Player roles · Premier League

The best central midfielders in the Premier League

Link defence to attack: circulate the ball, create chances and help win it back. Players appear here because they spent most of their minutes in this role, whatever position their club lists them in, and each is compared only with the other central midfielders.

What a central midfielder is judged on

Average match rating25%
Key passes per 9020%
Tackles + interceptions per 9015%
Passes per 9010%
Pass accuracy10%
Assists per 9010%
Goals per 9010%

For each measure we find the player’s percentile among the central midfielders on this board, then take the weighted average. A score of 70 means that, on these measures, the player is ahead of about 70% of the league’s central midfielders. How roles are decided.

ClubPlayer

11 central midfielders with at least 270 minutes after 6 matchweeks of 2026/27. Early in a season the board moves a lot from week to week. The small number beside each figure is the player’s percentile in this role.

#	Player	Mins	Score	Rating25%	KP/9020%	Tkl+Int/9015%	Pass/9010%	Pass %10%	Ast/9010%	G/9010%
1	M. Belloumi Hull City · 74% here, also WING	398	78	7.20100	1.1380	5.65100	17.6410	71%5	0.45100	0.45100
2	N. Williams Nottingham Forest	540	64	7.1990	1.50100	2.6720	35.6780	79%60	0.0015	0.0025
3	T. Mitchell Crystal Palace	511	59	6.9370	0.8850	3.7070	29.4160	74%40	0.0015	0.3590
4	Pedro Neto Chelsea · 76% here, also WING	419	59	6.8140	1.2990	2.7930	29.0050	82%80	0.2150	0.2180
5	A. Khalaili Crystal Palace	470	57	7.0180	0.7720	5.5590	33.5170	76%50	0.0015	0.1960
6	Pep Chavarría Chelsea · 60% here, also CB	298	51	6.6815	0.9160	3.0240	43.49100	85%90	0.3080	0.0025
7	G. Gudmundsson Leeds	341	48	6.8450	0.7940	3.9680	28.7740	73%30	0.2660	0.0025
8	R. Slater Hull City	513	46	6.7830	1.0570	3.1650	28.2530	80%70	0.1840	0.0025
9	A. Tanaka Leeds · 78% here, also CDM	329	41	6.6815	0.270	3.5660	38.5790	89%100	0.2770	0.0025
10	J. Bogle Leeds	455	34	6.9160	0.7930	1.380	24.3320	72%20	0.0015	0.2070
11	E. Stroud Hull City · 79% here, also WING	279	16	6.330	0.6510	2.5810	16.770	71%5	0.3290	0.0025