Premier League’s best centre-backs right now ranked

• Who are the Premier League’s best wingers in 2023/24?
• Who are the Premier League’s best attacking midfielders in 2023/24?
• Who are the Premier League’s best central midfielders in 2023/24?
• Who are the Premier League’s best right-backs in 2023/24?
• Who are the Premier League’s best strikers in 2023/24?

---

• Team: Manchester City
• Squawka Score: 57%
• Key stat: He won 66% of his duels in the Premier League last season, the highest rate of any City player to contest at least 100.

A stigma is attached to footballers who are comfortable operating in multiple roles. The danger is that they cannot cement a regular spot and, in turn, become somewhat of a utility player. In other words, they are seen as a jack of all trades and a master of none.

However, some managers, like Pep Guardiola, see this versatility as a virtue. If anything, he encourages his players to be as versatile as Nathan Aké, who excelled under Guardiola’s leadership.

Aké played 29 times in England’s top division, with 24 appearances as part of Man City’s starting lineup. He was primarily used as a centre-back, though he played four times on the left flank in defence. Aké’s last-man instinct and ball-carrying ability helped the champions pursue a fourth consecutive title successfully.

=5. Ezri Konsa

• Team: Aston Villa
• Squawka Score: 57%
• Key stat: The Villa defender won a higher % of his duels than any other PL player last season (75.91%)

Ezri Konsa’s versatility and consistency, meant not only was he an important player for Unai Emery, as he helped Villa qualify for the Champions League in 41 years, but also for Garteh Southgate, after being included in his squad for Euro 2024.

The 26-year-old had a higher duel success rate than any Premier League player to contest 100+ duels in 2023/24, winning a whopping 75.91% of his 220 duels, just ahead of Virgil van Dijk. The 1-v-1 specialist also had the best ground duel success rate (77.84%)of any player to contest at least 20 ground duels across Europe’s top seven leagues in 2023/24 (137/176). 

=4. Rúben Dias

• Team: Manchester City
• Squawka Score: 61%
• Key stat: Boasts the highest pass completion percentage (94.1%) for Man City in 2023/24.

Despite some tricky moments this season, including giving away a penalty in the 4-4 draw against Chelsea, Ruben Dias has continued to prove his class as Manchester City secured their record-breaking fourth consecutive Premier League title. The Portuguese CB was named in the 2023 FIFA FIFPRO Men’s World 11 in January alongside six of his teammates, and his ability to carry the ball and find a pass has been essential for City this season and last.

=4. Micky van de Ven

• Team: Tottenham
• Squawka Score: 61%
• Key stat: Clocked the fastest speed by a Premier League player (37.38km/h) since data started being collected in 2020/21

There was a lot of excitement when Micky van de Ven moved from Wolfsburg to Spurs last summer. An up-and-coming Dutch central defender, his exceptional speed in the Bundesliga had caught the attention of Tottenham supporters and Premier League observers. Van de Ven was known as the fastest player in the Bundesliga, and many wondered if he would maintain that title in the English Premier League.

As it turns out, he did, but there is more to van de Ven than just his speed. He has shown significant development under Ange Postecoglou, demonstrating his ability to play on the ball and his aggressive defensive traits. In his first season for Spurs, he was only dribbled past nine times, had a 72.7% true tackle success rate and won 65.5% of his ground duels.

With great potential, there is a strong chance that he will challenge to be the league’s best central defender rather than just the fastest.

3. Jan Paul van Hecke

• Team: Brighton
• Squawka Score: 67%
• Key stat: His team conceded a goal every 68 minutes when he was on the pitch.

Van Hecke has shown significant development under Roberto De Zerbi in what turned out to be the Italian’s final campaign leading Brighton.

Van Hecke, who idolized Dennis Bergkamp while growing up, made fewer than 30 appearances in the Eredivisie and patiently waited to establish himself in the Seagulls’ first team. This past season was truly a breakthrough for him as the Dutchman received praise from many quarters, with De Zerbi even suggesting that he has become as important to the team as three hardened veterans.

“This Brighton cannot play without Pascal Gross in terms of personality, technologies, attitude, behaviour. Without Lewis Dunk as well, without Danny Welbeck as well, without JP van Hecke. In this moment he is another crucial player,” the Italian tactician recently said.

2. Cristian Romero

• Team: Tottenham
• Squawka Score: 68%
• Key stat: He scored more Premier League goals last season than any other defender (5).

“I wouldn’t argue with Messi,” came Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou’s response after the record eight-time Ballon d’Or recipient described Cristian Romero as the world’s best defender. “Most of the boys don’t like to train against him. He’s a real competitor and I love that about him. Whether it’s training or a game, what you see is what you get with Romero,” the Australian added.

Now in the Tottenham leadership group, the Argentine seems to have calmed down slightly this season (Chelsea performance aside) and is forming an impressive defensive partnership with Spurs’ summer signing Micky van de Ven. His aggressive nature always sees him play within the absolute limits of the game’s laws at times as he intimidates opposition forwards, but his ability to bring the ball forward and his impressive passing range and accuracy has seen him become vital in Tottenham’s set up under Ange Postecoglou when he is available.

1. Virgil van Dijk

• Team: Liverpool
• Squawka Score: 72%
• Key stat: Liverpool have won all 16 Premier League games in which he’s scored for them, the most matches a player has scored in for a single club in the competition while maintaining a 100% win rate.

Form is temporary, as the old saying goes. Virgil van Dijk would be the first to admit he played below his usual (lofty) standards in 2022/23. Some eyebrows were raised when Jurgen Klopp named him Liverpool’s captain heading into the season, but it’s proven to be a masterstroke.

The Dutchman not only rekindled his past form, but his header deep into extra-time secured a record-breaking 10th League Cup trophy for the Reds against Chelsea in this season’s EFL Cup final. He became just the third outfield player after John Terry and Vincent Kompany to be named the Alan Hardaker Man of the Match award in multiple EFL Cup finals.

In the Premier League, Van Dijk is once again in his old Rolls Royce, winning a higher percentage of his aerial duels than any other player in the competition to contest 25+ (81.4%) in 2023/24.

Squawka Score metrics and weighting

Here are the metrics used and weighting given to each metric to come up with the overall Squawka Score:

• 5: Aerial duel success, ground duel success
• 4: Retention rate (%), Forward passing accuracy (%), long ball accuracy (%), Percentage of sequences featured in that end in the final third
• 3: Aerial duels won, ground duels won, passes into final third completed, fouls, challenges lost, clearances
• 2: Passes into opposition half completed, ball recoveries, long passes completed, interceptions, blocked shots
• 1:  Tackles, errors leading to shots or goals, dispossessions in own half

---