Declan Rice, Moises Caicedo, Bruno Fernandes: Who is the best midfielder in the Premier League? | OneFootball

This weekend the pundits drooled over two Premier League midfielders in particular. Micah Richards called Declan Rice “one of the best players in world football”, while Jamie Redknapp described Moises Caicedo as “the best of his type in world football”. Jamie Carragher hailed both and said: “Right now we are watching two of the best midfielders in world football, there’s no doubt about that.”

Putting aside how annoying the phrase “world football” has become, they have a point. Rice and Caicedo are both doing exceptional midfield things every week. On Saturday, Declan Rice arrived on the scene with a flying leap into the box to power in a header at Burnley and, a couple of hours later, Caicedo was tackling three Tottenham players in six seconds, the third of which set up Joao Pedro to score.

Watching Caicedo is a bit like watching N’Golo Kane in his prime, running past his own teammates to put out fires all over the pitch, and he is presumably irritating beyond belief to play against. His ability not only to fill the right space but to effect the game when he gets there, usually with a timely interception or tackle, is extraordinarily rare and unlike anyone else in the Premier League, as the numbers show.

“He’s an actual animal,” said Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez after the 2-0 win at Spurs. “He’s the best player on the planet in his position … who is better than him in that position? He’s a beast. Every 50-50, every challenge he wins and he is so composed on the ball.” You can understand the appreciation – when Caicedo plays well, Sanchez has real hope of keeping a clean sheet.

Caicedo is essential to Chelsea, just as Rice is vital to everything Arsenal do right now. The comparison between the two is not entirely fair, given Caicedo is the most defensive player in Chelsea’s midfield and Rice plays alongside a holding player – usually Martin Zubimendi – and that difference is borne out in the data. Rice contributes significantly in defence but his impact is increasingly in the attacking half.

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Moises Caicedo has four goals this season for Chelsea (Getty Images)

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Declan Rice celebrates after scoring Arsenal's second at Burnley (Getty Images)

Rice ranks second in the Premier League for ball-carry distance behind only Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson (more on Anderson later), and on top of those driving runs with the ball he has added other threats over the past 12 months, like his knack of timing off-the-ball runs into the box and his ability to deliver dead-ball missiles plum on Gabriel’s forehead. Just as Caicedo stands out for defensive actions, Rice comes out on top of the pile for expected assists among Premier League midfielders.

There are some notable omissions from this season’s data. Rodri has barely played over the past year but he will no doubt return to the conversation, as the only Premier League player with a Ballon d’Or at home. Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister have missed a few games and so don’t have the minutes to make the cut, though both were pivotal in Liverpool’s title win. Dominik Szoboszlai has recorded some impressive numbers and Liverpool are a better side when he plays in midfield rather than makeshift right-back.

It is worth considering some other players in the conversation for the Premier League’s outstanding midfielder. Bruno Fernandes has adapted well to his deeper role this season, or perhaps he’s simply not adapted at all, still playing high-risk passes and instigating most of Manchester United’s attacking play (1.31 expected assists, ranking second among central midfielders). Combined with his high tally of ball recoveries (61, joint second), Fernandes’s all-round output is exceptional, even if he occasionally gets caught out in his defensive positioning.

Then there is Anderson, making superhuman contributions at Forest. Thomas Tuchel had no hesitation in handing over England’s No 6 shirt earlier this year and saying “it’s yours” ahead of the 2026 World Cup. Anderson’s figures are hugely impressive in a poor Forest team, driving forwards with entries into the final third (121, first among central midfielders) while also topping the league’s midfielders for ball recoveries (84) – albeit there is a little more recovery required for a team 19th in the table.

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Bruno Fernandes made his 300th Manchester United appearance last weekend (Man Utd/PA)

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Elliot Anderson is impressing for club and country (Nick Potts/PA)

Who is the best midfielder in the Premier League right now? Rice is undoubtedly the outstanding all-rounder, but Caicedo might just edge it by the thinnest margin for his sheer volume of steals – no player in Europe’s top five leagues has recorded more tackles and interceptions and it is a freakish talent.

Caicedo is a relentless destroyer of attacks, but he is also a creator in the sense that his interventions routinely spark Chelsea’s own forward moves, often dangerous ones when opponents thought they had control. Their goal against Sunderland last weekend was a case in point as Caicedo hustled the ball in midfield before feeding Pedro Neto, who played in Alejandro Garnacho to score. The 24-year-old has also begun adding goal contributions to his game, like Rodri and Rice have done, with four goals this term. The tackle-assist at Tottenham was perhaps the most Caicedo-ish thing to happen all season long.

Of course they are different profiles with different roles in different teams, and the cop out would be to conclude that the best midfield in the league would be a mouth-watering combination of Caicedo holding, Rice carrying the ball upfield and Fernandes there to inject some creativity. And then there’s Anderson, who can do a bit of all three.