There are loads of amazingly good Premier League’s centre-backs. In this list, we would run through the best 10 centrebacks in the League.
We would talk about the qualities that make an essential defender not just good, but great. Like their physical prowess, impeccable tackling, aerial dominance, one-on-one reliability, sharp intelligence, and leadership.
This list isn’t about necessarily who are the most in form defenders this season. It’s a list on who’s the best centre-back in general. So let’s kick things off.
10) Ezri Konsa – Aston Villa
First up on this list is the English defender, Ezri Ngoyo Konsa from Aston Villa. Despite the team investing heavily in other centre-backs such as Pau Torres, Konsa has emerged as the standout defender.
At the age of 26, he exhibits a sharp intelligence on the field. His strength and physical prowess are matched by his excellent positional awareness and decision-making.
Konsa is not just effective defensively, he’s also adapted with the ball at his feet, bolstering an impressive 92.6% passing accuracy this season. Adding to his defensive acumen is his adaptability, where he can comfortably cover both right and left defensive side of the centre-back position. I believe he can get better and maybe climb higher on our next list of the best defenders in England.
9) Lisandro Martinez – Manchester United
Lisandro Martinez of Manchester comes up at number nine. He was injured for most of last season, but Martinez is vital to United’s team. He’s their best defender. The team massively struggled without him, and him being injured last season is a big part of why Man United were so bad. Nonetheless, Martinez is an excellent defender.
He’s great at tackling and intercepting the ball. He shows good leadership at the back. He’s great at long passes, with his stats showing that he completes 93.6% of all his passes. So Martinez is a very highly rated CB and he’s expected to still get better with time.
8) Ibrahima Konate – Liverpool FC
Konate is an excellent defender on his day, and he shows world-class capabilities. Although he has one problem which is staying fit. He can never get a long run of games without getting injured, and that stops him from climbing higher on this list.
Konate is a big, strong, tall centre-back. He’s great with his feet, and he’s great at reading the game.
He has one of the highest aerial duels won per game, with 3.2, which shows not many attackers can go toe-to-toe with him because of his athletic build and height.
7) Sven Botman – Newscastle United
Botman missed a lot of this season through injuries, so we’re not hearing his name much ,but his excellent play from last season carries him onto this list. Botman fitted in the Premier League on his debut season seamlessly.
He helped Newcastle have one of the best defensive records in the league. Botman is 6’4″. He wins a lot of his aerial duels, he marks his defenders very tightly, he can make the right pass, and he’s a great interceptor of the ball, making last-ditch tackles. Botman is only 23 years old, and barring injuries, he’ll only keep climbing in these rankings.
6) Gabriel Magalhães – Arsenal
At number 6 best defenders in the EPL, we’ve got Gabriel Magalhães of Arsenal. Currently in his fourth year and at the prime age of 26, Gabriel is improving with each season.
A left-footed centre-back, his speed, strength, and defensive smarts are indispensable to the team. Contributing to Arsenal’s resurgence as a top contender, Gabriel boasts 2.3 clearances per game, which is one of the league’s highest. He’s also recognised for scoring a lot of goals, especially from set pieces..
5) Micky Van Der Ven – Tottenham Hotspur
In his debut season, van der Ven’s performance has been nothing short of remarkable. He showcased traits. He’s got a blend of high-speed, sharp positional play, and that’s lethal for any defender.
In fact, van der Ven has actually been recorded as making the fastest sprint in Premier League history with 37.38km per hour. He’s also contributing to Tottenham’s attack with creative, long-range passes.
So, with pace, smart, intelligent, and good positional play, he’s on his way to becoming one of the league’s best defenders.
4) John Stones – Manchester City
Stones, at 29 years old, is in his 8th season at City. He is one of Guardiola’s favourite players due to his versatility, intelligence, and resilience. From being one of the early ball-playing defenders at City, Guardiola has moved Stones to a hybrid role of defence and midfield during the games. He’s allowed Guardiola to revolutionise the game again.
He’s a good defender overall and due to his unique ability of playing in midfield, there aren’t many that can do what Stones does. This is one of many reasons why he’s so high on this list.
3) Ruben Diaz – Manchester City
Stepping into number three on this list, it is John Stones’ team-mate, Ruben Diaz of Man City. Only 26 years old, yet he’s already a defensive juggernaut. Diaz has got bold tackling, he’s got precise passing, and he’s got great leadership that’s been pivotal to Man City’s success.
His role in City’s treble win last season was invaluable to the team, and it showed because he was included in the FIFA Pro World XI of 2023.
He’s got a calm demeanour about him in defence, he’s got great strength in his body, and he’s got a good mind in him that makes him a top-tier defender. Diaz is very good at holding the ball, he’s great at making last-ditch tackles, and he’s great at making very important interceptions.
2) Virgil Van Dijk – Liverpool FC
The next best defender is the man that has been Premier League’s best defender for at least, the last 10 years, in no other person than Virgil Van Dijk of Liverpool. At 32 years old, van Dijk has showed class is permanent. He looks to be back at his best this current season after coming back from a long-term injury.
Last season, and he looked off pace, and people thought van Dijk was done. This season, he’s proved all his doubt was wrong. Van Dijk is so good that anyone paired to play with him at the heart of the defense looks better.
Virgil, now in his sixth season at Liverpool looks to still be in his prime. He wins nearly all of his aerial duels, and all of his one-on-one situations. Van Dijk is your archetypal modern centre-back. He’s tall, strong, fast, good technique on the ball. He’s everything you want in a centre-back.
Normally, you would expect him to be number one on this list, but this season he is not number one and that’s because number one goes to a new gold in the league. Who is that? Read on.
1) William Saliba – Arsenal
Many see Saliba as a younger version of van Dijk. No one, not a single person, thought Saliba would be this good for Arsenal. Especially his journey to becoming an Arsenal player.
Arsenal signed him five years ago as a 17-year-old, and he spent three years after that on loan on three different French teams. With each of them, he impressed. Then finally, in the 2022/23 season, at 21 years old, he gets his chance in the Arsenal team and he’s not looked back since then.
He’s been a revelation. He’s so composed on the ball, got great strength, where he shows when he bodied Haaland to the floor. He’s a great passer, a great tackler, He can read the game well for such a young player.
Saliba has led Arsenal to become one of the best defensive teams in the league. It’s scary to think how much better he’s going to get, because he’s only 22 years old.
Without doubts, William Saliba is my number one centre-back in the Premier League currently.
Thank you for reading once again. Please let me know what you think of my list. You can use the comment box below.