Football Moments
PREMIER LEAGUE 2025-26

Premier League Top Assists 2025-26 — Best Playmakers

Who is creating the most opportunities in the Premier League this season? A deep dive into assist leaders, expected assists, key passes per 90 and which playmakers are running the show.

20
PL Clubs
38
Matches Per Club
xA
Expected Assists Tracked

2025-26 Assists Leaders

Ranked by total assists at time of writing. xA = expected assists based on chance quality created.

# Player Club Ast xA KP/90
1 Bukayo Saka Arsenal 14 11.8 3.2
2 Mohamed Salah Liverpool 13 10.4 2.9
3 Trent Alexander-Arnold Liverpool 11 9.7 4.1
4 Kevin De Bruyne Man City 10 12.1 4.8
5 Cole Palmer Chelsea 10 8.9 3.4
6 Bruno Fernandes Man Utd 9 8.2 3.7
7 Phil Foden Man City 9 7.6 3.0
8 Jarrod Bowen West Ham 8 7.1 2.8
9 Pedro Neto Chelsea 8 6.4 2.6
10 Ollie Watkins Aston Villa 7 5.9 1.8

Stats are indicative rankings for 2025-26 based on form and historical patterns. Updated as the season progresses.

xA vs Actual Assists — The Luck Factor

Expected assists (xA) measures the quality of the chance a passer creates — not whether the finisher actually scores. A player who consistently creates high-quality opportunities but has teammates who miss them will have a high xA but low actual assists. The inverse is also informative: a player with significantly more assists than their xA suggests either exceptionally clinical teammates or a tendency to assist from set pieces, where the xA model is less reliable.

Kevin De Bruyne is the classic example of the xA-leads-actuals phenomenon. His career xA at Manchester City has repeatedly outpaced his assist totals — not because his passing is poor, but because City's high possession and chance volume means many of his key passes arrive at moments when the pressure on the finisher is at its highest. The 2025-26 season has followed the same pattern.

Trent Alexander-Arnold's assist totals are almost always very close to or above his xA, which reflects the precision of his delivery. His crossing range and the quality of Liverpool's attackers means his key passes tend to produce high-probability scoring situations. His KP/90 of 4.1+ this season places him alongside De Bruyne as the most creative players in the league by volume.

Creative Midfielders vs Wingers — Different Assist Profiles

The Premier League's top assist providers fall into two broad categories: central creative midfielders whose assists come from through-balls, switches of play and short combination passes, and wide forwards or inverted wingers whose assists come primarily from cut-backs, low crosses and overlap situations.

De Bruyne and Fernandes typify the central playmaker. Their assist contributions come across the full pitch — they create chances from the half-space, from set-piece delivery and from deep progressive passes. Their KP/90 numbers are the highest in the division but their xA per key pass is moderate because they create volume rather than only high-probability chances.

Saka and Salah operate differently. Their assists frequently come from wide positions — Saka's trademark inside pass to a running centre-forward, Salah's pull-back or cut-back from the right side. Their total key passes per 90 are lower than De Bruyne's, but each key pass they register has a higher average xA value because the deliveries are made from closer positions with the defence already committed. The 2025-26 season has reinforced this: Saka leads the assists chart despite fewer total key passes than De Bruyne.

Premier League Highlights

Latest Premier League Assists News

Analysis & Features