Each Premier League club’s most valuable player – and it is not always who you think

Man City have not lost a Premier League match that Jack Grealish has started since February 2023 – Reuters/Carl Recine

There are many statistical measures that can be used to judge a footballer’s individual quality. Metrics such as goals, assists, chances created, tackles and interceptions all help to paint a picture of a player, depending on their position.

It is more tricky to measure a player’s importance to the collective success of their team. Just because a player has a good record in front of goal, for example, does not mean they actually make the team perform any better as a whole.

One method of assessing an individual’s significance is through his points-per-game tally. In other words, how many points does the team win when he plays, and how does that compare with other members of the squad? It is far from perfect but it is an illustrative exercise, and in the Premier League it throws up some eye-opening results.

Here, Telegraph Sport presents each Premier League team’s most important player, based on those points-per-game metrics, since the start of last season (for the three promoted clubs – Burnley, Sheffield United and Luton Town – it only applies to this campaign). To ensure the fairest results, we have imposed a minimum appearance total of 35 games in that time.

20. Sheffield United – Gustavo Hamer (0.54 points per game)

Gustavo Hamer (centre) has shone in a struggling team – Reuters/Matthew Childs

In a disastrous season, no Sheffield United player has truly excelled. Of them all, though, it is perhaps Hamer whose reputation remains the most intact. Hamer is comfortably the most creative attacker in the team – no Sheffield United player has been involved in more goals than the Brazilian, who has four goals and four assists so far this season.

Key stat: With 1.71 chances created per match, Hamer has been more than twice as creative as any other Sheffield United player this season.

19. Burnley – Josh Brownhill (0.63 points per game)

Josh Brownhill (left) is one of Burnley’s most creative players – PA/Martin Rickett

Burnley have played seven league matches without Brownhill in their starting line-up this season, and have lost six of those. In all competitions this season, they have lost 70 per cent of their games without Brownhill starting, compared with 65 per cent with him.

Key stat: Brownhill has created 29 chances for Burnley this season. Only Johann Berg Gudmundsson (31) has created more.

18. Luton Town – Alfie Doughty (0.79 points per game)

Alfie Doughty (right) is always one of the first names on the Luton team sheet – Reuters/Peter Cziborra

Doughty has been a near-constant for Luton this season and his crossing ability has been one of their most dangerous weapons in the Premier League. Doughty has started all but four league matches this campaign, and Luton have lost each of the four games in which he did not start, conceding 11 goals and scoring only twice.

Key stat: Doughty is Luton’s leading creative force with seven assists this season (at least two more than any other Luton player).

17. Nottingham Forest – Ryan Yates (0.98 points per game)

Ryan Yates (front) puts in consistently solid performances – Getty Images/Neal Simpson

It is a measure of the enormous change at Forest that Yates is at the top of this list, as there are actually four players with a better points-per-game return over the past two seasons – but they have all left the club. Serge Aurier, Joe Worrall, Orel Mangala and Brennan Johnson all have a better record than Yates, but that is not to downplay the 26-year-old’s consistency and commitment.

Key stat: Yates has been a Forest player for almost 20 years, having joined the club’s academy in 2005.

16. Crystal Palace – Cheick Doucouré (1.24 points per game)

Cheick Doucoure (right) brings a touch of class to the Palace midfield – Getty Images/Mike Hewitt

Regular observers of Palace will know that Doucouré, a £21 million signing from Lens in 2022, is a class above the other midfielders in the first-team squad. He is widely expected to move on to a bigger club at one point, and Palace will expect to receive a significant transfer fee. Sadly, Doucouré has not played since suffering a serious Achilles injury in November.

Key stat: Last season, Doucouré made more tackles and interceptions than any other Palace player.

15. Everton – Abdoulaye Doucouré (1.26 points per game)

Abdoulaye Doucoure is the engine in the Everton midfield – Getty Images/Tony McArdle

Doucouré scored the crucial goal that ensured Everton’s Premier League survival last season and his importance to the club cannot be questioned. Sean Dyche has been able to get the best out of the midfielder after he had been exiled under previous manager Frank Lampard.

Key stat: With six goals this season, Doucouré is Everton’s top scorer in all competitions.

14. Chelsea – Conor Gallagher (1.34 points per game)

Conor Gallagher (front) has outshone Chelsea’s recent expensive arrivals – Plumb Images

Chelsea have spent more than £1 billion on new players since the Boehly-Clearlake takeover but it is Gallagher, a homegrown talent, who is statistically their most important figure. The possibility of him being sold this summer, with Spurs interested, will concern many within the Chelsea fanbase.

Key stat: Only Axel Disasi, the French defender, has played more Premier League minutes for Chelsea than Gallagher this season.

13. Bournemouth – Antoine Semenyo (1.43 points per game)

Antoine Semenyo (right) is a proven goalscorer for Bournemouth – Reuters/Toby Melville

Dominic Solanke may score most of the goals and generate most of the headlines, but he is not the only Bournemouth attacker who makes the difference for Andoni Iraola’s side. With seven goals this season, Semenyo is showing that he has adjusted to life in the top flight.

Key stat: Semenyo is statistically one of the Premier League’s deadliest finishers. He has scored seven league goals this season from an expected goals of just 3.5.

12. West Ham – Lucas Paqueta (1.44 points per game)

West Ham struggle when Lucas Paqueta is unavailable – AP/Kirsty Wigglesworth

No surprises here. Paqueta is widely regarded as West Ham’s best player, following the departure of Declan Rice to Arsenal last summer, and they have struggled horribly when he has been missing this season. From mid-January to mid-February, when the Brazilian was injured, West Ham won zero games out of six.

Key stat: This season, Paqueta has created 1.18 chances per 90 minutes for West Ham. Only James Ward-Prowse (who takes the set-pieces) has created more.

11. Brentford – Josh Dasilva (1.51 points per game)

When fit, Josh Dasilva is key to Brentford’s success – Getty Images/Catherine Ivill

It has been a source of constant frustration for Brentford that Dasilva has struggled to maintain his fitness in recent seasons. His awful run of luck continued in February, when he suffered a ligament injury in his knee. Dasilva’s points-per-game, over 39 Premier League appearances, show that Brentford’s results are simply better when he is involved.

Key stat: Since the start of last season, Dasilva has scored four goals from just six shots on target in the Premier League. Only two players in the league have a better ratio (Bournemouth’s Marcos Senesi and Luton’s Elijah Adebayo).

10. Fulham – Willian (1.53 points per game)

At the age of 35, Willian (right) is still going strong – PA/Zac Goodwin

Not one observer of Willian during his dreadful year at Arsenal would have expected him to remain at the highest level for much longer. To be blunt, he looked finished as a Premier League force. At the age of 35, though, he is still going strong. The Brazilian is a crucial part of Marco Silva’s plans at Craven Cottage.

Key stat: At Arsenal in the 2020/21 season, Willian scored just one goal in 25 league appearances. For Fulham, he has nine goals in 52 league appearances.

9. Wolves – Toti (1.55 points per game)

Toti is enjoying his best season yet at Wolves – Getty Images/Andrew Kearns

In a Wolves team full of exciting and watchable talents, Toti is among the least-heralded players. He is enjoying his best season yet under Gary O’Neil’s management, though, and recently signed a new five-and-a-half-year contract at Molineux. He is now a full Portugal international.

Key stat: Toti has three assists in the Premier League this season. Only one other Wolves defender (Matt Doherty in 2018/19) has ever registered more in a single campaign.

8. Brighton – Pervis Estupiñán (1.65 points per game)

Pervis Estupinan (front) is an attacking full-back – Getty Images/David Horton

Last season, Estupiñán was one of the best full-backs in the Premier League, playing a key role as Brighton qualified for European competition for the first time in their history. This campaign has been more challenging but it speaks volumes of the 26-year-old’s importance that he remains their best player in terms of points-per-game.

Key stat: Only Pascal Gross has created more chances per game for Brighton this season than Estupinan.

7. Aston Villa – Alex Moreno (1.83 points per game)

Alex Moreno brings an assured presence at left-back for Villa – Reuters/Hannah McKay

One of Unai Emery’s regular selection headaches is at left-back, where Lucas Digne and Alex Moreno are competing for one spot in the Villa team. On a points-per-game basis, at least, it is Moreno who has had the edge since his £13 million move from Real Betis in January 2023. Digne, by contrast, does not feature in the top 11 players at Villa on a points-per-game basis since the start of last season.

Key stat: Among Premier League defenders, only Brighton’s Pervis Estupiñán averages more touches per game in the opposition’s penalty area than Moreno.

6. Tottenham – Cristian Romero (1.84 points per game)

Cristian Romero (front) combines solidity and aggression – Getty Images/Richard Pelham

It requires considerable mental and technical quality to win the World Cup and, in Romero, Spurs have a defender who has the potential to become one of the game’s leading centre-halves. It helps that his much-discussed disciplinary record is improving, too: he has now gone 11 matches without a yellow card.

Key stat: Spurs have lost four of the seven matches (57 per cent) Romero has not started this season. In contrast, they have lost just 21 per cent of the games he has started.

5. Newcastle United – Nick Pope (1.88 points per game)

Nick Pope’s injury has seen Newcastle’s form dip – Reuters/Scott Heppell

At the time of Nick Pope’s shoulder injury, in early December, Newcastle were within reach of the Premier League’s top four. Now they are 10th, and 16 points away from fourth-placed Aston Villa. The absence of Pope is one of the most obvious reasons for this dip in form.

Key stat: Before his injury, Pope had played every minute of Newcastle’s Premier League and Champions League matches this season.

4. Manchester United – Casemiro (2 points per game)

Casemiro (left) brings experience to the Man Utd midfield – Reuters/Molly Darlington

Casemiro may not be the player he was, and this season may not be going as well as his first in the Premier League, but he remains a crucial player for Erik ten Hag.

It is worth noting, though, that the Brazilian would not be at the top of this table if our criteria was slightly different. Harry Maguire has not quite hit the 35-game mark (he has played 32 games since the start of last season) but the England defender’s 2.19 points-per-game is the highest of any player at United.

Key stat: Since the start of last season, Casemiro has averaged the third most blocks per game of any regular Premier League midfielder.

3. Liverpool – Diogo Jota (2.15 points per game)

When Diogo Jota plays, Liverpool usually win – Getty Images/John Powell

Liverpool have lost only five of the 41 league matches Jota has played since the start of last season. He may not score as frequently as Mohamed Salah, but when Jota plays Liverpool usually win. No player in Jürgen Klopp’s squad has a higher win percentage than Jota’s 63 per cent.

Key stat: Prior to his injury at Brentford in February, Jota was averaging one goal every two games for Liverpool this season. In 28 appearances, he scored 14 goals and registered four assists.

2. Arsenal – William Saliba (2.36 points per game)

William Saliba (right) is crucial to Arsenal’s title chances – AFP/Adrian Dennis

The titan at the heart of Arsenal’s defence. Saliba is the rock upon which Mikel Arteta’s title challenge has been built. Last season, it was his injury that led to Arsenal’s collapse. If he can stay fit this time around, Arsenal will feel confident in their ability to go all the way.

In 55 Premier League appearances, the 23-year-old has only experienced defeat on seven occasions.

Key stat: Saliba has played every minute of this league campaign so far, and has the highest points-per-game of any Arsenal player in Premier League history.

1. Manchester City – Jack Grealish (2.55 points per game)

Jack Grealish (right) boasts a high win percentage at Man City – AFP/Paul Ellis

Rodri may be on an unbeaten run that stretches over the course of a full calendar year, but over the past two seasons it is actually Grealish who has the best points-per-game record of any player in Pep Guardiola’s squad.

Rodri’s loss percentage (6.6 per cent) is marginally superior to Grealish’s 7.1 per cent, but it is Grealish who boasts a higher win percentage (81 per cent, compared with Rodri’s 75 per cent).

Key stat: City have not lost a Premier League match that Grealish has started since February 2023.

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