Best Premier League attacking midfielders: Top 20 CAM in 2023/24 EPL

Dom Farrell

Best Premier League attacking midfielders: Top 20 CAM in 2023/24 EPL image

From homegrown stars such as Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Paul Scholes through to imported difference makers like Yaya Toure and Cesc Fabregas, the Premier League has always been a hotbed of creative attacking midfield talent.

Such players today are expected both to create goals for others and score themselves, often while helping to co-ordinate their team's efforts in trying to win the ball back high up the pitch. Such specialist attributes makes it little wonder that attacking midfielders earn such high price tags.

Towards the end of the summer transfer window, The Sporting News polled its football writers to rank the top performers in each position. We then used the results to compile a top-20 list.

For the past few years, Kevin De Bruyne has stood above his peers in England. But is that still the case as age and injuries become factors for the Belgian maestro and the likes of Martin Odegaard and Bruno Fernandes make their cases?

Read on to find out our top attacking midfielders in the Premier League, ranked from 20 to one.

MORE: Every goal scored by Erling Haaland in his record-chasing run of form

TOP 20 ATTACKING MIDFIELDERS IN THE PREMIER LEAGUE

20. Pablo Fornals (West Ham)

Spain international Fornals has been a reliable presence since joining West Ham in 2019. His knack for important goals came to the fore during their European runs over the past couple of seasons, culminating in Europa Conference League glory in 2023.

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19. Nicolo Zaniolo (Aston Villa)

One of the most exciting talents of his generation to emerge in Italian football, Zaniolo has been compromised by serious knee injuries. A similar problem for Emiliano Buendia has created an opportunity for the 24-year-old to reignite his career in an ambitious Villa side.

18. Joe Willock (Newcastle United)

An under-rated presence in Newcastle's impressive rise. The former Arsenal youngster scored eight goals in 14 Premier League appearances back in 2020/21 and rediscovering the Midas touch in front of goal would take the 24-year-old's game to the next level.

Joe Willock of Newcastle United
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17. Emiliano Buendia (Aston Villa)

Buendia's sparkling form since Unai Emery's arrival at Villa was vital ingredient in the club's upward trajectory, moving Philippe Coutinho towards the exit door. His ACL injury was a monumental blow.

16. Kai Havertz (Arsenal)

The Germany international faces a huge season, with questions over his best position still looming far too large for a supposedly elite player. A return to his Bayer Leverkusen form while operating from attacking midfield under Mikel Arteta would be just the ticket.

15. Andreas Pereira (Fulham)

Pereira was belatedly granted the opportunity to shine as a starting Premier League playmaker and took it with both hands following a succession of loans from Manchester United. The 27-year-old chipped in with four goals and six assists as Fulham operated well clear of the relegation dogfight in 2022/23.

14. Jacob Ramsey (Aston Villa)

An exciting talent who will hope to make huge strides again this season. An impressive knack in front of goal saw him score six and set up seven more last term. Double figures should be in Ramsey's sights this time around.

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13. Joelinton (Newcastle United)

A revelation since being transformed from a mis-firing striker to an all-action midfielder by Eddie Howe. The Brazilian retains his attacking instincts and is a forward-thinking presence, frequently driving forward to get into the box. An absolute handful.

12. Dominik Szoboszlai (Liverpool)

An exciting addition within Jurgen Klopp's midfield overhaul at Liverpool. Possessed of a ferocious shot, Szoboszlai scored 10 goals across all competitions in each of the past two campaigns at RB Leipzig.

11. Pascal Gross (Brighton)

Gross' recent call-up to the Germany squad at 32 years of age was a story to warm the heart. He's taken anything but the conventional route to the top but his goalscoring and creativity means he is as important as any player in a vibrant Brighton side.

10. Lucas Paqueta (West Ham)

A mooted move to Manchester City hit the rocks amid a Premier League investigation into suspicious betting activity. However, City's interest underlined the Brazil international's elite credentials, with West Ham set to reap the benefits of a gifted creator entering his prime for a little longer.

Lucas Paqueta
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9. Eberechi Eze (Crystal Palace)

An utter delight to watch, Eze can sometimes appear as if he's playing in carpet slippers. His soft-soled touch and creative flair will remain at Selhurst Park for now and the 25-year-old will have Euro 2024 ambitions after breaking into the England setup.

8. Mason Mount (Manchester United)

Half a year younger than Eze but with far more elite miles on the clock, Mount feels like his career is heading in the opposite direction. However, he has the opportunity to establish himself as a transformative star at Manchester United if Erik ten Hag's side can find much-needed midfield balance.

7. Morgan Gibbs-White (Nottingham Forest)

A driving force in Forest's successful battle against relegation, contributing five goals and eight assists in the Premier League last season. Capped 18 times at Under-21 level, Gibbs-White will have his eye on full England honours.

Morgan Gibbs-White
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6. Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool)

Mac Allister's performances for Brighton and World Cup winners Argentina last season saw him make the longlist for the UEFA Men's Player of the Year award. For an initial fee of £35 million / $44 million, Liverpool look to have got themselves an absolute steal.

5. James Maddison (Tottenham)

Despite suffering the ignominy of relegation with Leicester last season, Maddison enjoyed an impressive campaign individually as he racked up 10 goals and nine assists in the Premier League and returned to Gareth Southgate's England plans. The 26-year-old has made a typically swaggering start to life at Tottenham.

4. Phil Foden (Manchester City)

Although most of his senior City appearances to date have come as a winger, Foden has long been earmarked for a central role. An early-season injury to Kevin De Bruyne this time around has created a vacancy and he created seven chances including Julian Alvarez's decisive goal in a dazzling performance against Newcastle in August. For all he's achieved in his young career, there remains a sense we might still only be scratching the surface with Foden.

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3. Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United)

Fernandes' prickly on-field demeanour means he can be a polarising figure but the sheer weight of numbers he posts speak for themselves. Every season since joining United he has hit double figures for goals, including the 2019/20 campaign when he joined in January. The following season, he racked up 28. This version of United would be lost without the Portugal star.

2. Martin Odegaard (Arsenal)

Almost a decade on from joining Real Madrid as a fresh-faced wonderkid, Odegaard made good on his boundless talent last season. An on-field leader for Arsenal and their creative fulcrum, he was legitimately in the player-of-the-season conversations for the first two thirds of the campaign. 

1. Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City)

Since joining City from Wolfsburg in 2015, De Bruyne has been the Premier League's assists king. Last season's link-up with Erling Haaland took his effectiveness to new heights at times and he was at his talismanic best during City's run to the treble, although pushing his body to the limit at that time has contributed to a serious hamstring injury.

Kevin De Bruyne
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Raphael Varane, Ruben Dias and Virgil van Dijk
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Declan Rice, Enzo Fernandez, Rodri
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Marcus Rashford, Bukayo Saka and Mohamed Salah
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Darwin Nunez, Gabriel Jesus, Erling Haaland
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Dom Farrell

Dom Farrell Photo

Dom is the senior content producer for Sporting News UK. He previously worked as fan brands editor for Manchester City at Reach Plc. Prior to that, he built more than a decade of experience in the sports journalism industry, primarily for the Stats Perform and Press Association news agencies. Dom has covered major football events on location, including the entirety of Euro 2016 and the 2018 World Cup in Paris and St Petersburg respectively, along with numerous high-profile Premier League, Champions League and England international matches. Cricket and boxing are his other major sporting passions and he has covered the likes of Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury, Wladimir Klitschko, Gennadiy Golovkin and Vasyl Lomachenko live from ringside.