5 Standout performers from the Premier League this season
Using PFF FC grades and metrics, Grading Lead Luke McCabe highlights five standout performers from the Premier League so far this season, starting with AFC Bournemouth, Arsenal, Aston Villa, Brentford and Brighton & Hove Albion. To read more about how we grade players, click here.
AFC Bournemouth - Evanilson
Shooting Grade: 84.7
Dribbling Grade: 75.8
4 Goals scored this season - all unsaveable
32.3 pressures per 90mins
It was a slow start for Bournemouth’s record signing, joining on the eve of the season and failing to find the back of the net in his first five games. However, after he finally broke his duck against Southampton the striker is starting to justify his price tag. He ended the last run up to the international break with 3 goals in 3 games and has begun to look like the striker the Cherries believed they had signed from Porto.
His 84.7 Shooting grade is the 10th best in the league and 6th best among strikers, which suggests if he keeps up that form, the goals will keep coming. He also has a 79.4 Shooting grade under pressure which shows there isn’t too much of a drop off in his ability when a defender is bearing down on him.
Arsenal - Bukayo Saka
Passing Grade: 82.7
Tackle Resistance Grade: 85.5
Shooting Grade: 72.6
Crossing Grade: 88.4
27 Chances Created
Only Arsenal player with 3 80+ Grades
It often feels that Saka is one of the most overlooked players in the Premier League. Everyone seems to know he’s a great player but his level of production isn’t talked about in the same way as others are discussed. Despite Arsenal’s underwhelming start to the season, Saka has been exceptional. He’s scored 3 goals and contributed 7 assists so far this season and he has created 8 more chances than anybody else on the team (27, Rice 2nd with 19).
His PFF FC grades are high in most of the attributes you’d want to see in a winger, coming out at the top end of his position group. He has an 82.7 Passing Grade, which is 8th best for wingers, an 88.4 Crossing Grade, and an 85.5 Tackle Resistance Grade, which put him 4th and 5th overall in those categories (he’s the top winger in the league in tackle resistance).
Aston Villa - Youri Tielemans
Passing Grade: 97.6
Passing Grade under Pressure: 90.2
Crossing Grade: 81.8
Tackle Resistance Grade 86.8
50/50 Grade 76.6
Defending Dribbles Grade 76.9
87% Pass Completion under Pressure
Tielemans has been solid ever since he came to the Premier League, first with Leicester and then moving to Villa once the Foxes were relegated to the Championship. However, this season, he seems to be demonstrating that he can be one of the most valuable midfielders in the Premier League.
His PFF FC Grades have been exceptional. A 97.6 Passing grade is good enough for 2nd best in the league and is the highest for any centre-midfielder. His 104 completed line-breaking passes and 24 chances created are big contributors to this grade. We also have him rated as the best centre-midfielder at crossing so far this season and his dominance in the middle of the park is reiterated with a 86.8 tackle resistance grade, 2nd only to Liverpool’s Ryan Gravenberch (90.4).
Brentford - Nathan Collins
Aerial Duel Grade: 92.0
Defending Dribbles Grade: 89.1
Clearance Grade 76.3
50/50 Grade: 84.4
83% win rate when defending a dribble attempt
Only Brentford Player with a 90+ Grade
There are a lot of candidates for Brentford’s standout player so far. Mbuemo and Damsgaard would certainly be worth a deeper look after their impressive starts to the season, but Nathan Collins grades incredibly highly in everything you’d want in a centre-back.
The Irish international ranks 4th in aerial duels, 2nd in defending dribbles (1st among centre-backs) and 4th in 50/50 duels (2nd among centre-backs). In his twelve dribbles defended this season he’s been awarded a positive grade on half of them and a negative grade on only two. He also receives a positive grade in 59% of his Aerial Duels while having a 65% Aerial Duel win percentage.
Brighton and Hove Albion - Carlos Baleba
Defending Dribbles Grade: 90.4
Passing Grade: 81.5
Dribbling Grade: 78.5
Shooting Grade: 77.0
Aerial Duels Grade: 75.2
88% Pass Completion under Pressure
Death, Taxes and Brighton finding a young, destined-to-be superstar centre-midfielder. The young Cameroonian had a fine debut season in the Premier League in 2023-2024 but has elevated his performance levels this year to become heir apparent to the plaudits that previously accompanied Yves Bissouma and Moises Caicedo during their time at the Amex.
The 20-year-old has a league-leading defending dribbles grade of 90.4, grades as the 11th-best passing centre-midfielder and throws in solid dribbling and shooting grades to compliment his all-around game. He has an 88% success rate on passes completed under pressure which is joint 5th among midfielders and only 1 point off his 89% overall pass completion grade, showing he is rarely affected playing in a busy middle of the park. He also has an 80.0 passing grade under pressure, which is only a slight drop off from his standard passing grade.