Premier League’s best No.8 midfielders in 2023/24 so far
It is often said that a football match is won or lost in midfield. So who are the Premier League’s best midfielders right now?
That’s a difficult question to answer as no other category of position has more sub-categories. So here we are narrowing the focus to the No.8 role — responsible for everything from joining in or starting attacking moves, tracking central runs, protecting the defence and, when required, aggressively counter-pressing.
More Premier League player rankings:
- The top 10 defensive midfielders in the Premier League
- Best Premier League right-backs
- Best Premier League strikers
- Best Premier League playmakers
To come up with a list, we fed various statistical categories into Twenty3’s discovery tool and weighted them (i.e. ‘big chances’ created or ball recoveries are worth more than passes completed). This produces the Squawka Score you’ll see expressed as a percentage in each player entry.
6. Dominik Szoboszlai
- Team: Liverpool
- Minutes played: 900
- Squawka Score: 70%
Long linked with a Premier League move, Dominik Szoboszlai has settled into life at Liverpool and to date is the club’s most creative performer. A recent win over Nottingham Forest saw him register his first two assists. During a period with RB Leipzig the Hungarian international showcased tenacity coupled with technique. Wearing the number eight jersey, he’s already drawn comparisons with legendary skipper Steven Gerrard, which he’s welcomed to an extent. “I want to do my own way but of course it feels good if they say I am the new Steven Gerrard,” he said.
Conor Gallagher
- Team: Chelsea
- Minutes played: 857
- Squawka Score: 71%
A brief loan spell at Crystal Palace heightened expectations surrounding Conor Gallagher, now a regular starter for his boyhood club. It’s yet to click for Chelsea this season but no one can say Gallagher isn’t putting in a shift. He is one of five Premier League midfielders this season to record 10+ for tackles won, dribbles completed and chances created (Szoboszlai is also in this exclusive club).
This season, we’re not seeing the fruits of Chelsea’s labours; they have a higher xG than league-leaders Tottenham, for instance (and a lower xG against). But there’s enough to suggest it will not be too far away. In recent positive outings against Burnley and London rivals Arsenal the 10-time capped England international got his name in the assist column.
BetMGM sign-up offer: Get £40 in free bets when you bet £10
Not signed up to BetMGM yet? Here's how eligible readers* can take advantage of their welcome offer:
- Open an account at BetMGM using this link.
- Select the Sports Welcome Offer.
- Get the offer from the ‘My Offers’ page.
- Deposit and place a £10 bet at odds of 1/1 (2.0) or greater.
- When it settles, unlock £40 in Free Bets
*New customer only. 3 days to claim & 7 days to place a qualifying bet to receive 4x Free Bets: 1 x £10 Horse racing, 1 x £10 Free Bet Builder, 1 x £10 Acca and 1 x £10 Football. 7 day expiry. Exclusions apply. Stake not returned. T&Cs apply. For more information, visit begambleaware.org
Pascal Groß
- Team: Brighton
- Minutes played: 710
- Squawka Score: 72%
Years of effort were rewarded when Groß earned his first three international caps (each coming under a different German national team manager). Brighton’s lynchpin remains a key cog in their machine even if his playing time has been reduced. That said, he’s adapted himself from a play-making attacking midfielder to a tempo-setting deep-lying midfielder. It’s also worth noting that only Kevin De Bruyne has created more chances than Groß since he joined Brighton at the start of the 2017/18 season – an even more impressive feat when you consider the number of different positions he’s played.
Bruno Guimarães
- Team: Newcastle
- Minutes played: 865
- Squawka Score: 74%
Perhaps the most important signing Newcastle have made in years. Guimarães is unquestionably Eddie Howe’s most valuable player and it shows with several European super clubs reportedly keeping tabs on him. His immediate future seems to be at St. James’ Park, where he continues to show verve and dynamism. Capable of being deployed as Newcastle’s deep-lying midfielder or higher up in central-midfield, the Brazilian stands out through his forward-thinking, creative passing.
Enzo Fernandez
- Team: Chelsea
- Minutes played: 778
- Squawka Score: 74%
You can make the argument Enzo Fernandez’s introduction to Lionel Scaloni’s starting lineup was the catalyst behind Argentina’s successful World Cup campaign last winter. Chelsea were hoping for a similar impact and though it’s still a struggle the Blues can still be excited by his performances.
The Chelsea no.8 has played nearly every midfield position in his Premier League career so far and the glimmers we have seen are enough to be ranked this high. Can you imagine where he’ll be once everything starts coming his way?
Latest odds from upcoming matches with BetMGM
- Newcastle vs Arsenal predictions
- How six Premier League predictions could earn you up to £2million with BetMGM Golden Goals
Douglas Luiz
- Team: Aston Villa
- Minutes played: 851
- Squawka Score: 74%
The last thing Aston Villa expected to have on their hands was a goalscoring midfielder who is matching Ollie Watkins for Premier League strikes this season so far (5). But here we are. Douglas Luiz was reportedly on Arsenal’s wishlist a while ago, but obviously, nothing came to fruition. That could soon change given the way he’s been playing this season. At one point he couldn’t stop netting at home subsequently establishing a new Aston Villa record. Luiz isn’t getting carried away, though, instead remaining steadfast to his duties as a direct ball-carrying midfielder under Unai Emery.
