Taking a moment to send our appreciation to the English top-flight's most crucial of players, rather than simply the best
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The Premier League is home to some of the world's greatest players. Of course it is, you knew that already. That's not why we're here.
Instead, it's time to shine a light on the real MVPs, the ones who make their teams tick, the irreplaceables and the undisputeds, the low-key GOATs and the ones who , a la Roy Keane.
These guys may not be the best, but boy do they put in a shift and give their all for the badge. These are the fellas you want in the trenches with you.
GOAL has run through every Premier League club and narrowed down their most important player:
Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱Getty Images SportArsenal
If the last couple of years have taught us anything about Arsenal, it's that Martin Odegaard is the only able constructor of their harmonic orchestra. The Gunners' title bid didn't get going in 2023-24 until he kicked back into form, and Mikel Arteta's side were completely lost without him while injured at the start of this term.
The difference between Arsenal playing with and without their skipper is so stark that they go from being one of the Premier League's most unwatchable teams to the top entertainers just by having him available. Odegaard brings both tangibles and intangibles.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportAston Villa
Since Unai Emery's arrival in the West Midlands, Aston Villa have become a rather cerebral team who pass around the baton of responsibility with selflessness. Even an elite goal-scorer like Ollie Watkins has a dependable back-up in Jhon Duran, while they have a neat little assortment of defenders and midfielders to cover one another.
The biggest gap from starter to deputy is Emi Martinez to literally anyone else in the Villa squad who can put on a pair of goalie gloves. He is the reigning two-time Yashin Trophy winner, after all. Can't get more official than that.
Getty Images SportBournemouth
Should we, as a footballing collective, congratulate Bournemouth a bit more for withstanding the £65m loss of Dominic Solanke? Perhaps, though it suggests their other players weren't ready to step up in the face of that sale.
Ryan Christie, through thick and thin from good times to bad, has consistently delivered the goods for the Cherries. You can count on him to make a chance out of nothing, whether that be from open play or his expert set-pieces.
Getty Images SportBrentford
Legendary basketball writer Bill Simmons popularised the term 'Ewing Theory' in the 1990s, a phrase used to describe a team who play better without their best player.
For Brentford, the sale of Ivan Toney to Al-Ahli has proven liberating for deadly duo Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa. It's the former we're honouring here, given how much head coach Thomas Frank lauds his off-ball work rate and defensive actions.