After Chelsea’s win over Spurs at the weekend, Robert Sanchez called his team-mate Moises Caicedo “the best player on the planet in his position”.

That comment began a discussion about whether it is Caicedo or Arsenal’s Declan Rice who is the Premier League’s foremost midfielder at present, with a poll of The Athletic’s readers voting 51 per cent to 49 per cent in favour of Rice.

Certainly, the two players have enjoyed fine starts to their seasons, but they are not alone in impressing in midfield, where what is asked of players varies from club to club, role to role.

So we asked a selection of The Athletic’s writers who they believe should be in the discussion about who is the best midfielder in the Premier League. Here are their answers…

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Ryan Gravenberch, Liverpool, age 23

One of the great wonders of the game right now is watching Ryan Gravenberch pick up the ball facing his own defence and pirouette into attack.

Opposition players know the Dutchman’s trademark turn is coming, but they can do little to stop him. Memories are short if we believe Gravenberch is not in contention when it comes to the best midfielder in the league. Last season, playing in a new position, he was one of the best players in Europe — let alone England.

And at the start of this season, when Liverpool won five games in a row, he was the talk of the country, having continued his title-winning form, capped off by a goal and assist over Everton in the Merseyside derby. Gravenberch again proved his prestige on Saturday when returning to Liverpool’s starting XI.

He brought balance and poise in a much-needed 2-0 win over Aston Villa. The 23-year-old grabbed a goal and helped bring the best out of midfield partners Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai. Gravenberch never left the chat.

Caoimhe O’Neill

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Elliot Anderson, Nottingham Forest, 22

Last summer, Nuno Espirito Santo was open in his belief that Thomas Tuchel should build his England midfield around the Nottingham Forest duo of Elliot Anderson and Morgan Gibbs-White.

Since then, Anderson has positively thrived, even amid the chaos at Forest.

Ange Postecoglou lasted only 39 days as Nuno’s replacement, but he had time to forge a glowing opinion, insisting that Anderson has the mentality to “be the best he can be”. Sean Dyche, his latest manager, sums things up perfectly by saying Anderson is just “a really good player”.

On his England debut against Andorra in September, Anderson demonstrated everything Forest fans already knew. The 22-year-old is an all-round midfielder who is acutely comfortable in possession, has an astute positional sense, can break up opposition play and has an influence defensively and offensively.

The 46 shot-creating actions Anderson has produced this season are only bettered by Bruno Fernandes (64). Anderson’s 566 carries of the ball are more than any other Premier League player. He has made significantly more ball recoveries (85) than anyone else, with Fernandes next with 61.

Forest have found the dynamic midfielder they were missing. England might have too.

Paul Taylor

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Sandro Tonali, Newcastle United, 25

When Newcastle sold Alexander Isak to Liverpool this summer, they lost their most potent goalscorer for a generation. Contrary to some suggestions, however, they did not lose their most important player. For the last 12 months and more, that description has belonged to Sandro Tonali, who, as the fan chant goes, is Tyneside’s “midfield maestro from Milano”.

Tonali’s first act as a Newcastle player was a long ban for gambling offences. His second is a steep, breakneck redemption arc that has lifted him to extraordinary heights. He is as good as the club has ever seen — and that is not simply recency bias. On the Overlap podcast not too long ago, Paul Scholes described him as the best midfielder operating in the Premier League.

Tonali has everything: power, resilience, and an ability to drive up the pitch and get back to defend. His delivery and touch are exceptional, and he does not waste a pass.

He is constantly scanning the pitch, dropping into space, acutely aware of his surroundings, moving on possession the instant the ball lands at his feet. He glides. Even writing about him makes me salivate.

George Caulkin

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Declan Rice, Arsenal, 26

Initially, when Arsenal supporters sang about getting a serious portion of midfield capability “half price”, it was tongue in cheek. Declan Rice was the club’s first and only foray into the £100million market, and it is remarkable that they now genuinely feel they got themselves a bargain.

Rice has injected his brand of box-to-box energy and intelligent poise to enhance Arsenal in multiple areas of the pitch. He excels at ball-winning, shielding, protecting, carrying forwards, and contributes in a big way to the current incarnation of ‘Set Piece FC’. His deliveries from corners — piercingly placed and a nightmare for goalkeepers — have become increasingly important as Arsenal seek ways around the packed blocks they are often challenged to break down. His free kicks are not bad either — as Real Madrid would testify.

Rice’s amiable character and natural leadership are other significant assets. Arsenal did not just gain a great player when they signed him from West Ham United, but they also introduced someone whose personality brings positivity to the dressing room, the training ground, and the pitch on matchday.

Class person, class player.

Amy Lawrence

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Declan Rice

Since he first started taking corners and free kicks regularly in January 2024, Rice has been responsible for creating 10 goals from set pieces in the Premier League. That alone is remarkable, but it’s not what makes the Arsenal man the best midfielder in the league. In fact, you could almost say it serves as a distraction from the all-round quality Rice provides to his team.

Technically excellent, the 26-year-old has developed from the more traditional holding midfielder Arsenal signed in 2023 into a box-to-box player who plays a critical role in both creating chances when his side have the ball (this season, he leads Arsenal for chances created, level with Bukayo Saka), and breaking up play when they do not.

“He’s a complete midfielder,” says former Arsenal captain Patrick Vieira. “He can go forward. He can win the ball; he’s really powerful and one of the best around.”

Remove Rice from this Arsenal side and you take away not only an exquisite striker of a dead ball but its beating heart.

Sarah Shephard

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Moises Caicedo, Chelsea, 24

People only seem to be taking Moises Caicedo’s candidacy for the ‘best midfielder’ tag in recent months. Why has it taken so long?

Caicedo has been playing at an elite level for two years now. The ‘slow start’ to his Chelsea career that pundits seem to mention whenever his name comes up in the conversation is wildly exaggerated.

Perhaps he has been judged more harshly than others outside of Stamford Bridge because of the huge fee Chelsea paid Brighton in 2023 — a then-Premier League record sum of up to £115million. Noticeably, no one talks about that sum now.

As Tottenham found out at the weekend, Caicedo is the player who snuffs out attacks and seems to take personal offence when opponents have possession, such is his desire to win the ball back.

Chelsea fans know better than most what the best of the best looks like when it comes to defensive midfielders in particular. The fact that Caicedo is beginning to be talked about by them in the same exalted company as predecessors Claude Makelele and N’Golo Kante speaks volumes. Even Cole Palmer refers to him as ‘The Goat’.

You can’t stop Moises Caicedo.

@ChelseaFC pic.twitter.com/eFePr4zabQ

— Premier League (@premierleague) November 2, 2025

The worrying thing for opponents is that Caicedo has started to add goals to his game, some stunning ones at that. Just look at the ‘Beckham lob’ versus Bournemouth or the pile driver against Liverpool.

You have to be world-class to score goals like those, but he does not need to find the back of the net to be regarded as that. And at just 24, there is still a lot of time to get even better.

Simon Johnson

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Adam Wharton, Crystal Palace, 21

It was Adam Wharton’s reaction to a mistake on his Premier League debut in February last year that displayed his promise.

Wharton was caught in possession for Crystal Palace as arch-rivals Brighton & Hove Albion scored a third goal at the Amex, but he did not shy away from his responsibilities.

That has been his attitude ever since. It is no longer potential, but ability. Determined, resilient, resolute and, above all else, resourceful, Wharton’s ‘pre-orientation’ as manager Oliver Glasner describes it, is outrageous.

His execution of passes to team-mates is sometimes beyond their capabilities, his scanning of the pitch, awareness and knowledge of what to do before he receives the ball all make him a consistently outstanding performer.

Combined with his tenacity, he is a formidable opponent. Only goals are missing.

Matt Woosnam

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Bruno Fernandes, Manchester United, 31

Bruno Fernandes is a lightning rod for fierce debate, even among Manchester United fans. Does he hamper United by displaying abandon to the structure? Might his demonstrative behaviour on the pitch slip into histrionics?

But as the years go on, the inevitable conclusion to draw is that he has been a totem of quality in a side desperately struggling for consistency. Since he arrived in England in January 2020, no player has created more chances in the Premier League. He is on 566, according to Opta, way ahead of the next best Kevin de Bruyne, who was on 432 when he left for Napoli in the summer. In terms of open-play chances, Fernandes leads Mohamed Salah by 428 to 364.

Fernandes has 53 assists to his name — in that period, behind only Salah (64) and De Bruyne (58) — while also scoring 64 goals, the sixth-highest total. He trails players you would class as forwards in Salah, Erling Haaland, Son Heung-min, Harry Kane, and Ollie Watkins.

As well as being a testament to his creativity and finishing ability, those numbers speak to his availability. Despite playing at least 46 games in each of his full seasons at Old Trafford, he has only missed three matches through injury or illness. That says something significant in this era of super physicality.

This campaign, he is operating deeper, but as he told reporters in an interview to mark his 300th United appearance, he is running more than ever. He is also still getting forwards to make telling contributions, creating a division-high 28 chances.

He landed a corner on Casemiro’s head to put United ahead at Nottingham Forest, while his volley to tee up Harry Maguire for a late winner at Anfield combined imagination with technique.

His best piece of ingenuity won’t even go down as an assist. His dummy to Ayden Heaven’s pass against Brighton was barely fathomable. Fernandes checked his shoulder to see Bryan Mbeumo making a run behind before Heaven hit the ball, then drew his foot away to confound the defenders and set up a one-on-one.

That kind of intelligence and execution is why Fernandes is the best midfielder in the Premier League.

Laurie Whitwell

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Dominik Szoboszlai, Liverpool, 25

Through the ups, downs and general chaos in the opening months of Liverpool’s campaign, Dominik Szoboszlai has been the constant.

When Florian Wirtz was signed in the summer, Szoboszlai – who operates in the No 10 role in Liverpool’s 4-2-3-1 – looked favourite to drop out of the starting XI. Instead, he has cemented himself as the first name on the team sheet by being the team’s player of the season so far.

Szoboszlai drew comparisons to Steven Gerrard when he arrived in 2023. He is not at that level yet, but he possesses a similar skill set made up of elite physical and technical qualities.

Szoboszlai is the heartbeat of his team. His work rate is unmatched and he pairs that with an excellent passing range and ball-carrying threat. Playing as the most advanced midfielder, goal contributions remain an area he could improve, but that is largely due to the other responsibilities he has in Arne Slot’s system.

He is becoming more of a leader — and head coach Slot loves him. That has most recently been underlined by Szoboszlai frequently being moved to right-back; Slot finds a way to make sure he is in the team.

When he plays in the back line, however, the Liverpool midfield becomes weaker, which further highlights his importance.

Andy Jones

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Rodri, Manchester City, 29

Aren’t we forgetting someone?

He is still building his way back up to full fitness after missing almost the whole of last season with a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament, but Rodri’s contribution to Manchester City’s four consecutive Premier League titles was unsurpassed. Over that period, there was arguably no more influential, consistent player in European football — as demonstrated not just by his Ballon d’Or award last year but by the way City collapsed without him last season.

It is legitimate to wonder whether he will get back to his pre-injury level because his return to action has been far from easy, but we are talking about one of the truly great midfielders of the Premier League era.

I love Rice and particularly Caicedo, who can elevate themselves to that category, but Rodri’s status has only been underlined and elevated in his absence.

Oliver Kay