With the Premier League tantalisingly close to returning for the first time since Leicester beat Villa 4-0 on March 9th, Spreadex has taken a look at the best players of the season so far.

To do this we have tallied each player’s Player Performance points. That’s where you receive: 25 points per goal, 10 points per assist, 10 points every time the woodwork is struck, 5 points per shot on target, 5 points per blocked shot inside 6 yards, 3 points per free kick won, 2 points per shot off target and 2 points per completed pass in the opposition’s half.

Unsurprisingly, champions-elect Liverpool dominate the top 20, with 6 entries. Man City then have 5 spots – including no. 1, 2 and 5 – with 3 apiece going to Chelsea and Leicester.

As for individual stats, Jamie Vardy is the top-scorer with 19 goals, with Kevin De Bruyne bagging a table-topping 16 assists.

No-one has had more shots on target than Mohamed Salah’s 27; less impressively, no-one has had more shots off target than Raul Jimenez’s 38

Marcus Rashford has hit the woodwork 5 times, Wilfried Zaha has drawn 29 free-kicks, and Neal Maupay has had 7 shots blocked inside 6 yards.

Meanwhile Rodri has completed an astonishing 1069 passes in the opposition’s half – that’s an average of 41.12 passes per game.

Take a look below to find out the top 20 Premier League players of the season so far, as well as a breakdown of the top 5s for each and every team in the league.

1. Kevin de Bruyne, Man City – 2465 Player Performance points
Far and away the top player of the season so far, Kevin De Bruyne has a total of 2465 points – 166 points ahead of 2nd place.

The Belgian only actually leads in one of the 8 Player Performance metrics, however, picking up 160 points for assists – in other words, 16 assists in 26 appearances.

2. Rodri, Man City – 2299 points
Making an impact in his first season at City, Rodri sits behind his teammate on 2299 points. Going by PFA rules, he would also be the Young Player of the Year (so far).

The bulk of the Spaniard’s points come from passes in the opposition’s half – 2138 points, in fact, 196 ahead of Andrew Robertson.

3. Trent Alexander-Arnold, Liverpool – 2154 points
The joint-youngest player on this list – he was 20-years old at the start of the season – Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold comes in at 2154 points.

The difference-maker for Alexander-Arnold is his assists record, with 12 in total (i.e. 120 points).

4. Andrew Robertson, Liverpool – 2092 points
The Scottish left-back is the 2nd Red in the top 5, with 2092 points across 28 fixtures.

After passes in the opposition’s half, his best stat is assists, with 7 in total.

5. Ilkay Gundogan, Man City – 1956 points
Ensuring that Man City dominate the top 5, despite Liverpool’s lead overall, Ilkay Gundogan has collected 1956 Player Performance points.

He also has the highest points per minutes played of the top 20, averaging just over 110 points every 90 minutes.

6. James Maddison, Leicester – 1942 points
Breaking the iron grip of Liverpool and Man City, Leicester’s James Maddison sits just outside the top 5 with 1942 points.

Only Wilfried Zaha has won more free-kicks than Maddison this season, at 29 to the latter’s 26.

7. Jorginho, Chelsea – 1912 points
The first of 3 top 20 entries for Chelsea, Jorginho has picked up 1912 Player Performance points so far this season.

He was helped by scoring 4 goals in the league – already double the tally he managed in 2018/19.

8. Virgil van Dijk, Liverpool – 1861 points
With more minutes played than anyone else in the top 20 – 2610 minutes over 29 fixtures – Virgil van Dijk has a Player Performance Points total of 1861.

He has won points across the board, including 4 goals, 1 assist, 1 shot off the woodwork and 14 free-kicks won.

9. Mateo Kovacic, Chelsea – 1752 points
The Croatian has made good on his permanent transfer to Chelsea, winning himself 1752 points and a spot in the top 10 players of the season so far.

And that’s in 1683 minutes – only Gundogan and Bernardo Silva have played fewer minutes in the top 20.

10. Joao Moutinho, Wolves – 1695 points
One of the more surprising entries on this list, Joao Moutinho reflects Wolves’ push for a spot in the Champions League with 1695 Player Performance points.

After passes in the opposition’s half, Moutinho’s next best category is assists – he has managed 6 this season.

11. Fred, Man United – 1694 points
In a one-off appearance for Man United in our top 20 list, Fred beats out teammates Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial with 1694 points.

12. Raheem Sterling, Man City – 1688 points
One of 2 players to reach the top 20 despite only making 24 league appearances, Raheem Sterling has 1688 points this season.

13. Jordan Henderson, Liverpool – 1683 points
Looking to become the first Liverpool captain to lead the club to a Premier League title – and the first to lead them to a league championship since Alan Hansen – Jordan Henderson has 1683 Player Performance points.

14. Bernardo Silva, Man City – 1675 points
Alongside Sterling, Bernardo Silva makes this list with just 24 games played. In fact, he has the lowest minutes played in the top 20 with 1500. That makes his 1675 points total all the more impressive.

15. Jack Grealish, Aston Villa – 1673 points
Maybe the single most shocking entry in the top 20, Jack Grealish has 1673 points despite Aston Villa facing relegation. In a sign of his quality for the club, Villa’s 2nd best player, Douglas Luiz, is on just 903 points.

16. Sadio Mane, Liverpool – 1669 points
The top scorer on this list with 14 goals – the likes of Vardy, Aubameyang, Aguero and Salah didn’t make the cut – Sadio Mane has 1669 points, boosted by his 70 assist points and 75 shots on target points.

17. Ricardo Pereira, Leicester – 1654 points
With 3 goals in his 2nd season in the Premier League, Ricardo Pereira has managed to collect 1654 points in 28 appearances.

18. Roberto Firmino, Liverpool – 1647 points
Only Mohamed Salah has more shots on target than Roberto Firmino’s 26. However, Salah doesn’t make this list; his Brazilian clubmate does, with 1647 Player Performance points.

19. Mason Mount, Chelsea – 1642 points
Alongside Alexander-Arnold, Mason Mount was just 20 when he started the season, adding an extra bit of shine to his 1642 point haul.

20. Youri Tielemans, Leicester – 1641 points
Rounding out the top 20 is Leicester’s 22-year old Youri Tielemans, who has a total of 1641 Player Performance points across 28 fixtures.

Top 5 Players per Team:

Arsenal:
1. Granit Xhaka – 1324 points
2. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – 1210 points
3. Matteo Guendouzi – 1150 points
4. Mesut Ozil – 1121 points
5. Nicolas Pepe – 1052 points


Aston Villa:
1. Jack Grealish – 1673 points
2. Douglas Luiz – 903 points
3. John McGinn – 837 points
4. Matt Targett – 774 points
5. Anwar El Ghazi – 771 points

Bournemouth:
1. Ryan Fraser – 1094 points
2. Jefferson Lerma – 910 points
3. Philip Billing – 895 points
4. Harry Wilson – 785 points
5. Diego Rico – 768 points

Brighton:
1. Davy Propper – 1629 points
2. Dale Stephens – 1160 points
3. Pascal Gross – 1152 points
4. Aaron Mooy – 1114 points
5. Neal Maupay – 1046 points

Burnley:
1. Ashley Westwood – 1266 points
2. Dwight McNeil – 1044 points
3. Jack Cork – 872 points
4. Chris Wood – 864 points
5. Jeff Hendrick – 633 points

Chelsea:
1. Jorginho – 1912 points
2. Mateo Kovacic – 1752 points
3. Mason Mount – 1642 points
4. Willian 1624 points
5. Cesar Azpilicueta – 1498 points

Crystal Palace:
1. Wilfried Zaha – 1263 points
2. Luka Milivojevic – 1046 points
3. Jordan Ayew – 1045 points
4. James McArthur – 1034 points
5. Patrick van Aanholt – 905 points

Everton:
1. Richarlison – 1164 points
2. Lucas Digne – 1148 points
3. Dominic Calvert-Lewin – 967 points
4. Gylfi Sigurdsson – 962 points
5. Djibril Sidibe – 803 points

Leicester:
1. James Maddison – 1942 points
2. Ricardo Pereira – 1654 points
3. Youri Tielemans – 1641 points
4. Ben Chilwell – 1367 points
5. Caglar Soyuncu – 1096 points

Liverpool:
1. Trent Alexander-Arnold – 2154 points
2. Andew Robertson – 2092 points
3. Virgil van Dijk – 1861 points
4. Jordan Henderson – 1683 points
5. Sadio Mane – 1669 points

Man City:
1. Kevin De Bruyne – 2465 points
2. Rodri – 2299 points
3. Ilkay Gundogan – 1956 points
4. Raheem Sterling – 1688 points
5. Bernardo Silva – 1675 points

Man United:
1. Fred – 1694 points
2. Marcus Rashford – 1336 points
3. Aaron Wan-Bissaka – 1304
4. Harry Maguire – 1198 points
5. Anthony Martial – 1176 points

Newcastle:
1. Joelinton – 887 points
2. Miguel Almiron – 861 points
3. Jonjo Shelvey – 705 points
4. Isaac Hayden – 602 points
5. Sean Longstaff – 554 points

Norwich:
1. Emiliano Bunedia – 1618 points
2. Todd Cantwell – 1286 points
3. Kenny McClean – 1208 points
4. Teemu Pukki – 979 points
5. Max Aarons – 905 points

Sheffield United:
1. Olivier Norwood – 1576 points
2. John Fleck – 1266 points
3. John Lundstram – 1253 points
4. Enda Stevens – 1173 points
5. George Baldock – 1013 points

Southampton:
1. Pierre-Emile Hojbherg – 1528 points
2. James Ward-Prowse – 1410 points
3. Danny Ings – 948 points
4. Ryan Bertrand – 941 points
5. Nathan Redmond – 932 points

Tottenham:
1. Harry Winks – 1428 points
2. Son Heung-Min – 1192 points
3. Dele Alli – 1122 points
4. Moussa Sissoko – 996 points
5. Serge Aurier – 945 points

Watford:
1. Abdoulaye Doucoure – 1532 points
2. Gerard Deulofeu – 1179 points
3. Etienne Capoue – 1092 points
4. Will Hughes – 712 points
5. Roberto Pereyra – 711 points

West Ham:
1. Mark Noble – 1286 points
2. Declan Rice – 1200 points
3. Felipe Anderson – 1101 points
4. Sebastien Haller – 1025 points
5. Aaron Cresswell – 1022 points

Wolves:
1. Joao Moutinho – 1695
2. Raul Jimenez – 1394 points
3. Ruben Neves – 1285 points
4. Matt Doherty – 1131 points
5. Diogo Jota – 1069 points