (West Ham) - 0.13 rating difference to second place
Despite the likes of Mohammed Kudus and Aaron Wan-Bissaka staking claims, West Ham captain Jarrod Bowen is the club’s highest rated player so far this season, with a WhoScored rating of 7.12 at least 0.13 higher than any other team-mate.
10. Bryan Mbeumo (Brentford) - 0.14 rating difference to second place
Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo has been one of the standout performers in the Premier League as a whole, and, as such, takes top spot among his team-mates by 0.14 rating points, with Mikkel Damsgaard the next best rated Bees star.
9. Facundo Buonanotte (Leicester) - 0.19 rating difference to second place
Leicester’s highest rated individual is Brighton loanee Facundo Buonanotte, who has already made his mark in a Foxes shirt. The teenager has three goals and two assists to his name in the Premier League, earning a 7.18 rating, at least 0.19 higher than any other team-mate.
8. Antoine Semenyo (Bournemouth) - 0.26 rating difference to second place
In only 11 gameweeks Bournemouth have made waves this season, claiming impressive victories over the likes of Arsenal and Manchester City. Pivotal to much of what the Cherries have done well so far is Ghanaian attacker Antoine Semenyo, whose 7.21 WhoScored rating is 0.26 points higher than second-placed Lewis Cook.
7. Heung-min Son (Tottenham) - 0.27 rating difference to second place
Spurs captain Heung-min Son may have made a slower-than-usual start to the campaign so far, yet his WhoScored rating of 7.57 still sees him out in front, by some distance, as the club’s top performer. Son’s displays thus far see him 0.27 rating points ahead of big-money summer addition Dominic Solanke.
6. Youri Tielemans (Aston Villa) - 0.30 rating difference to second place
Perhaps unexpectedly for the neutral, Youri Tielemans has been Aston Villa’s top performer so far this season, and by quite some distance. The Belgian has taken on greater responsibility at the heart of Unai Emery’s midfield following the departure of Douglas Luiz, and has so far earned a WhoScored rating of 7.16, 0.30 higher than Lucas Digne in second.
5. Cole Palmer (Chelsea) - 0.38 rating difference to second place
What will come as no surprise, however, is that Cole Palmer leads the way for Chelsea this season, in just about every category - including WhoScored rating. Palmer’s 7.58 average to this point sees him 0.38 rating points in front of Moises Caicedo.
4. Matheus Cunha (Wolves) - 0.40 rating difference to second place
The biggest rating difference for a player from a club outside of the ‘Big Six’ is that of Matheus Cunha for Wolves, whose 0.40 difference to second-placed Mario Lemina illustrates his unquestionable importance to Gary O’Neil’s side.
3. Erling Haaland (Manchester City) - 0.41 rating difference to second place
With both Rodri and Kevin De Bruyne struggling with injury so far this term, Erling Haaland takes top spot as Manchester City’s highest rated player in the Premier League this season. The Norwegian’s goalscoring numbers speak for themselves, while his WhoScored rating of 7.60 is 0.41 rating points higher than Josko Gvardiol in second place.
2. Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) - 0.44 rating difference to second place
Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah takes second place in our overall list, but first for the Reds by quite a way - at least 0.44 rating points more than any other team-mate. Salah’s 14 goals and assists are at least two more than any other player in the division has managed so far.
1. Bukayo Saka (Arsenal) - 0.76 rating difference to second place
With a huge 0.76 rating difference to second-placed Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka is statistically the most important player to his club in the Premier League. Saka’s 7.80 WhoScored rating so far dwarves those of his team-mates, with Havertz (7.04) the only other Gunner with an average higher than 7.
