The 2023-24 Premier League season is turning out to be quite an unpredictable one. Against all odds, north London duo Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal have emerged as the joint-league leaders, with the former top via virtue of goals scored, and deservedly so. Everyone else is chasing these two capital clubs.
Manchester City are seeking a record fourth-straight Premier League title. That’s never been done, and only increases the appetite and probability that someone puts last season’s Treble winners under serious pressure at some point this season. And in fact, Pep Guardiola’s Man City have entered the latest international break in third place following consecutive losses to Newcastle United and Arsenal—though they still remain within touching distance of the top of the table.
The ongoing Premier League campaign has also seen its fair share of breakout footballers and players who have impressed with their consistent, exciting performances. Today, we will turn our attention to those who have managed to separate themselves from the herd. Now, without further ado, let’s turn our attention to the 10 players who have caught the eye so far in the English top flight.
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Micky van de Van (Tottenham)
Amid an array of impressive summer signings by Premier League clubs, Micky van de Ven is the one who has stood out immensely. Signed from Wolfsburg, Van de Ven has quickly become indispensable to Tottenham and forged a strong central defensive partnership with Cristian Romero.
One of the main reasons why Tottenham are sitting at the summit of the table is because of their rock-solid defence. Van de Ven has played a chief role in solidifying their defence, proving his worth with a series of impressive displays. And it was the young Dutchman’s goal that helped Postecoglou’s 10-man Spurs side edge past Luton Town 1-0 last weekend and go top of the standings.
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Alexander Isak (Newcastle United)
Alexander Isak has been one of Newcastle United’s best players this season and only Man City’s Erling Haaland has more goals than him in the Premier League. The Sweden international has four in his last three appearances for Newcastle and his double against West Ham in the 2-2 draw took his tally for the league campaign to six.
The 24-year-old’s double against West Ham away was his second brace of the season after he scored twice in Newcastle’s opening-day 5-1 win over Aston Villa. Isak has scored in each of his last three league appearances and he’ll be determined to extend this run of form after the international break.
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Dominik Szoboszlai (Liverpool)
Dominik Szoboszlai has taken to life in the Premier League like a duck to water. The creative midfielder has looked absolutely brilliant for Liverpool so far this season, barely putting a foot wrong.
The Hungary international has been at the heart of the Reds’ midfield across the eight league games, catching the eye with his creativity, dynamism, shooting prowess, work rate and running power. He has transformed their midfield and is making significant goal contributions. Despite the Premier League just eight matchweeks old, Szoboszlai, at £60 million, already looks better value for money compared to other high-priced midfield signings in the Premier League.
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Rodri (Manchester City)
Rodri was crucial in guiding Man City to a treble, scoring the winner in the Champions League final against Inter Milan. In the ongoing season, the Spaniard is displaying firm motivation, setting the tempo for City as they chase more trophies.
The 27-year-old’s performances for the Sky Blues have again been brilliant and his claim to the title of Europe’s best defensive midfielder is beyond doubt. If it wasn’t already clear, the last few games have made it completely unequivocal that Rodri is City’s most important player.
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Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
Mohamed Salah has arguably been the Premier League’s most consistent attacker since he arrived at Anfield in 2017. He has been exceptional on the right flank, with the 31-year-old forward not only scoring goals but also turning provider quite often.
The Egyptian has been in brilliant form for the Reds of late, putting recent transfer speculation behind him. By bagging a brace in the 2-2 draw against Brighton last weekend, Salah took his league tally to five goals. Add four assists on top of that in eight appearances and it represents a fantastic return by any standard. Klopp will definitely want his star player to keep performing at this rate after the international break.
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Son Heung-min (Tottenham)
Having inherited the captaincy at Spurs after Hugo Lloris lost his place in the starting XI and Harry Kane left for Bayern Munich in the summer, Son Heung-min has led the team admirably from the front.
He achieved a milestone by scoring his inaugural hat-trick as the club’s captain in a 5–2 rout of Burnley. The 31-year-old shone in the north London derby, scoring two crucial equalisers in an exciting 2-2 draw with Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium. By doing so, Son reached a momentous 150 goals for Spurs.
The South Korea international has stepped up and thrived in Kane’s absence at Spurs, filling his position in a more central role and scoring six league goals in his first eight league games this season.
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Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)
Bukayo Saka has been Arsenal’s go-to talisman again in the Premier League this season. The England international has dazzled onlookers with his pace, dribbling skills, composure, incisiveness and vision, and has not been shy about pulling the trigger in front of goal. He has registered four goals and two assists in seven league appearances.
Having picked up a hamstring problem against RC Lens in the Champions League last week, Saka missed Arsenal’s 1-0 win over Man City in the Premier League on Sunday. The 22-year-old’s absence on Sunday ended a run of 87 consecutive Premier League games in which Mikel Arteta had played the winger.
Arteta will now hope Saka recovers in time to take on Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday in Arsenal’s first game back after the international break.
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Erling Haaland (Manchester City)
At 23, Erling Haaland being rated as the deadliest striker across Europe is a testament to his qualities. In just a year, he has tormented Premier League defences left, right and centre with his physicality, pace, power and ruthless finishing skills.
The Norwegian goal machine, who scored 52 goals in all competitions last season, has eight goals to his name this campaign. But he hasn’t found the back of the net in his last two league outings for Man City, having fired blanks against Wolves and Arsenal. Haaland would have been hugely disappointed for failing to make an impression at the Emirates in City’s 1-0 loss to Arsenal.
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James Maddison (Tottenham)
James Maddison has been a revelation under new Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou, proving his worth with silky dribbles, incisive through balls and pin-point set-pieces. He has two goals for the North London side following his summer switch from Leicester City, while sitting joint-top on the assists chart with five.
The England international has formed a quick and effective partnership with Son Heung-min and Dejan Kulusevski, helping Spurs sit top of the table after eight games. Maddison has become a crucial asset under Postecoglou and Spurs splashing out £40m to secure his services now appears to be an absolute snip.
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Julian Alvarez (Manchester City)
Rodri aside, City’s best player so far this season has been Julian Alvarez. Despite Alvarez’s eye-catching tally of 17 goals in 23 starts for City last season, his contribution went somewhat unnoticed due to Haaland’s jaw-dropping goalscoring performances hogging the limelight. This season, though, there is a dynamic shift as Kevin de Bruyne’s long-term injury has seen Alvarez occupy a central role behind Haaland.
One man’s misfortune is another man’s joy and the Argentinean World Cup winner has duly thrived in the No.10 role and delivered a series of top displays. He has already registered three goals and four assists in eight Premier League outings, and Alvarez’s crucial contributions make him almost undroppable in Guardiola’s own admission.
