Wharton, Garner, Stach: Top 10 defensive midfielders available to sign this summer | OneFootball

The No.6 role is becoming more important – and expensive.

Some of the Premier League’s best signings in the 2025/26 season were defensive midfielders.

Martin Zubimendi joined Arsenal and helped them win the league and reach the Champions League final. Hell, until March, the Gunners were on for the Quadruple.

Then you had Granit Xhaka’s transformative move to Sunderland, and Jordan Henderson’s inspirational stint at Brentford, both of which Chelsea have kept a surprisingly keen eye on.

Rodri won the Ballon d’Or in 2024 and the 2026 World Cup Golden Ball. Declan Rice and Moises Caicedo cost £100million. And so many No.6s are being viewed as the final piece of many puzzles.

It’s actually pretty debatable who is a 6 and who isn’t a 6 these days. Someone like Carlos Baleba, whose best abilities are all defensive, obviously is. Adam Wharton, who holds up defensively, is more of a deep-lying midfielder and also qualifies. And then you have Kobbie Mainoo or Alex Scott, who can certainly play there, but did not do so as much last season.

It makes this ranking of the 10 best defensive midfielders available to sign pretty difficult to judge.

So, to avoid any problems, we are only including players whose ‘main position’ on Transfermarkt is ‘defensive midfielder’. The standard is still pretty decent.

Without further ado, here is our ranking of the top 10 who are available for transfer.

10) Archie Gray (Tottenham Hotspur)

Tottenham might not want to sell Gray, but they might also have little choice after spending a combined £185million on Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes.

Lucas Bergvall has expressed his desire to leave and there is plenty of interest in both him and Gray.

A return to Leeds United should not be ruled out, while Bournemouth could pursue him as a Scott replacement. Aston Villa could also swoop after losing Amadou Onana to injury and Youri Tielemans to Manchester United. Gray is not short of options.

But is he any good? Well, yes. Gray is a very good young player whose versatility is a huge asset. He has simply had a very tough time in a very poor Spurs team.

9) Marc Bernal (Barcelona)

One of Barcelona’s most promising youngsters missed all but three games 2024/25 after tearing his cruciate ligament, making 2025/26 a difficult campaign. Bernal still managed 33 appearances in all competitions, starting 15 matches.

A loan might be the preference for both Barcelona and Bernal, but we know the La Liga champions would be open to selling a player they do not view as a guaranteed starter. They might not be as strapped for cash as they were a few years ago, but the money they are now willing to throw around suggests sales will eventually become necessary. Otherwise, they could find themselves in a very similar pickle.

Bernal is very highly rated, which is reflected by the clubs reportedly interested in signing him. Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea and Atletico Madrid have all been linked, as have Saudi Pro League champions Al Nassr and AS Roma, who appear more likely to sign him on loan than permanently.

8) Danilo (Botafogo)

Since leaving Nottingham Forest last July, Danilo has been in top form for Botafogo. If he wants a return to Europe, the Brazilian international deserves it.

Danilo will perhaps emerge as a perfect option as a replacement for someone else on this list.

7) Carlos Baleba (Brighton)

Brighton and Cameroon midfielder Baleba has been linked with Manchester United over the last year – and the Red Devils’ interest clearly had a negative impact on his performances.

Baleba’s form was poor for the vast majority of 2025/26, but the final few weeks of the season were better, which could hoodwink a club with an awful transfer record into shelling out over £80million.

6) James Garner (Everton)

Everton will argue that Garner is not available and there has not been much talk of him leaving. But he is good enough to make the step up to a Champions League club and we’d be surprised if he doesn’t this summer.

Everton being rubbish is what stopped Garner from making England’s World Cup squad – David Moyes said as much – and that is quite the motivation to move on.

5) Ruben Neves (Al-Hilal)

There was talk of Neves moving in January for an incredible price in the region of £13million and it was rather surprising that he was not snapped up. Maybe, now bear with us, everything you read on the internet isn’t true.

Neves is now under contract until 2029, but that doesn’t mean he has to stay at Al-Hilal for another three years – though there is no chance the Portuguese playmaker can leave for under £20m this summer.

It’s perhaps bold that Neves is as high as fifth, but he is a class player.

4) Anton Stach (Leeds United)

The lack of noise surrounding Stach’s future is… bizarre. It’s fantastic news for Leeds, but a little confusing considering the season the German just had.

Stach was outstanding, proving to be a serious goal threat as well as someone capable of holding things down in the middle of the park. And if you want an insight into his character, he even has a YouTube channel!

3) Kaishu Sano (Mainz)

Mainz midfielder Sano enjoyed a fruitful World Cup before Japan fell to Brazil in the round of 32, capping off a very impressive 2025/26 campaign in Germany.

His reward? Interest from some of England’s biggest clubs. Liverpool have been linked with a €60million move, while Premier League champions Arsenal are also reportedly keen.

Perhaps a move to Brighton or Brentford is more realistic, but it feels inevitable that Sano will soon be playing for one of Europe’s biggest clubs in the Champions League.

2) Angelo Stiller (Stuttgart)

From one Bundesliga star entering his prime years to another, 25-year-old Stuttgart playmaker Stiller is a wildcard option for clubs interested in signing a new No.6.

The German has been strongly linked with Manchester United, who want to add a third midfielder on top of Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans after qualifying for the Champions League.

1) Adam Wharton (Crystal Palace)

A surprise England World Cup snub, Wharton was somehow left out in favour of Henderson after an excellent season at Europa Conference League winners Crystal Palace.

Wharton is only 22 years old and the complete package for a defensive midfielder. There’s no doubt he is ready to step up and take on the role of a top club’s influential No.6.