Some of the greatest players of all time have been one-club men. You immediately think of Paolo Maldini, Franco Baresi, Carles Puyol and Francesco Totti. Jamie Carragher and Tony Adams represent the Premier League.
They are becoming a rare breed. Look at what happened with Mason Mount; he was meant to be Chels through and through. We all thought he bled blue. But no, he bleeds red. Which is a relief.
As we rank the ten best one-club men currently in the Premier League, there are some ground rules to go over…
If you have played senior football anywhere else, you are no longer a one-club man. You are, in fact, a traitor like Harry. That means no Reece James or Jacob Ramsey.
Someone like Tyrick Mitchell who moved to Crystal Palace from Brentford’s youth academy at the age of 16 gets a pass. Even Norway international Oscar Bobb counts having joined Manchester City the day he turned 16.
Anyway, here are the top ten one-club men in the Premier League, featuring two players from clubs outside the Big Six.
10) Lewis Miley (Newcastle United)
Discovering that Solly March has one senior appearance for Lewes after writing 150 words about him destroyed me a little bit, but it has given me the chance to write about Newcastle’s most promising youngster since God knows who. Probably Gazza in the mid-’80s, which is a bit mental. Sorry Shola.
Miley was brought in to the first team to fill the gaps with Eddie Howe contending with an alarming number of injuries. He turns 18 in May but has shown the maturity of a 28-year-old in midfield, taking it to top clubs and world-class midfielders in the Premier League and Champions League.
When Joe Willock returns to full fitness, it will be very hard to drop young Miley.
9) Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United)
There are a few superb very, very young one-club players in the Premier League right now. Miley and Manchester City’s Oscar Bobb come to mind.
Eighteen-year-old Mainoo is slightly ahead of both, which might be reactionary given Miley’s performances this season. If you think this is the wrong decision, we will not bother ourselves arguing with you.
The way Mainoo has slotted into a mess of a Manchester United midfield should not be understated, keeping fellow one-club man Scott McTominay out of Erik ten Hag’s starting XI.
The England Under-19 international is clearly one for the future having already shown he has all the attributes required to play in centre midfield, boasting impressive statistics defensively and on the ball. For example, Mainoo records 2.74 clearances and 1.83 aerial duels won per game, which ranks pretty highly in comparison to other Premier League midfielders.
READ: Mainoo and Jones could challenge Gareth Southgate’s natural pragmatism
8) Tyrick Mitchell (Crystal Palace)
It is fair to say that Mitchell has not quite reached the level we expected of him after he burst onto the scene in 2020. The 24-year-old – who has two England caps – still has plenty of time to become one of the Premier League’s best left-backs and we think that is a possibility. We just need to see a little bit more.
Regardless, Mitchell is still one of the best one-club men in Our League. Well, the eighth-best, specifically. He already has 129 appearances for Crystal Palace and is very rarely unavailable. He has not missed a game through injury since December 2020, which makes him some kind of freak.
7) Curtis Jones (Liverpool)
He might have been in the worst XI of the most recent Premier League weekend, but what a season Jones is having. And on the subject of success stories under current managers, there are not many players Jurgen Klopp has improved more than the Merseysider.
One goal and one assist in the Premier League this season does not paint a pretty picture, and to defend it by saying Jones’ game isn’t about goals would be a bit of a lie, wouldn’t it? Goal contributions aside, he is becoming the perfect Klopp midfielder, just in time for the legendary manager to leave.
We really like what Jones is doing this season and it is no coincidence that Liverpool are top of the Premier League with him regularly starting in midfield.
6) Rico Lewis (Manchester City)
Lewis is one of the finest players to come through the Manchester City youth academy and the fact he plays as often as he does in a team constantly welcoming new big-money signings speaks volumes about his ability.
Versatility is a valuable asset at City and it is something Lewis has in abundance. He is naturally a right-back but has only played there twice all season, playing the vast majority of his minutes in defensive midfield, which is absolutely not easy to do, even if Pep Guardiola’s side dominates possession.
His playing time in the Premier League has not been too promising this term, but City are really quite good so there will be plenty of opportunities between now and the end of 2023/24.
5) Marcus Rashford (Manchester United)
We are not too convinced that Rashford will see out his career at Old Trafford after another one of his escapades, but he still remains one of their own and with that, there will always be affection from the fans, even if he has been a bit rubbish this season.
However, some fans are becoming very frustrated with Rashford’s inability to influence football matches in which he doesn’t muster up a goal. There is no doubting his ability and when things are going well for him, they seem to be going better than they are for most others, but it just feels like Rashford has never been on the same level as your Bukayo Sakas and Phil Fodens, who can influence games without getting a goal contribution.
The England winger will no doubt leave us with egg on our faces by bagging 30 goals next season.
4) Alejandro Garnacho (Manchester United)
Perhaps controversial and probably knee-jerk, but we have ranked Garnacho above Rashford. This time last year, that obviously would not have been the case, but a lot can change in the space of a year and we can comfortably admit that the Argentine youngster has become a much more important player and someone who has stood up and been counted during Man Utd’s most difficult spells this season.
Signed from Atletico Madrid in October 2020, the 19-year-old never made a senior appearance for the La Liga giants so is officially a one-club man and the only player on this list who does not come from England.
This is a player with a massive future for both Man Utd and Argentina. He is only going to get better, which is daunting for Premier League full-backs.
3) Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool)
The top three are in a league of their own and inseparable if truth be told; Alexander-Arnold could easily have been first.
Rashford is a player with pretty telling downsides to his game, and the Liverpool right-back is no different. We all know what his biggest shortcoming is: defending. Luckily, his technical ability heavily outweighs his suspect ability defensively. In the same league as Kevin De Bruyne when it comes to whipping the ball into the box, the Belgian is the only player in world football superior to Trent in that regard.
Retiring at Liverpool feels like a sure thing for the 25-year-old, who currently has 301 appearances for the Reds and is on course to make over 700 in total. For context, Steven Gerrard – who is not a one-club man – played 710 times for the Reds.
Alexander-Arnold is already a Liverpool legend and will hope to be a crucial part of an England team that is crowned European champions in the summer. If he is, it will likely be as a midfielder, because, you know, defending and that.
2) Phil Foden (Manchester City)
It turns out Foden did not have a clause in his 2018 contract extension that ensured he would sit on the bench for six years, Mr Custis. He has, in fact, become a very important player under Pep Guardiola and just like Trent, could easily be first on this list. If you think the top three should be flipped, that is fine.
When discussing the best England XI, Foden and Alexander-Arnold are two key debates. Should the former be on the wing? Should he play as a No. 10? Should he come off the bench? With the latter, it feels like midfield or bust as he would simply have his pants pulled down by players like Kylian Mbappe or Leroy Sane if he plays right-back.
Foden’s best position is in the middle of the park. There are not many better at receiving the ball in between the lines and how he receives it can be mesmerising, taking it in his stride and picking a pass or shooting at goal. He is easy on the eye. Football-wise that is. Eyebrow slits are not my cup of tea.
1) Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)
Saka vs Foden will be a battle for the ages. Both are a similar age, will be in the England squad for the next decade, and are at top clubs in the Premier League. The debate will never cease but we know who we prefer out of the two.
The Arsenal winger broke into the Gunners’ first team under Unai Emery, starting off as a left-back before shifting to left-wing-back and then the left wing. He was pretty solid defensively for a teenage winger playing senior football. Emery might have given Saka his debut but it is under Mikel Arteta that he has become a world-class player.
The Spanish manager’s ability to make wide players the best version of themselves needs to be studied. Raheem Sterling, Leroy Sane, Gabriel Martinelli and Saka are four players to benefit from Arteta’s coaching and Arsenal’s two starting wingers are up there with the very best. Martinelli might be flashier and recently pulled Liverpool’s pants down, but Saka is a level above.
It’s almost like playing as a full-back was the perfect education for the Arsenal fan favourite. He knows what his opposing left-back hates, what makes them feel comfortable, pretty much what they are thinking. That is very, very dangerous, and has massively helped Saka become the player he is today.
On top of being a fantastic footballer, he is just lovely, isn’t he? We all want to be his best pal deep down.
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