In 2025, when fans ask for the top 5 best midfielders EPL 2025, they expect more than just numbers — they want the heartbeat of their teams, the engine of every title race, moments of brilliance, and consistency under pressure. HartGoal steps into the centre circle to spotlight the midfield maestros who are defining this era. Let’s break down the five players combining style, stats, and influence.
What Makes a Top Midfielder in 2025
To judge the best, HartGoal considers several key criteria:
- Influence on results
- Passing & build-up: progressive passes, key passes, long balls
- Work rate & defensive contribution: tackles, interceptions, press resistance
- Consistency over the full 2024/25 Premier League season
- Big moments: performances in top matches, leadership, adapting under pressure
Using that lens, here are the top 5 best midfielders in the EPL in 2025 — the ones setting the standard.
Top 5 midfielders in the EPL in 2025
Here are the five who stand above the rest — different roles, different styles, but all essential.
1. Alexis Mac Allister
Alexis Mac Allister has been a revelation. In the 2024/25 Premier League campaign, he made 35 appearances, scoring 5 goals and 5 assists, showing not just creative flair but reliability at both ends.
Beyond raw numbers, it’s his intelligence and adaptability: Mac Allister drops deep, connects midfield to attack, presses hard, and makes the transition phases look natural. His efforts helped Liverpool clinch the title, and his leadership andsistency have made him a fan favourite.
2. Declan Rice
If there’s one midfielder who balances defensive steel with attacking threat, it’s Declan Rice. He’s one of the most complete central midfieldright now. Rice reads the game, breaks up play, but also gets forward, contributes to chance creation, and steps up in big matches. His free kicks, his box-to-box runs – all part of what makes him indispensable for Arsenal.
In comparisons with Moises Caicedo (another elite), Rice often leads in goals+assists.
3. Moises Caicedo
For raw energy, tackling, ball recovery, and progressive transitions, Moises Caicedo has emerged as one of the league’s best defensive midfielders. He started every Premiergue fixture last season for Chelsea, showing his durability and importance.
While not always as flashy in goal contributions, Caicedo’s role is essential: shielding the backline, stepping into midfield when needed, pushing forward to link play. He’s got a high number of ball recoveries, safe passing under pressure, and has improved in carrying the ball forward.
4. Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United)
Bruno Fernandes is that special kind of attacking midfield force: always a threat, always involved, often decisive. In 2024/25, he again proved capable of lifting his team in tough moments, scoring goals, making assists, and pulling strings when United needed him most.
His vision, shot, set-piece quality, and ability to create big chances give him an edge among fellow #10s or advanced midfielders. Even when United weren’t always consistent, Fernandes rarely abdicated responsibility.
5. Martin Ødegaard
While Rice anchors, Martin Ødegaard orchestrates. As Arsenal captain, he’s been instrumental in dictating tempo, unlocking defenses, and delivering in tight games. He may not always have the flashiest defensive stats, but his creativity, his ability to find spaces, deliver perfect passes, and influence games in the final third make him special.
Also, his consistency in key matches—against rivals, in pressure moments—cements his status among the best.
Why These 5, Not Others?
There are midfielders close behind (e.g. Cole Palmer, Bruno Guimarães, Bernardo Silva etc.), but what pushes these five to the top is balance. Each combines multiple strengths: creativity + work-rate, or defensive solidity + occasional goals/assists. They’re also consistent over the long haul, not just in bursts.
For example:
- Players who score lots of goals but don’t defend or help in build-up tend to fade in tough matches.
- Pure holding mids who sit back without contributing in offense often don’t get the spotlight unless they’re world class.
These five do both—or at least enough of both to influence games at both ends of the pitch.
Looking Ahead: What to Watch in 2025/26
- Can Mac Allister maintain his influence in Liverpool’s midfield under different tactical demands?
- Will Rice increase his goal & assist output while staying defensively solid for Arsenal?
- Can Caicedo refine his passing and offensive threat to become more of a box-to-box menace?
- Will Fernandes rediscover form in big matches and lead United back towards top-4 or higher?
- And Ødegaard: can he stay fit, avoid dips, and keep creating under pressure?
Also, new signings, tactical shifts, injuries will matter. The competition in midfield never sleeps in the EPL.
Conclusion
The top 5 best midfielders EPL 2025, as HartGoal sees it, are Alexis Mac Allister, Declan Rice, Moises Caicedo, Bruno Fernandes, and Martin Ødegaard. They’ve combined stats, style, consistency, and influence to own midfield roles in their respective clubs.
If you want more: full stats, heat maps, head-to-head comparisons, player value, or predictions on who might break this list next season, HartGoal’s got it ready. Stay tuned, following these names will make you feel the rhythm of Premier League midfield every time you watch.
