They can be just as important as a goal. Having a player who can get down and block a shot or cross can be crucial to winning games to frustrate the opposition and disrupt their rhythm.
Blocks 2026-27: Players who make the most blocks
These are the players who have made the most blocks in the 2026-27 Premier League season so far.
Blocks 2026-27: Teams who make the most blocks
These are the teams who have made the most blocks in the 2026-27 Premier League season so far.
Premier League block stats 2026/27
Five matchweeks in, and Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite leads the Premier League block stats for 2026/27 with 11. That is three clear of the chasing pack, and it has come in a side that has conceded only three goals all season.
Behind him sit four players on eight apiece: Issa Diop of Ipswich Town, Shea Charles at Fulham, and the Newcastle United pair of Lewis Hall and Malick Thiaw. Sven Botman makes it three Newcastle names in the top six with seven.
That Newcastle cluster is the number worth noting. Three players from one back line inside the leading six usually points to a team defending its box a lot rather than three individually brilliant defenders, and Newcastle have shipped nine goals in those five games to back that up.
Ethan Pinnock is the one to watch on rate. He has seven blocks from four appearances for Coventry City, so he is averaging more per game than anyone above him.
What is a successful block?
A player completes a block when he successfully uses his body to get in the way of a shot or cross, preventing a dangerous scenario for his team.
A player can get down low or stay on his feet, putting his body on the line to deflect the danger, of course without using his hands or arms.
What do blocks tell us about a player?
We tend to associate defensive midfielders, centre-backs and full-backs with making the most blocks, but any player on the pitch can get back and defend to put in a block for their side.
So far this season, Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite leads the way on 11 blocks, three clear of the field.
Behind him, Ipswich Town’s Issa Diop, Fulham’s Shea Charles and the Newcastle United pair of Lewis Hall and Malick Thiaw all have eight, with Sven Botman and Coventry City’s Ethan Pinnock on seven.
Who is the best at making blocks in Premier League history?
You certainly think of someone like Van Dijk as a great reader of the game who isn’t afraid to put his body on the line and put a heroic block in to save his team. But he also plays in a talented side who are often on the front foot attacking, meaning he faces much fewer dangerous situations that require a block.
Players who play for the relegation-threatened sides are the ones who have to deliver when it comes to defensive contributions and match-saving blocks. In the last three years, Everton’s Tarkowski has the most blocks with 174, including 13 crosses blocked. Second is Max Kilman with 114 , with Brentford’s Nathan Collins on 113 and Arsenal’s Gabriel on 91.
Going back in the Premier League history books, it is again Tarkowski who has made the most blocks in the history of the competition with an unmatched 429, blocking a total of 33 crosses.
The only player who has come close to him is Brighton’s Lewis Dunk with 259 and former Brentford star Ben Mee with 248. Further down the list is Craig Dawson with 211, ex-Southampton defender Jan Bednarek with 169 and Manchester United’s Harry Maguire on 167.
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