Matchday 6 of the 2026/27 Premier League season is upon us after a lengthy international break. Let’s take a reset and rank the top 10 players of the season so far.
10. Liverpool LW Cody Gakpo
Cody Gakpo is having a phenomenal start to the season under Andoni Iraola, and hopefully the Liverpool forward does not miss much time with injury. He is one of the best creators in the league and can also finish off his chances.
9. Manchester United AM Bruno Fernandes
The reigning Premier League Player of the Season can be too one-dimensional, but with 3 goals and 2.6 key passes per game, Bruno Fernandes is once again carrying a pretty subpar Man United team that is sitting in the bottom half of the table.
8. Leeds CB Tarik Muharemovic
Tarik Muharemovic looks even better than advertised at Sassuolo, and he deserves just as much credit as James Trafford. The man is impossible to dribble past, and he is reading the game like Paolo Maldini lite with his interceptions and interventions. A great athlete, Muharemovic is not afraid to put his body on the line for the team and is a huge reason why Leeds sit in the top five.
7. Arsenal RW Bukayo Saka
Bukayo Saka still needs to have more of an impact on games in order to actually win the Premier League Player of the Season, but this guy is one of the prime candidates every season. And again, he is doing great things for Arsenal as their clear best attacking option with three goals and three fouls drawn per game.
6. Everton CB James Tarkowski
James Tarkowski is one of the most perennially underappreciated defenders in European football. This guy lives and breathes defending, putting his body on the line, snapping into tackles, and using his brains and brawn to mark the very best out of the game. Not a single player has dribbled past Tarkowski this season, as he is in vintage form for a Toffees side in the top half of the table with 2.2 tackles and 2.8 interceptions per game.
5. Brentford CM Vitaly Janelt
German international Vitaly Janelt is the latest and greatest breakout star for Brentford, leading by example with tenacious defending and hard work to progress the ball on the offensive end. The Bees blew out both Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea without a trace and are comfortably in the top five with Janelt averaging an insane rate of nearly seven combined tackles and interceptions per game.
4. Chelsea LW Morgan Rogers
Morgan Rogers has a serious case to break into the top two soon, as he has four goal contributions with more than 3 combined dribbles completed and fouls drawn per game and more than 2 key passes per game. This signing could not be going any better for Chelsea, who were desperate for this kind of a player as a secondary scoring and creative option on the left wing.
3. Manchester City AM Rayan Cherki
Leading the top three is young gem Rayan Cherki, whose approximately 40 million euro transfer fee last summer is looking more and more like an all time bargain. Cherki’s bravery on the ball and creativity with his technique is a wonder to behold, and he is plenty productive, too, with 5 goal contributions and 2.4 key passes per game. He is every bit as impressive of a player as Erling Haaland.
2. Chelsea CF Joao Pedro
Right now, Chelsea star Joao Pedro is the best center forward in the Premier League, even above Haaland, because he has 3 goals and 3 assists with world-class underlying numbers that the big Norwegian can’t touch. Pedro is averaging nearly five combined dribbles completed and fouls drawn, and I don’t think there’s a single No. 9 in the world right now who is better at taking players on.
1. Brighton CM Pascal Gross
After looking totally finished for Borussia Dortmund, Pascal Gross has been a man reborn for Brighton this season, shining in that midfield playmaking role with three key passes per game with 3 goals and 3 assists. His all-around quality and ability to elevate his teammates exceeds that of Bruno Fernandes and puts the Portuguese international to shame. But let’s see if he can keep this going for one of the Premier League’s surprise packages.
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THE TRIVELA EFFECT
Purveyor of footy since the 90s. Favor the Premier League and old school Serie A with a touch of Bundesliga. More than a touch. Professional writer for 20 years, covering every sport but now focused on the Premier League and world football. You won’t be able to guess my favorite team.