Premier League most assists: Which player leads the creative rankings?

Carlo Garganese

• 17 Mar 2024 16:37 GMT
• 11 min read

After Kevin De Bruyne came out on top last season, it is time to find out which player will have the most Premier League assists in the 2023/24 season.

With an incredible playmaking record since joining Manchester City, De Bruyne came into the new campaign as the player to beat in the race to have the most goals created in England’s top flight, although a major injury early in the season has impacted his hopes.

There are two major Liverpool rivals in the race to register the most Premier League assists this season, as Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold have often generated impressive EPL assists records.

New Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes was eager to stake a claim, while Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard hoped to produce high assist numbers for Arsenal as Mikel Arteta’s men bid to challenge for the title once more.

Jack Grealish could be a Man City team-mate of De Bruyne’s who also racks up a strong number of goal involvements and James Maddison will hope to make an impact in the assist rankings after his big transfer to Tottenham.

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There is also the chance of a surprise winner emerging, but recent history suggests a big-name player is likely to have the most EPL assists.

Premier League table: Check out the latest standings

This page will be updated over the course of the 2023/24 season as we take an in-depth look at the latest standings for Premier League assists. Check back after every matchday to see who is in the leading positions.

Premier League most assists 2023/24

Mohamed Salah, Pascal Gross, Ollie Watkins, Kieran Trippier and Pedro Neto are among the players with the most Premier League assists this season.

Newcastle United defender Trippier and Neto were the players leading the standings early in the season.

They were tied at the top until the Wolves winger created a goal in the entertaining 2-2 draw between the two sides on October 28 to move narrowly ahead.

But Neto came off injured in the closing stages of that encounter in what was a worrying development for Wolves fans given his fantastic start to the campaign. He then missed over two months of action.

Trippier moved back on level terms by getting his seventh assist of the season in the 1-0 win over Manchester United, creating the winning goal scored by Anthony Gordon.

He has since charged on to reach 10 with goals created in consecutive games against Aston Villa, Luton Town and Nottingham Forest.

Trippier's impressive statistics were helped by a fine run in the autumn, when he set up at least one goal in four straight matches, recording assists against Sheffield United, Burnley, West Ham and Crystal Palace.

Newcastle defender Trippier was key to his team's incredible 8-0 win over Sheffield United on September 24, recording three assists in that match to kickstart that creative streak.

Aston Villa's Watkins is also on an impressive run of assists and is level with England team-mate Trippier at the top. It has been a sensational season for Watkins, who is also battling Erling Haaland for the Golden Boot.

Five assists by in-form Salah since November 25 also catapulted him up the standings, even though he was away at the AFCON for six weeks and has battled injury.

Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka, Pedro Porro, Phil Foden and Darwin Nunez are among the players in the chasing pack.

It's been an impressive run of form for England international Saka, who has set up goals for Arsenal against Burnley, Brentford, Luton Town, Crystal Palace and Sheffield United since the start of November.

James Maddison has reached seven assists for the 2023/24 season, putting him among the chasing pack, while James Ward-Prowse is also sitting just behind the leaders on the same total for goals created in the EPL.

As for Neto, he had a good start to the season, including setting up both goals in Wolves' 3-2 loss to Crystal Palace and also adding to his tally in impressive displays against Liverpool, Aston Villa and Bournemouth.

Neto set up Wolves' goal against Liverpool on September 16, while Salah was ultimately credited with two assists in their match at Molineux. The Egypt star had initially been given three, only for the third Liverpool goal to eventually be ruled as an own goal.

Winger Neto's most recent assists came in Wolves' 4-2 win at Chelsea and 2-1 triumph at Tottenham in February.

Salah's two goals created in that game at Wolves added to his assists in the matches at Chelsea and Newcastle. His fine pass to set up a winner for Nunez in the final seconds as 10-man Liverpool grabbed a fantastic late victory at Newcastle was one of his top moments this season.

On the opening weekend, Salah impressively set up Luis Diaz for Liverpool as they drew 1-1 at Chelsea. The forward was later frustrated to be substituted but showed his quality creating the goal with a fine piece of play.

His most recent assists were setting up Trent Alexander-Arnold in the 1-1 draw away to champions Man City, creating the goal scored by Wataru Endo in the enthralling 4-3 win over Fulham and laying on a stoppage-time winner for Harvey Elliott at Crystal Palace before teeing up Alexis Mac Allister at Brentford.

Nunez is not far behind him on seven assists, with his most recent goal created coming at home to Chelsea on January 31.

Tottenham attacking midfielder Maddison created both goals for Son Heung-min in the dramatic 2-2 derby draw away to Arsenal and set up Micky van de Ven when his side won 1-0 at Luton.

Maddison previously got off to an impressive start with Tottenham after setting up both goals in their 2-2 draw at Brentford on Matchday 1.

After the departure of Harry Kane to Bayern, it was a strong Spurs debut for Maddison as he created the goals scored by defenders Cristian Romero and Emerson Royal.

Maddison's progress was slowed by a long injury absence and while he was out his team-mate Porro has surged up the standings, with his seventh assist of the season coming in Spurs' 2-2 draw at Man Utd. But Maddison returned to the fore with assists against Everton and Crystal Palace.

Son has also recently joined his team-mate in the standings and has eight assists, having set up two goals - as well as scoring - in the 4-0 win at Aston Villa on March 10.

Earlier this season, the standings were shaken up by Manchester City winger Jeremy Doku, who now has five assists in the Premier League season.

In a sensational performance, Doku scored once and had four assists as Man City thrashed Bournemouth 6-1 in the Premier League on November 4.

The 21-year-old made history as the youngest EPL player to have recorded four assists in a single game, emulating the likes of Paul Pogba and Harry Kane, who had previously achieved the feat.

Doku also had an assist for Man City against Brighton in October and remains a contender towards the top of the assist rankings.

Julian Alvarez and Haaland have reached eight and five assists respectively to sit near the top of the EPL assist standings.

Manchester City playmaker Phil Foden has seven assists, putting him three off the lead for the most goals created in England's top flight.

Alvarez set up one of Foden's two goals in the 3-1 Manchester derby win over rivals Man Utd in March.

Foden had goals created in three straight games early in the season, recording assists against Newcastle, Sheffield United and Fulham. But he is yet to have an assist for any of the 18 league goals scored by in-form Haaland.

As for De Bruyne, he has raced up to five assists since returning from injury at the end of January. He set up John Stones' goal in the 1-1 draw with title rivals Liverpool at Anfield.

Ward-Prowse tormented Chelsea with two assists for West Ham on his debut for the club on Matchday 2 and added his third assist when his team beat Luton. He was back on form on MD12, getting two assists in the dramatic 3-2 home win over Nottingham Forest and created another in the surprise victory at Arsenal during the festive period.

Lucas Paqueta, meanwhile, set up all three goals for West Ham in their 3-0 win over Wolves on December 17, before adding another goal created against Man Utd later that month.

Bruno Fernandes is also in the standings for 2023/24. He got an assist against Nottingham Forest, as well as scoring a late winner in a dramatic 3-2 win for Manchester United at Old Trafford. That was a fine performance from the captain, who created an array of chances.

The Portugal star then set up a goal for Scott McTominay against Sheffield United and had an assist for Anthony Martial's goal in the 3-0 win at Everton on November 26.

He has added three further assists since the start of February, teeing up McTominay again in the thrilling 4-3 win at Wolves on February 1 and a strike for Alejandro Garnacho in the home win over West Ham.

His latest goal created was Marcus Rashford's stunning long-range strike in the Manchester derby.

But it has otherwise been a tough start for Man Utd players. Fernandes is the only representative in the standings so far as Garnacho is on three assists with Marcus Rashford, and Rasmus Hojlund on two assists each.

Kevin De Bruyne had the most Premier League assists last season, setting up 16 goals as Man City won the title for a fifth time in the space of six seasons. Mohamed Salah and Leandro Trossard were tied for second place with 12 assists each.

Incredibly, it was the fourth time that De Bruyne has topped the Premier League assist charts since signing for Man City from Wolfsburg in 2015.

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It is an impressive list of names who have previously topped the EPL assist rankings over the course of a whole season. Salah has achieved the feat before, as has Liverpool great Steven Gerrard.

Harry Kane, Eden Hazard, Mesut Ozil and Cesc Fabregas are the other players to have claimed the accolade over the past decade.

Premier League most assists in a season

The record for the most goals created in a single Premier League season is 20 assists, an honour shared between Kevin De Bruyne and Thierry Henry.

Arsenal great Henry produced his astonishing total of 20 assists in the 2002/03 season. It took 17 years for someone to match it, with De Bruyne achieving the feat in 2019/20.

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Mesut Ozil came agonisingly close to matching the record in 2015/16, recording 19 assists in a brilliant individual season for Arsenal.

Prior to matching the record, De Bruyne also had a near miss of his own, producing 18 assists in the 2016/17 campaign and Cesc Fabregas also produced an 18-assist campaign.

Most assists in a single Premier League game

The highest total in a single Premier League game is four assists and it is a feat which has been achieved by eight different EPL players.

Paul Pogba was the last man to do it, creating four goals when Man Utd beat Leeds 5-1 in August 2021.

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Harry Kane, Emmanuel Adebayor and Dusan Tadic are three of the players who have had four-assist matches in the Premier League.

Arsenal players seem to fare particularly well in this record. The other four stars to register four assists in a game all did so while representing the Gunners: Dennis Bergkamp, Jose Antonio Reyes, Cesc Fabregas and Santi Cazorla.

Premier League most assists of all time

Former Manchester United winger Ryan Giggs has the most Premier League assists of all time.

Giggs reached a huge total of 162 assists across an illustrious top-flight career that spanned 632 matches.

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At the start of the 2023/24 season, ex-Arsenal and Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas was in second place with 111 assists, with Wayne Rooney next on 103.

But Kevin De Bruyne is rising fast up the standings, starting the season on 102 assists, within 60 of the record held by Giggs.

Frank Lampard (102), Dennis Bergkamp (94), David Silva (93), Steven Gerrard (92), James Milner (87) and David Beckham (80) are the other EPL greats sitting in the top 10 for goals created.

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It is Man City star De Bruyne who has the best assists per game total in the list. He was the fastest player to reach 50 EPL assists, doing so in just 123 games, and also the quickest to a century, getting there in the space of only 237 matches.

De Bruyne is likely to be in second place overall by the time this season has reached its conclusion.