Premier League Player of the Season 2024-25 Power Rankings: Mohamed Salah usurps Cole Palmer and Erling Haaland to take an early lead

We’re just over a quarter of the way into the Premier League season, and would you believe it, neither Manchester City or Arsenal are leading the standards. Instead, Arne Slot’s Liverpool have proven the team to beat to this point, with the Reds advancing to the November international break five points clear at the top.

Elsewhere, Chelsea and Nottingham Forest are among the surprise packages to this point, while Fulham and Brighton are also finding rewards for their adventurous football. Manchester United and Tottenham, though impressive in short bursts, are flattering to deceive to this point.

But which individuals have stood out the most this term? Phil Foden took home the Premier League Player of the Season award for 2023-24, but his incredibly slow start to this campaign means we are in line to crown a new king of the league come May.

GOAL will be tracking the race throughout the campaign – here’s how our top 10 looks right now:

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  10Curtis Jones (Liverpool) 🆕

  No one ever really doubted whether Curtis Jones had the talent or not to make it at Liverpool, there were merely questions over his fitness and ability to stay clear of injury.

  As it turns out, when Jones is able to string a few games together, he’s one hell of a player and the perfect profile for new head coach Slot. The 23-year-old is in line to receive his first England cap at senior level for his efforts at club level, a just reward for this rich vein of form.

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    9Danny Welbeck (Brighton) 🆕

    What a lovely, lovely career arc Danny Welbeck has enjoyed. The veteran striker has been around the block at some of England’s biggest clubs, and is now enjoying himself as the adult head in the room at a young Brighton – he’s even older than his new manager, Fabian Hurzeler!

    The former England forward (should it really be ‘former’?) has contributed six goals and two assists for the Seagulls, who go into the November international break sitting outside the top three on goal difference only. Welbeck’s experience is proving an invaluable intangible down on the south coast.
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    8Luis Diaz (Liverpool) ⬇️

    Luis Diaz’s direction of travel in these rankings is a harsh representation of the season he’s had so far and what’s happened since our previous update. He hasn’t necessarily put a foot wrong, it’s more that other players have done more to warrant a higher spot.

    Let’s not focus on the negatives, though. Diaz is having a wonderful season back at the forefront of Liverpool’s attack, reinvigorated and reenergised after summer moves to Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and even Manchester City failed to materialise.

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    7Chris Wood (Nottingham Forest) 🆕

    Even the most optimistic of Nottingham Forest fans must be surprised with how smoothly they’ve navigated the opening months of the new season. Nuno Espirito Santo’s side look a completely different outfit this term.

    Spearheading their efforts has been October’s Premier League Player of the Month Chris Wood, who isn’t actually too far away from joining the division’s 100 club, and at this rate is likely to go down as New Zealand’s best-ever footballer.
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    6Bryan Mbeumo (Brentford) ↔️

    No Ivan Toney? No problem. Bryan Mbeumo has relished taking on the mantle of Brentford’s best and most important player, with only Erling Haaland bettering his tally of eight Premier League goals to begin the season.

    Bees boss Thomas Frank has sung Mbeumo’s praises for years, hailing him as one of the hardest workers and a selfless team-mate. Now, the goals are beginning to fall his way and he’s grabbed the world’s attention. This is what a modern Barclaysman looks like.

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    5Ryan Gravenberch (Liverpool) ⬆️

    Remember when Liverpool fans lost their minds when the club failed in their pursuit of Euro 2024 winner Martin Zubimendi? Well, to paraphrase Michael Jordan, it appears Ryan Gravenberch may have taken that personally.

    The Dutchman’s debut season at Anfield didn’t particularly swing too wildly in either direction, though it was clear he was a talented player worth persisting with. Slot has since found a great use for his countryman at the base of midfield, and the Reds’ inability to sign Zubimendi to play that role already feels like a distant memory.

    There is a newfound stability and sensibility in the way Liverpool play. Gravenberch’s streetwise composure has been crucial to Slot implementing that style.

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    4Bukayo Saka (Arsenal) ⬇️

    There isn’t a single winger in football with more discipline than Bukayo Saka. That’s both a compliment and a curse. Saka has the physicality, mentality and ability to track back like the wide-men of old, but that means he’s usually too shattered to run up his numbers like we all know he can.

    The 23-year-old (yep, he’s still only 23) has only scored three times in the Premier League this term, but leads the assists charts with seven and had to shoulder the burden of more creative responsibility while captain Martin Odegaard was out injured. With the Norwegian back, Arsenal fans will be hopeful that Saka can return to playing with a little more freedom.

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    3Erling Haaland (Man City) ⬇️

    City’s slide from title favourites to outsiders is weighing heavy on the shoulders of Erling Haaland, who is still leading the scoring charts with 12 goals, four more than any other player. Crazy, right?

    When the Cityzens underdeliver, it’s the Norwegian who usually faces the full brunt of criticism. Frustrations threatened to boil over after losing 2-1 at Brighton, and both Haaland and his team-mates have significant work to do in order to close the gap on Liverpool again.
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    2Cole Palmer (Chelsea) ⬇️

    During the opening weeks of the campaign, Cole Palmer looked unstoppable. His record-shattering four-goal haul against Brighton was the trigger to send him into ‘best in the league’ conversations, which seemed fair after 12 months of carrying Chelsea through the fires of crisis and chaos.

    Palmer is doing plenty to plant his flag as the face of the Premier League, but a few big game no-shows over the last few weeks have seen him knocked off his perch. That’s not necessarily a slight on him as he’s still learning the ropes of superstardom. It just means he can no longer lead this race for the time being.

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    1Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) ⬆️

    In our first rankings update of the season, we made a point of how the world was normalising greatness in regards to Mohamed Salah, all the while sticking him sixth place. Ironic, yes.

    But now is the time to truly give the Egyptian King his flowers. Through November, he has been the best player in the division, and talk could quickly turn to where he ranks among all-time Premier League greats if Liverpool further threaten to run away with the title.