Find out which players have made the most tackles in the Premier League, as well as last-player tackles and ground duels.
Premier League best tacklers 2026-27
Which players have made the most tackles in the Premier League in 2026-27?
Premier League most tackles 2026-27
Which teams have made the most tackles in the Premier League in 2026-27?
Premier League tackle stats 2026/27
Five matchweeks in, Crystal Palace midfielder Anan Khalaili leads the Premier League tackle stats for 2026/27. He has made 21, four more than anyone else, and won 12 of them.
Three players share second on 17: Adrien Truffert of AFC Bournemouth, Xaver Schlager at Nottingham Forest and Vitaly Janelt of Brentford. Schlager has the best success rate of that group, winning 11.
James Justin has 16 for Leeds United and Belloumi the same for Hull City, with Rodrigo Bentancur of Tottenham Hotspur on 15 and Neco Williams on 14.
Williams is the most efficient man on the list. Eleven won from 14 attempted is a far better ratio than Khalaili’s 12 from 21, which is the difference between a defender who times the challenge and one who simply makes a lot of them.
What is a tackle?
Opta defines a tackle as when a player “connects with a ball in a legal, ground level challenge” and successfully takes the ball away from an opposition. The opposition player needs to be in controlled possession for a tackle to count. Tackles are then broken down into two further subsections. A tackle won is when the tackler — or a teammate — regains possession or the ball goes out of play. A tackle lost is when the ball goes to another opposition player. Both count towards tackles made, though.
Ground duels are 50-50 contests between two players on opposing sides, when the ball is on the floor.
What do tackle numbers tell us about a player?
Tackle numbers are generally highest among full-backs and defensive midfielders. Those are the real action zones in matches. High tackle numbers generally tell us how good a player is at stopping the opposition, and is used by fans to judge such players. James Garner led the way last season with 120 tackles for Everton, and Joao Palhinha was just behind on 110 for Tottenham Hotspur. Both are the deep-lying midfield type those numbers usually point to.
Who are the best tacklers in Premier League history?
Tackle stats only go back to 2006-07 in the Premier League, when Opta’s records began. It may not be a surprise to see that Gareth Barry — who leads the division for appearances — is the only player to make over 1,000 tackles. The former English midfielder retired on 1,028 tackles. Lucas Leiva sits second on 978, with Pablo Zabaleta completing the top three on 953. James Milner is the highest-ranking active player, recently breaking the 900 mark.