As we launch into season 2023-24, here are our picks for the top five best wingers in the Premier League.
In modern football, the mercurial winger is the hardest commodity to come by. Whether they hug the touchline or power through the middle, they strike fear into opposition defences like nothing else.
Modern football demands more from wingers than any other era in the sports history. Not only are they tasked with driving at opposing fullbacks, and often an extra cover defender, but they’re also required to stick wide and act as an easy get out of jail free pass.
Plus, of course, they’re expected to score, create, cross, and importantly, defend like fullbacks.
No league in the world possesses more top-line wingers than the Premier League. There’s a surplus of fine wide men plying their trade in England’s premiere competition; whether it be young stars on the rise like Michael Olise at Crystal Palace, or established stars who’ve maintained world-class output since Labour was still in opposition.
So who are in the elite group? Here are the top five best wingers in the Premier League, heading into the new season, according to us.
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Best wingers in the Premier League – our top five
Mohammed Salah, Liverpool
In the same year Erling Haaland broke his seemingly insurmountable single-season goal-scoring record, the Egyptian had his quietest career in England since his stint at Chelsea. Across 38 games, Salah scored 19 times and assisted a further 12. 31 goal involvements doesn’t sound like a lean year, but by Salah’s lofty standards 2022/23 was poor.
Salah’s form was reflective of Liverpool’s dishevelled, inconsistent season. One week, the 31-year-old was a diamond. The next, coal. He missed 20 big chances, further ratifying what the eye told who watched him.
With Liverpool improving towards the back end of the season and a host of new signings strengthening the side around him, Salah is poised to rebound to the forefront of the Premier League’s goal-scoring charts in 2023-24.
Bukayo Saka, Arsenal
Jeez, hasn’t this kid rebounded well since his missed that penalty in the 2021 European Championship final?
Arsenal’s right winger is perhaps the perfect winger. Not only is he an expert at deception and beating his marker to the by-line, but he is also incredibly adept at cutting inside and rifling one into the back of the net. 14 goals and 11 assists is an incredible return for the 21-year-old winger.
Without the ball, a stint as a left back early in his career has morphed Saka into one of the Premier League’s strongest defensive attackers. Despite his youth, Saka is arguably Arsenal’s most important player. Expect his stature to grow exponentially throughout the 2023-24 Premier League season, as he proves he’s one of the best wingers in the world.
Marcus Rashford, Manchester United
Much like Saka, it has been incredible to watch Rashford’s rise to the top. 18 months ago, he was in the wilderness, barely wanted by his boyhood club, Manchester United. Last season, he was arguably their most influential player, as he stormed to a career best year under Erik Ten Hag.
Operating predominantly on his favoured left-wing, and with license to drive beyond defenders or dribble inside, the 25-year-old had a career year, scoring 17 times in 35 games. Few sights are more terrifyingly beautiful in football than Marcus Rashford in full flight.
Under the Dutchman, he seems to be constantly soaring. Should Manchester United nab a quality centre-forward, it could remove some of the goal scoring burden from Rashford and free the winger up to advance his development throughout the 2023-24 Premier League season.
Jack Grealish, Manchester City
It took him a while, but the 100-million-pound man has finally come good. Once City switched to a back-three, the former Aston Villa man became irreplaceable on their left-wing.
Statistically, the 27-year-old appears far from a top player in the Premier League. He only registered five goals and seven assists last season, neither of which are career highs. But a quick look at any of Manchester City’s matches this season would indicate his importance. Bukayo Saka was the only player who embarked on more progressive carries than Grealish, and he received the fifth most progressive passes in the league.
His ball-carrying ability was absolutely crucial in moving Manchester City up the pitch and creating the right time and space for their other creative talents to operate effectively.
Solly March, Brighton & Hove Albion
Any number of players could have featured here; Heung-Min Son, Kaoru Mitoma, and Gabriel Martinelli among them. But Solly March is the man to round out this best wingers list.
The Englishman flew under the radar last season, often outshone by Mitoma, as Brighton’s most flashy winger. However, a quick glance at the numbers highlights how remarkable March’s season was.
Seven goals and seven assists were career highs. He completed 62% of his dribbles, far more than Mitoma’s 52%, and created 17 big chances. With a full season on the right side of Roberto De Zerbi’s exciting Brighton side, we could see Solly March end the 2023-24 Premier League season as a member of Gareth Southgate’s squad for next year’s Euros.
