Points per game – Ranking every Premier League club’s most important player so far this season

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Who is No.1? 

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With its vast wealth that continues to go unopposed by any other European league or even the riches of the Saudi Pro League, there’s no doubt that the Premier League’s top clubs have the money to more or less buy whatever player suits them. In theory, each club could build star-studded squads full of exceptional players from each corner of the world. However, as many fans of the English top-flight will quickly point out, that doesn’t exactly pan out as conveniently in reality. And in many cases many clubs go from one season to the next doing their best just to put out functioning starting XIs. As such, as opposed to teams relying on the quantity of stars among their ranks, they instead need to fall back on the quality of their individual star players. So which players have shone the most for their clubs this season?

To no great surprise, Liverpool dominate the list of players that have the highest points per game average in the Premier League this season. When we filter out all players that have played less than 60% of the total league minutes available so far this season, the Anfield side can still lay claim to no less than 10 of the top 20 players on the list. This, naturally, reflects the starting XI that Arne Slot tends to value from one week to the next and the player at the very top of that list is none other than Alexis Mac Allister with an average of 2.48 points per game this season. The Argentine midfielder has been nothing short of a revelation in Slot’s midfield this season, starting all but three of the club’s league matches and undoubtedly characterising the industrious nature of Liverpool’s table-topping side in this league campaign. 

The first player to play for a club other than Liverpool on our list is none other than Arsenal full-back Jurrien Timber with a PPG average of 2.15. While the inclusion of a player from the North London club should come as no surprise, Timber sitting above William Saliba (2.14) and Bukayo Saka (2.06) may raise an eyebrow among some of the season ticket holders at the Emirates. The rest of the chasing pack among Mikel Arteta’s squad are Gabriel, David Raya and Leandro Trossard, who all sit on 2.04 PPG. The next player on the list is none other than on-loan Bournemouth goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, who currently enjoys a remarkable PPG average of 2.06 having lost just four of his 16 games for the club in the Premier League this season. Nottingham Forest’s stellar run in the English top-flight this season then welcomes Callum Hudson-Odoi as their best performing player with an equally impressive average of 2.05, which happens to be exactly identical to fellow Forest team mate Neco Williams. However, since Hudson-Odoi has played more football this season, his average has been deemed to be slightly more impressive than Williams’. 

In a fascinating turn of events, Pep Guardiola’s stumbling Manchester City side are represented in fifth place on the table by central defender Manuel Akankji. The Swiss talent is perhaps an unlikely candidate for being Man City’s best performer this season, but currently enjoys a PPG average of 1.95. However, Akanji’s average goes someway to underlining the troubles Man City have faced in the league this season due to the fact that last season’s highest average in Guardiola’s squad was Rodri with a far higher 2.59 PPG. And, undoubtedly, showcases how many of Man City’s forward players have struggled this season. After Ajanji the next best players for City are Mateo Kovacic (1.95 with fewer minutes played), Ederson (1.93), Rico Lewis (1.89) and then Josko Gvardiol (1.86). Erling Haaland is the forward player with the highest PPG average in Man City’s squad but, despite his 18 goals and two assists in 23 league games, his average stands at just 1.78.