Which top performers are flying under the radar in the Premier League so far this season? We pick an Unsung Heroes XI…
GK – Dean Henderson
Konstantinos Mavropanos wins a header but his effort is saved by Dean Henderson
Henderson has been an integral part of Crystal Palace’s recent club-record unbeaten run. The 28-year-old shot stopper started 18 of Palace’s 19 unbeaten games between April and October and this season has kept six clean sheets in 11 appearances – no other Premier League goalkeeper has kept more clean sheets in all competitions this season.
Henderson also boasts the best figures so far in the Premier League this season for xG prevented – he has conceded five Premier League goals this season despite being expected to have conceded almost eight goals.
RB – Michael Kayode
Signed permanently from Fiorentina this summer for £14m, Kayode has been one of Brentford’s best attacking outlets this season. The 21-year-old Italian has started all of the Bees’ seven Premier League games – either at right-back or right wing-back – and currently tops the charts for most successful dribbles of all Premier League defenders this season.
He also ranks third of all defenders in the top flight this season for most passes played into the box (38) and fifth for most sprints (131).
CB – Marcos Senesi
Senesi has been one of Bournemouth’s key performers this season. He has been part of a well-marshalled defence which has helped steer his side to a club-record start to the season, with the Cherries winning 14 points from their opening seven Premier League games. The 28-year-old Argentine has started all of these games.
His tenacity this season brings up a statistic that no other player in the division has made more clearances and interceptions combined than Senesi.
CB – James Tarkowski
Everton captain James Tarkowski keeps Leeds’ Willy Gnonto at bay
Tarkowski has been very much Mr Reliable at the back in recent seasons for Everton. The 32-year-old has been ever-present for the Toffees in the Premier League this term and has helped them up into eighth position in the table – this time last season they were lying 16th.
Tarkowski’s strength is winning the ball for his team – of all Premier League defenders this season, only Patrick Dorgu has won more duels than the Englishman and only Virgil van Dijk has won more aerial duels.
LB – Tyrick Mitchell
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Highlights from the Premier League match between West Ham and Crystal Palace.
Mitchell has been another one of Palace’s reliable constants in recent seasons with the 26-year-old having started 66 of Palace’s last 67 Premier League games. It could be argued that he has been unlucky not to have added to his two England caps – the last of which came in 2022 – especially when you see that no player has won more tackles than him in the Premier League this season.
He has also been productive offensively, whipping in seven successful open play crosses, the only defender with more this season is Wolves’ Hugo Bueno.
CM – Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall
It seems the £29m paid by Everton for Dewsbury-Hall could be a shrewd piece of business. The 27-year-old started Everton’s opening six Premier League games this season which was his best run of top-flight starts for two-and-a-half years. He started only two Premier League games for Chelsea in all of last season.
When comparing his time so far at Everton to his previous four Premier League seasons for Leicester and Chelsea, we can see his passing accuracy has improved and he is creating more chances. His four chances created in the 2-0 win vs Brighton in August was the most he had made in a Premier League match since a game for Leicester in February 2023.
CM – Anton Stach
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Watch Anton Stach’s stunning free-kick to put Leeds in front against Wolves at Molineux.
Stach arrived from Hoffenheim for £17.4m this summer and the 26-year-old German hasn’t looked back since. The 6ft 4in midfielder has started all seven of Leeds’ Premier League games so far and has already recorded a goal and an assist – both coming in the 3-1 win at Wolves last month.
His all-action game is backed up by the fact that only Elliot Anderson has covered more ground in the Premier League than Stach this season and only Bruno Fernandes and Jack Grealish have created more chances than the German.
AM – Iliman Ndiaye
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Iliman Ndiaye says his dad taught him everything he knows, including his silky skills.
Ndiaye has been another one of Everton’s bright sparks this season, the 25-year-old is the club’s top scorer this season with three Premier League goals and, going further back, has nine goals in his last 18 league starts since January.
The Senegalese attacker boasts a 50 per cent shot conversion rate this season, scoring from half of his six shots taken. No Everton player has shown more desire to win the ball back or to take a player on as the stats suggest.
AM – Yankuba Minteh
Yankuba Minteh celebrates after giving Brighton the lead against Spurs
Minteh has arguably been Brighton’s best player this season, the 21-year-old Gambian – signed from Newcastle for £30m in the summer of 2024 – has been an ever-present in the league and has recorded either a goal or an assist in three of Brighton’s last four Premier League games.
He currently ranks in the top two of all Premier League players this season for sprints (only Adrien Truffert more), touches in the opposition box (currently top with Jack Grealish) and successful take-ons (only Mohammed Kudus more).
AM – Jaidon Anthony
Anthony has made a blistering start to the season, having been involved in five of Burnley’s seven Premier League goals scored so far. With four goals and an assist, only Erling Haaland and Antoine Semenyo have scored more goals this term. He has, in fact, scored four goals in his last six Premier League appearances, having scored just three in his previous 34.
The 25-year-old – signed for just £8m from Bournemouth this summer – has outperformed his xG by +1.8 this season which is the fourth best record in the Premier League. Another standout stat is that the only Englishman to have scored more league goals than Anthony in Europe’s major Leagues this season is Harry Kane.
ST – Igor Thiago
Brentford’s Igor Thiago celebrates scoring from the penalty spot
Brentford’s No 9 has made an impressive start to the season having scored five goals in his eight appearances, including four Premier League goals – his first in the competition. Last season his campaign was disrupted with two knee injuries which is why the 24-year-old Brazilian made only one Premier League start for the Bees last term.
Two of his four Premier League goals came inside the first 20 minutes in the 3-1 win vs Man Utd in late September – only Bryan Mbeumo and Ivan Toney have scored more goals across Brentford’s first six games of a Premier League season.
