Who are every Premier League clubs' unsung hero of the 2023/24 season so far

In truth, unsung heroes can play in any position on the field and do their job well without getting noticed as much as other superstars who play in the same team. 

We are now just over halfway through the 2023/24 Premier League season so let’s go through all 20 clubs in England’s top-flight and see who the unsung hero in their squad really is.

(stats correct at time of article publication)

 

Arsenal

Gabriel Magalhaes

He may not always receive the same amount of praise as his centre-back partner William Saliba, but the 26-year-old Brazilian is quietly having an excellent season for the Gunners.

Gabriel arrived in North London to join Mikel Arteta’s men in the summer of 2020 and very rarely lets the side down.

He has won the most ariel duels for his side with 40 and has also made a total of 39 clearances which is the second most in the Gunners’ squad. His only goal so far in this campaign came in his team’s 1-1 draw at Anfield in just before Christmas.

 

Aston Villa

Matty Cash

Okay, this one is a little bit controversial considering the Poland right-back has occasionally been on the bench for Unai Emery’s men this season and the fact there are so many Villa players to choose from.

But in the 15 starts that he has made, Cash has often been strong both going forward and defensively.

Cash has made the second-most tackles in the Villa squad with a total of 36 and 28 clearances in the Premier League this season.

 

Bournemouth

Ryan Christie

Christie has appeared in every game in the Premier League so far this season and has largely been putting in admirable shifts in midfield.

In truth, the Scotsman is having an extremely underrated campaign for the Cherries.

The 28-year-old has made the most tackles for Andoni Iraola’s men this season with 45 and his consistent performances are a huge reason to why the team’s form has changed with seven wins in their last 10 league outings.

Christie has also provided two assists so far this season.

Brentford

Ethan Pinnock

The 30-year-old has been one of the Bees’ most consistent performers not only this season, but since the club’s promotion to the top-flight in 2021.

In fact, Pinnock has to be one of the most underrated players in the Premier League altogether. Pinnock has played every minute in the league this season.

He has made more clearances than any other player in England’s top-flight so far this season with 114 which is 17 more than second-placed Joachim Anderson who has 97.

To make things better, he also netted in a West London derby when Thomas Frank’s side beat Chelsea 2-0 at Stamford Bridge in October.

 

Brighton & Hove Albion

Pascal Groß

What a season the German is having and while he may be receiving praise for his performances this season, he remains underrated by so many.

The 32-year-old has been at Brighton since 2017 and has now made well over 200 appearances for the club.

At this point, he might well be a modern-day club legend.

Groß tops the Seagulls’ charts in terms of tackles with 29 and assists with six.

He has also contributed three goals. He has been so good that he might even be in contention to make the Premier League team of the season so far.

 

Burnley

Josh Brownhill

Picking someone from the Clarets is not exactly easy with their season so far being a struggle as they sit in 19th place on just 12 points with 21 games played in the Premier League.

However, one player who could class as an unsung hero for Vincent Kompany’s men so far this season is their always reliable midfielder in Josh Brownhill.

He has netted three goals and has made the joint-most tackles for his team with 35.

Chelsea

Axel Disasi

It may have been an underwhelming league campaign for Mauricio Pochettino’s Blues so far but the French centre-back has undoubtedly been one of their better players.

Disasi arrived at Stamford Bridge when signing from Ligue 1 club Monaco in the summer has started 19 league games to this point.

He has some impressive stats also making the second most clearances for his team so far this campaign with 58 and he has won the most aerial battles with 48.

He scored his first and only goal for the club so far on his debut back in August in a 1-1 draw at home to Liverpool.

The Blues have made some questionable signings in the Tod Boehly era but Disasi has not been one of them so far.

Crystal Palace

Tyrick Mitchell

The 24-year-old is surely knocking on the door to be in the England squad at this summer’s European Championships.

Mitchell has been one of the Eagles’ most consistent performers in recent seasons and his 19 appearances in the first half of the 2023/24 campaign have been solid as ever.

The Palace academy graduate has made the most tackles for Palace this season with 46 and has had the third most touches for the club with 1,075.

He has also contributed in forward areas with one goal and two assists.

Everton

Jarrad Branthwaite

Admittedly, his plaudits have become louder in the past couple of months but the 21-year-old is still an unsung hero.

Unless you watch the Toffees on a regular basis, it is difficult to understand just how good Branthwaite has been so far this season.

The Carlisle-born defender has made 18 league starts for Sean Dyche’s men and played the full 90 minutes in all of them.

He has played in seven of the eight games in which the team have kept a clean sheet so far this season. He is second for the club when it comes to clearances with 84 and third with touches of the ball with 914.

Fulham

Bernd Leno

This is the first goalkeeper to appear and it should come as no surprise to anyone.

Leno could arguably go down as one of the most underrated Premier League goalkeepers of the modern era and he has been rather exceptional in his 21 league appearances for the West London outfit so far this season.

The German has made the fourth-most saves in England’s top-flight so far this campaign with 78.

His team have conceded the fifth-most goals in the league so far this season with 36 but that number would surely be a lot higher if it was not for Leno’s heroics.

Liverpool

Joe Gomez

Since joining the Reds back in 2015, the 26-year-old has had a very up-and-down career with injuries and dips in form, but he has often been excellent when called upon so far in this campaign.

While only eight of his 17 league appearances have been from the opening whistle, he has done a job for the team every time he has played.

Gomez sits second-place for Jurgen Klopp’s side when it comes to tackles with 29 and fourth-place when it comes to clearance with 25.

After a difficult 2022/23 campaign, Gomez seems to be putting things right so far this season.

Luton Town

Alfie Doughty

There are a few players to choose from when it comes to the Hatters’ unsung hero so far this season, but the honour has to go to the 24-year-old who has been vital due to his versatility and work ethic.

Doughty has appeared in 19 games for Rob Edwards’ men so far this season racking up 1,477 minutes in total.

He has the most assists for the Hatters in the league so far this season with six and has touched the ball the most times with 1,029.

The former Stoke City player has also made the fourth-most passes for the club with 514.

Manchester City

Bernardo Silva

Yes, I am well aware that the Portuguese international is known a world class footballer but somehow, he still remains underrated and often an unsung hero in a City team full of superstars.

The 29-year-old performs brilliantly every season since arriving in Manchester in 2017 but in his 17 league appearances so far in this campaign, he has been on another level and has more than stepped up in the absence of the injured Kevin De Bruyne.

Silva’s goal contribution stats have been impressive so far this season with him scoring six times and assisting four but his impressive stats do not end there.

He has surprisingly made the second-most tackles for Pep Guardiola’s men with 31, just five behind Rodri.

Manchester United

Diogo Dalot

Sticking with a Portuguese international and while it is not easy to pick out an unsung hero from an underperforming Red Devils’ side so far this season, the 24-year-old is comfortably the best choice.

Dalot has made 19 league appearances so far this season and has played full 90 minutes in 18 of them at either right-back or left-back.

He has made the joint-most tackles for United so far this campaign with 44, along with Bruno Fernandes.

He also had the second-most touches of the ball with 1,215. Dalot has also made the most clearances for the club with 60.

 

Newcastle United

Fabian Schar

Eddie Howe’s Magpies have not been able to hit the heights of last season, but the 32-year-old Swiss international is one of their players who has certainly not dropped their standards.

Schar has appeared in all 21 of the club’s league outings so far in this campaign and has completed the full 90 minutes in 20 of them.

Schar comes out on top in the Toon’s squad when it comes to clearances so far this season with 79 which is 32 more than second-place Jamaal Lascelles with 47.

He has also had the third-most touches of the ball for the club with 1,581.

Schar may not always receive the same praise as other centre-backs but he is going under the radar with how good he has been performing up to this point of the season.

Nottingham Forest 

Murillo

For all the money that Forest have spent since their promotion to the Premier League in 2022, the Brazilian centre-back might well turn out be there best signing of the lot.

Murillo joined Forest at the end of August and has made 14 league appearances so far this season, completing the full 90 minutes in 12 of them.

He tops the charts for Forest in terms of clearances with 82 and is second-place in terms of touches of the ball with 875. The 21-year-old has a bright future ahead of him if he keeps up this form.

 

Sheffield United

Jack Robinson

The Blades have not had much to shout about this season with the club currently sitting bottom of the Premier League taking just nine points from 20 games.

But if anyone has been an unsung hero for them, it has to be the 30-year-old centre-back Jack Robinson.

Robinson has made 19 appearances in a defence that has leaked the most goals in the league so far this season with a worrying 49 but that has often been through no fault of his own.

He tops the South Yorkshire outfit’s charts for the most clearances in the league so far this season with 76 and is in second-place for most touches of the ball with 914.

Tottenham Hotspur

Pedro Porro

What an excellent season this man is having playing under Ange Postecoglou.

He has started to get more praise recently but the Spaniard has largely flown under the radar throughout his stellar campaign so far.

The 24-year-old has made 20 appearances so far this season and has completed the full 90 minutes in 19 of them.

The right-back currently sits top of Spurs’ assist charts with seven and he also sits top of their touches of the ball charts with 1,699.

Porro even sits second-place in the clearances chart with 47. These stats are a true testament to just how good he has been so far this season.

West Ham United

Emerson Palmeri

The Italian left-back is easily one of the biggest unsung heroes in this list not just for the Hammers but in general for his performances so far this season.

Emerson has made 19 appearances in the league for David Moyes’ team and has completed the full 90 minutes in 18 of them.

He sits top of the chart for the East London outfit when it comes to tackles with 54 and second-placed when it comes to touches of the ball with 1,182.

The 29-year-old really is having a severely underrated campaign and has come a long way from being a benchwarmer at Chelsea.

Wolves

Max Kilman

This should not at all be a surprise as the 26-year-old has been one of the Premier League’s most underappreciated centre-backs in for a few years now.

It seems as though Kilman just improves each year and still does not get anywhere near enough praise.

He was appointed club captain at the start of the season and has played every minute in the league so far.

Not only does Kilman top Wolves’ charts in terms of clearances but he has the third most clearances of any player in England’s top-flight so far this season with 92.

He also tops Gary O’Neil’s teams charts in terms of touches with 1,416 and passes with 1,167.