The Premier League never fails to entertain, as was apparent in the season that just concluded. But EPL would be dull as dishwater without the competition’s exciting players. So, Join us as we take a look at the best Premier League players of the 2022-23 season:
A hearty battle between the mighty Gunners and the experienced Citizens ended with Guardiola’s fifth Premier League winner’s medal and, eventually, the long-coveted treble. Elsewhere, giants trembled as Chelsea and Liverpool failed to live up to expectations, with the Blues facing a nosedive in the second half of the season.
Yet, wherever Goliaths fall, underdogs flourish. And flourish they did, as Newcastle earned a Champions League spot while Brighton and Aston Villa also booked European places as well. Heartbreak was around as well, since the 2015-16 surprise Premier League champions, Leicester City, faced the drop back to the Championship. All these thrills and heartbreaks resulted in some fantastic performances over the course of the season. Performances that we’ll take a look at as we recount the best Premier League players of the 2022-23 season below:
Best EPL Players of the 2022-23 Season
As Arsenal and Man City were both so far above the rest of the league in terms of performances, it’s only natural that the majority of the best EPL players of the 2022-23 season are from these two teams. But fear not; we have some surprising additions as well!
Bruno Guimaraes
There are only a handful of players in the Premier League working today that have impacted an entire club as much as Bruno Guimaraes has Newcastle. The Brazilian’s signing in January of last season signaled a new era of success for the Geordie club. And he has delivered it, taking Newcastle to a cup final and, subsequently, the Champions League, all the while bossing the Magpies’ midfield.
When Bruno Guimaraes turned down the advance of EPL giants like Arsenal only to sign for the struggling Newcastle United, many were perplexed. However, under the safe hands of Eddie Howe as Magpies’ new boss, it soon became clear that Bruno was a central piece of the puzzle, one that made the whole thing fit snugly together. Six months pass, and now you have a confident midfielder who has adapted to the Premier League and is basically winning every midfield battle he faces, helping Newcastle have the best defensive record in the league.
Not only did Guimaraes help Newcastle shore up its defense, but the Brazilian was also brilliant when it came to progressive carries and take-ons. He also produced a healthy 3.6 shot-creating actions per match last season, as well as four goals and five assists, which helped the Magpies secure Champions League football and reach a cup final. As a central midfielder, Burno Guimaraes may not be the flashiest of first picks, but he undoubtedly deserves a spot among the best Premier League players of the 2022-23 season.
Read More: Bruno Guimaraes Biography
Harry Kane
Spurs might have had a forgettable, even embarrassing, season, but their skipper Harry Kane once again proved why the European elite still covets him. Even when his team is not performing up to the standards he sets, Kane is a bagsman. The Englishman is simply too good. Apart from having a record-breaking season, Kane was definitely among the best Premier League players of the 2022-23 season.
This was the season where Harry Kane broke some of the longest-standing goalscoring records in the British game. He started by breaking Sergio Aguero’s record of 184 goal-tally early in the season and then proceeded to break Wayne Rooney’s record for most international goals for England. He then broke the legendary Jimmy Greaves’ record for being Tottenham’s all-time leading goalscorer as he passed his 266 goals threshold.
Harry Kane finished the season as one of the greatest Premier League players of 2022-2023 by scoring 30 goals and assisting three times. He became the first player to score 30 goals on two separate occasions and is now Tottenham’s all-time leading goalscorer with 280 goals and being only behind Rooney and Alan Shearer in the Premier League all-time leading goalscorers race with 213 goals. Kane ended up moving to Bayern Munich in the summer, but his last season at Tottenham will be one to remember for the Spurs fans.
John Stones
At the start of the 2022-23 season, no one could’ve predicted that John Stones would be one of the most essential pieces of the puzzle when it came to Manchester City winning the coveted treble. But the Englishman proved all doubters wrong as he slotted right into Guardiola’s new system, playing as a full-back who tucked inside to operate as basically a central midfielder, helping City overload the midfield.
Although Pep Guardiola likes to rotate his defensive line, John Stones managed to get a decent amount of game time in all competitions, especially in the EPL, where he became one of the best Premier League players of the 2022-23 season by helping Man City shore up the defensive unit. He acted in a similar role as Arsenal’s Zinchenko, where he used his impressive skills with the ball to help out Rodri and allow wingers to be set free. Manuel Akanji did a similar role at City but on the left-hand side.
Defensively, Stones was as solid as they come, although he had little to do in that regard in his new role. It was his passing and intelligent positioning that helped City become a new beast going forward, unleashing all their attacking force without the worry of being undone on counter-attacks. Stones is in the top 1% of passing among the defenders of the best European leagues. He also scores from time to time. With two goals and two assists, as well as his immense influence on Manchester City’s treble-winning campaign, John Stones was definitely one of the EPL best players of 2022-2023.
Jack Grealish
This was the season that Jack Grealish finally arrived at Manchester City. Following a hefty transfer fee, Grealish had a somewhat lackluster first season, despite winning the Premier League. But the Englishman was set free in Guardiola’s new style of play, where wingers were set free by inverted full-backs like Akanji and Stones. It also didn’t hurt when Grealish found a goalscoring machine like Erling Haaland at the end of his crosses!
With Grealish hugging the left flank touchline and Ryiadh Mahrez on the right, Manchester City was able to dominate the wings as well as the half-space areas with the likes of De Bruyne, Foden, and Silva. Since Haaland was spearheading the attack, it’s of no surprise that both Grealish and Mahrez were among the top 5 players in the Premier League in terms of goal-creating actions.
With five goals and seven assists, as well as 20 goal-creating actions, Jack Grealish was a constant threat for Manchester City. The Englishman had a dream campaign that ended up with him winning the treble and becoming one of the best Premier League players of the 2022-23 season.
Read More: Jack Grealish Biography
Marcus Rashford
Marcus Rashford has been a beacon of hope for Manchester United fans in the past couple of seasons. The Englishman had constantly performed when the team seemed to be lacking in almost all aspects, but he stepped up big time last season to replace the big hole that Ronaldo’s departure left in the squad. Under the tutelage of new boss Erik ten Hag, Marcus Rashford was brilliant for the Red Devils, helping them somewhat keep up with the title contenders Arsenal and Manchester City.
After being out of form in the season prior, Marcus Rashford seemed to take to ten Hag’s style of playing quickly. He firmly established this early on in the season and became one of the reasons that ten HAg could even bench a goalscorer like Ronaldo. A brace against the likes of Arsenal proved that Rashford is back to his best again. However, he took it one step even further with his goalscoring record and leadership mentality that defined Man United’s silverware-winning season.
By scoring 30 goals in 56 matches for the Red Devils, Rashford became one of the best Premier League players of the 2022-23 season. He was also the first Manchester United player in a decade to reach that milestone. Rashford also provided five assists in the EPL and had a healthy 3.3 shot-creating actions per match in the competition as well. The 25-year-old also scored six goals to help United win the EFL Cup, claiming their first piece of silverware since the days of Jose Mourinho.
Read More: Marcus Rashford Biography
Gabriel Martinelli
When Arsenal brought Gabriel Martinelli for a measly sum in 2019, who would’ve thought that a teenager from the fourth division of Brazilian football would become one of the best players in the Premier League of 2022-23 only a couple of years later? Martinelly not only got to live out his dream of playing for Brazil in the World Cup last season but also helped the Gunners mount a serious title challenge for the first time in almost a decade.
Arsenal transformed when two former Manchester City veterans, Gabriel Jesus and Zinchenko, joined in the summer of 2022, and although they missed out on being on our list of best Premier League players of the 2022-23 season, they helped someone like Gabriel Martinelli take his game to another level. With both Jesus and Zinchenko collaborating on the left flank with Gabriel Martinelli, the young Brazilian had suddenly a deeper understanding of the game, his positioning on the pitch, and how to put the finishing touches on his brilliant solo runs.
One of the current best players of the Premier League, Martinelli scored 15 and assisted five goals in the Premier League, helping Arsenal mount a title challenge at last. During the time that Gabriel Jesus was out injured for the Gunners, he helped fill the void his countryman’s absence left, and together with another two Arsenal players on this list, became someone that Arteta and Arsenal fans could rely on all the time.
Bukayo Saka
It’s no mere coincidence that the rise of Arsenal’s Starboy Bukayo Saka has also seen the Gunners return to their best, challenging for the title and being back in the Champions League. The Hale End graduate has breathed new life into Arsenal’s squad and has been emblematic of the change Arsenal boss Arteta wants to bring to the club. It also helps that Bukayo Saka is perhaps the best right winger in world football and one of the best Premier League players of 2022-2023.
Terrorizing defenders on the right-hand side of Arsenal’s impressive front line, Bukayo Saka was a constant threat to every team in the league during the 2022-23 season. Whether it was his combination plays with Benjamin White and Martin Odegaard or his killer shots and crosses, Saka rarely had a quiet game last season. Martinelli could be silenced at times, but Bukayo Saka was always on the move, rarely missing a game.
With 4.6 shot-creating actions per game, Bukayo Saka was one of the most lethal players in the EPL, proven by his 14 goals and 11 assists. His 179 progressive carries in the league put him clear of the competition’s best dribblers, the likes of Grealish, Martinelli and Mitoma, and put him in contention for being the best right-winger in Europe’s top leagues. Whether you support Arsenal or not, there is no denying that Bukayo Saka was one of the best Premier League players of the 2022-23 season.
Read More: Bukayo Saka Biography
Kevin De Bruyne
Since the Belgian wizard joined Manchester City in 2015, there hasn’t been a single season that he wasn’t one of the best players in the league. Kevin De Bruyne will definitely go down in history as one of the best playmakers of all time, but last season, he took his game to a whole new level by helping Manchester City achieve the nigh-impossible task of winning the European treble.
What is there to say about Kevin De Bruyne’s brilliance in Man City’s midfield that hasn’t already been said? The Belgian maestro once again became the top assist provider in the league, the difference was the fact that last season, he had someone like Kevin De Bruyne to feed crosses to. Combining with the young Norwegian, De Bruyne helped unlock his full potential in the new Pep Guardiola setup.
With 31 goal-creating actions in 28 starts, Kevin De Bruyne was the most dangerous player on the ball in the Premier League. He scored seven and provided 16 assists to help Manchester City win the Premier League, the Champions League, and the FA Cup to finally achieve his dream of winning the treble. At 32 years of age, Kevin De Bruyne proved that he is still the best midfielder in world football, as was the case in the last five years.
Martin Odegaard
Arsenal fans may need to go back as far as the days of Cesc Fabregas and Robin van Persie to find a solid captain who rallied the Gunners. But in Martin Odegaard, they once again have a captain who sets standards and leads by setting an example. The Norwegian was only bettered by his countryman and friend, Erling Haaland, among the best Premier League players of the 2022-23 season, but that didn’t stop him from dazzling football fans all season last year.
While many have compared the Norwegian wonderkid to Kevin De Bruyne, Martin Odegaard showed last season that despite similarities with the Belgian, he is a combination of both De Bruyne and Frank Lampard. Odegaard was Arsenal’s creative machine as well as goalscoring hero when the team needed him to. Some argue that Arteta’s whole setup was designed around Odegaard, and with the output he had last year, it’s difficult to argue otherwise.
Martin Odegaard scored 15 goals and assisted seven in Arsenal’s title-challenging season, proving the few doubters left who were unhappy with him becoming the Arsenal captain. He was among the best Premier League players in shot and goal-creating actions, progressive carries, shots attempted, and progressive passes made, meaning he was great at almost everything an attacker player should excel at. Putting this Norwegian wizard this high on the list of best Premier League players of the 2022-23 season was really a no-brainer!
Erling Haaland
Who to end this list but with the Norwegian Terminator?! To say that Erling Haaland took the Premier League by storm in his debut season with the Cityzens is a massive understatement. The 23-year-old came to City with a lot of potential but also a lot of expectations as well, with many pundits claiming that he’ll find it hard to adapt to the EPL. However, Haaland simply blew them all out of the water by topping the best Premier League payers of the 2022-23 season list.
With Aguero leaving Manchester City two seasons prior, Pep Guardiola was left with no dedicated number 9. Haaland seemed the perfect fit for a team with so many creative players, especially with the best playmaker in the world, Kevin De Bruyne, in the squad. And despite some early challenges, Haaland seemed to fit in so well with the team that by the end of the season, he had an almost telepathic connection with the likes of DE Bruyne and Grealish. Not only did he break individual records, Haaland became a well-rounded player, working in tandem with the massive talents that Guardiola’s team had at their disposal.
It only took Haaland 36 goals and eight assists in 33 Premier League starts to silence the critics completely, break almost all EPL goalscoring records, deliver Cty the Treble, and become a genuine contender for the Ballon d’Or. The Norwegian has started the 2023-24 season with the same intensity and fervor, leading many to believe that if he continues on like this, he’ll become not only the current best player in the Premier League but of all time!
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