Best Premier League players ranked 2024

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With so many terrific players on the books, it's a tough task compiling a list of the Premier League's best players, but we've done out best to narrow it down to a top 10.

We've looked across all positions and based our picks on several factors including trophies won, historical performances and recent displays, style, ability, goals, assists and more. We've also tried to avoid being swayed by short-term dips and sudden bursts of form.

RadioTimes.com brings you our round-up of the top 10 best Premier League players in 2024.

Best Premier League players 2024

10. William Saliba (Arsenal)

Saliba is likely to dominate the Premier League for years to come, providing Arsenal continue to threaten at the sharp end of domestic and continental football.

It was no coincidence that Arsenal's Premier League title charge faded away in the 2022/23 season when Saliba suffered a long-term injury, while a fully-fit campaign in 2023/24 saw the Gunners concede just 29 goals in their 38 outings.

The commanding centre-back has the physicality to deal with any striker, while also having the pace to manage threats in behind the back four. He has it all, and if he stays in England, he'll be a top contender for the PFA Team of the Year every campaign.

9. Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)

Van Dijk should be considered among the ranks of the all-time Premier League great defenders once he hangs up his boots, alongside Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic and John Terry to name a few.

The Dutch defender remains a dominant force, a constant, reassuring, stabilising presence in a sea of change at Anfield.

The 33-year-old, who was named the PFA Players' Player of the Year in 2019, has won the Premier League, FA Cup, EFL Cup and Champions League during his time with Liverpool and is far from being done just yet.

8. Declan Rice (Arsenal)

Declan Rice has taken his game to another level since joining Arsenal, and the 25-year-old feels like an England captain in the making.

The midfielder, who guided West Ham to UEFA Europa Conference League success before his move to north London, is as accomplished sitting deep as a holding midfielder as he is roaming from box to box, or even sitting higher up the field as a full No. 8.

Rice has added goals and assists to his game, and must be considered among the very best in the world in his position.

7. Cole Palmer (Chelsea)

We don't like to include players on the back of one good campaign, or even two, but Palmer feels like an exception we're all too delighted to make.

Palmer is a blockbuster talent with ice flowing through his veins. He is a roaming, wandering presence for Chelsea, afforded freedom of the final third to pick holes and exploit every single gap, every single time.

The 22-year-old is sure to be an England selection headache for years to come given the players also in his position, but given that he is on course to overtake his tally of 22 goals and 11 assists in 33 matches during his maiden season, he could rocket up this list in years to come.

6. Phil Foden (Man City)

Phil Foden is just 24 years old, but he's already won every major trophy with Manchester City, including an iconic domestic and continental treble in the 2022/23 season

The silky lefty, who has already won seven Premier League titles, can play through the middle of further out wide for his club. He netted 19 goals last term in his best season to date.

Foden getting the ball on the half turn is a disaster for any defence in the world. He may be the most naturally gifted footballer of the lot, but he faces immense competition in this list.

5. Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)

The original Starboy Bukayo Saka has become a man in the last year or so. He's no longer a plucky kid, he's a fully-fledged destroyer on the wing.

The 23-year-old has already made over 150 league appearances for the Gunners, and he's helped transform them into genuine title contenders with a relentless flow of goals and assists.

Saka is comfortably one of the best wide men in the world, with double-figure league goals in the last three campaigns, plus assist hauls floating around that mark as well. He's on course to smash his creativity records in 2024/25.

4. Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)

We spoke about consistency from Saka, but Mohamed Salah is on a whole other level given his longevity.

The Egyptian former Chelsea reject was not expected to become Liverpool's all-time record scorer in the Premier League, but here we are. He's likely to finish the season sixth on the list of all-time top flight goalscorer.

Salah, who has won three Golden Boots including a remarkable 32 goals in 36 starts in the 2017/18 season, guided the Reds to their only Premier League title in 2020, and he always steps up on the big occasions.

3. Kevin De Bruyne (Man City)

In an ideal world, De Bruyne tops this list. But this is not an ideal world, and bodies don't always work as they should.

Technically, there are few greater midfielders in the world than KDB, with a complete package of physicality, creative prowess and devastating finishing that would enhance any team on the planet.

He's been instrumental in City's success in recent years, and he'll leave you stunned at least once a game. We've unfortunately been forced to dislodge him from top spot due to his lack of reliability in terms of game time, but he remains a joy to behold.

2. Rodri (Man City)

Rodri was finally getting the credit he deserved for keeping Pep Guardiola's Manchester City on their lofty perch. Until disaster struck. Rodri suffered a season-ending ACL injury that is likely to highlight just how important a player he is by the end of May.

The Spaniard is a Rolls-Royce in the middle of the park, doing City's dirty work, orchestrating a perfect symphony between attack and defence, while taking games by the scruff of the neck and chipping in with important goals himself.

Rodri was crucial in City completing the treble and lifting the Premier League five times in a row. He'll be a major part of the club's history so long as he's wearing sky blue.

1. Erling Haaland (Man City)

Erling Haaland is inevitable. There's a strong case to be made that Haaland's all-around play isn't on the playmaking level of someone like Harry Kane, or that his technical ability is overshadowed by Kevin De Bruyne, that another striker would relish the service he receives.

But when all is considered, football is about sticking the ball in the net, and nobody does it better. Haaland has made a mockery of Premier League goalscoring statistics since heading to England, with the 24-year-old averaging around a goal per game.

Haaland, who has won the Golden Boot in the last two seasons, doesn't need to be involved in City's build-up, but his positioning, strength, pace and intelligence, he is always in the right place at the right time. That isn't luck, it's pure skill. Long may – and will – his reign continue.

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James Walters

Michael PottsSport Editor

Michael Potts is the Sport Editor for Radio Times, covering all of the biggest sporting events across the globe with previews, features, interviews and more. He has worked for Radio Times since 2019 and previously worked on the sport desk at Express.co.uk after starting his career writing features for What Culture. He achieved a first-class degree in Sports Journalism in 2014.