Ranking the Premier League’s Elite Midfields From Best to Worst | OneFootball

The Premier League’s greatest manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, once stated: “Attack wins you games, defence wins you titles.”

It leaves the midfield area in an unclear position – yet it’s arguably the toughest area on the pitch to get right. Defenders are judged by tackles and clean sheets. Forwards are assessed on goals and assists. The midfielder is a much more subjective art and one that people can never seem to agree on.

The perfect midfield has balance. It needs players to contain and screen a successful defence, as well as operators who can link the two together. Some of the best do both of those roles to a world-class standard. There is only a limited selection of those top players around, therefore giving Premier League clubs a dilemma.

This summer, the transfer window was dominated by midfield overhauls. Nine of the elite five’s (Arsenal, Man City, Liverpool, Man Utd, Chelsea) 25 top midfielders were new signings – a whopping 36%.

As the 2026/27 season gets underway, it’s worth having the debate over which of those sides have gone about their business best and possess the best midfield overall.

5 – Chelsea

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Chelsea’s five key midfielders: Moisés Caicedo, Valentín Barco, Jordan Henderson, Roméo Lavia, Reece James

Xabi Alonso himself once said, “If you have control of the midfield, you have control of the game, and you have more chances to win.”

But the Chelsea boss has the worst midfield five of the top sides, even if Moisés Caicedo is one of the best individuals the division has to offer. The last-place spot comes through no fault of his own, after a late £125m sale of Enzo Fernández to Manchester City.

The Blues were then expected to replace Fernandez with 22-year-old Lamine Camara, who would have boosted them and likely removed Reece James from their five key midfielders list, but AS Monaco pulled the plug on the transfer late on in controversial fashion.

It leaves Xabi Alonso and Chelsea weak in the heart of their side heading into the new campaign, and they’ll be thanking their lucky stars that no long European season is in order with a limited level of options.

4 – Liverpool

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Liverpool’s five key midfielders: Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Wataru Endo, Trey Nyoni

Liverpool’s midfield looks surprisingly weak considering it’s the same one that helped them win the Premier League title in the 2024/25 season under Arne Slot. Perhaps it supports Sir Alex Ferguson’s famous statement that defence and attack are the key components, rather than Xabi Alonso’s.

Hungarian Dominik Szoboszlai is easily one of the best-rounded players in the Premier League, and Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister have proven themselves to be top class on their day, but it’s not a rotation you’d expect to see dominate a game. That may not necessarily be a bad thing and could suit Andoni Iraola’s direct football to a tee.

It’s not a terrible midfield – but one that could do with some reinforcement after Liverpool focused on impetus in the attacking and defensive departments over the last couple of summer windows.

3 – Man Utd

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Man Utd’s five key midfielders: Carlos Baleba, Bruno Fernandes, Andrey Santos, Youri Tielemans, Kobbie Mainoo

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Had Manchester United gone into the new season with their midfield of the 2025/26 campaign, they’d be dead last on this list. But the club specifically went out with the target of improving the heart of their team this summer, and significantly did so.

The Red Devils signed just four first-team players, with Carlos Baleba, Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos arriving alongside backup goalkeeper option Karl Darlow. For the purpose of this article, their business was good.

As well as the three new additions in midfield, star players Bruno Fernandes and Kobbie Mainoo lift the ceiling of Manchester United’s selection. Mason Mount is an outside option too, but will likely have limited chances.

Andrey Santos may be the only question mark of a signing, especially for the reported £50m fee, but overall, the midfield at Old Trafford is now one of the league’s best.

2 – Man City

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Man City’s five key midfielders: Enzo Fernández, Elliot Anderson, Mateo Kovačić, Ayyoub Bouaddi, Nico O’Reilly

Like their rivals, Manchester City have undergone a major midfield rebuild this summer. Under new boss Enzo Maresca, the Blues lost 2024 Ballon d’Or winner Rodri, and Bernardo Silva departed at the end of his contract for Real Madrid. Tijjani Reijnders and Nico Gonzalez also left for new challenges, leaving huge gaps to be filled.

£326m was spent on Lille’s Ayyoub Bouaddi, Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson and Chelsea’s Enzo Fernandez, revolutionising Maresca’s midfield and setting it up for long-term success. The only thing preventing this from being the best in the Premier League is the depth.

Mateo Kovačić isn’t what he once was at 32 years old, and Nico O’Reilly’s main belt of experience at City has been as a left-back, even if his capabilities are better suited to midfield. There’s a main quartet there that’s only going to improve, but for now one team is ahead in the ascendancy.

1 – Arsenal

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Arsenal’s five key midfielders: Declan Rice, Bruno Guimarães, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Martin Zubimendi, Martin Ødegaard

Last season’s Premier League title winners have a well-oiled midfield suitable for almost every scenario. Whether it’s a double pivot, a three-man midfield or something more attacking, Mikel Arteta’s men have options in abundance.

Declan Rice is likely the best midfielder the Premier League has to offer, and while Martin Zubimendi hasn’t quite found his feet yet for Arsenal, he is a great technical operator. Lewis-Skelly provides another option, while Martin Ødegaard is wonderful to watch when he’s at his best. New signing Guimarães adds the cherry on top.

It’s ahead of Manchester City’s for now, but there’s definitely scope for Enzo Maresca’s men to overtake the reigning Champions in the next couple of seasons. Evolution is incredibly important for football clubs – something Liverpool have neglected in their midfield and are paying the consequences for.

Arsenal take home the trophy for the best Premier League midfield for now, but if another side pips them to the title this year, perhaps the conversation in the future could be very different.