Premier League Team of the Season so far, starring Salah and Rice

26 Dec 2023 14:16 GMT
8 min read

2023 is drawing to a close and it has been a thrilling 2023/24 Premier League season so far.

Arsenal sit top of the pile, with Liverpool and perhaps the campaign's biggest surprise package Aston Villa only a point behind. Ange Postecoglou's Tottenham have also been a pleasant surprise and their high-octane football saw them top the standings for a while before injuries took their toll.

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Erling Haaland, unsurprisingly, leads the Golden Boot race, with Mohamed Salah and Jarrod Bowen in close pursuit. In terms of assists, Pedro Neto has been topping the standings for months - but is enough for him to get into our team?

Below is FootballTransfers' Premier League Team of the Season so far as we head into 2024.

FootballTransfers’ Premier League Team of the Season so far

GK: Emi Martinez - Aston Villa

As mentioned, Aston Villa have arguably been the biggest surprise so far this term and a big reason behind their success has been their stout defence. The Villans have only conceded 22 goals so far this term, fewer than Spurs, Man Utd and Chelsea.

World Cup-winning shot-stopper Emi Martinez has once again impressed and given Villa's success this term, we feel that he deserves a shout-out ahead of the likes of Liverpool's Alisson, who has kept more clean sheets than any keeper in 2023, Fulham's Bernd Leno, who has been saving Fulham from a relegation battle, and Tottenham summer arrival Guglielmo Vicario.

RB: Trent Alexander-Arnold - Liverpool

Had the season ended in November, Newcastle's Kieran Trippier would be the undisputed choice for the best right-back in the Premier League, but the Magpies defender has had a torrid end to 2023 and therefore misses out.

In his stead, we opted to include Trent Alexander-Arnold. Though one can certainly argue that he is barely a right-back at this point, the Liverpool vice-captain nevertheless gets in thanks to his two goals and three assists so far this term.

There is a very good argument to be made that Tottenham's Pedro Porro should be in here, given that he has notched an impressive six assists, but we feel that Alexander-Arnold offers more in terms of his overall contribution.

CB: Jarrad Branthwaite - Everton

Despite being hit with a hefty points deduction, Sean Dyche's robust Everton are four points clear of the relegation zone thanks to their spectacular defence. The Toffees have conceded as many goals as Aston Villa (22) despite sitting some 13 spots below them in the table.

Young centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite has been a revelation for the Merseyside club and the 21-year-old's performances have unsurprisingly attracted the attention of the likes of Man Utd and Tottenham.

Many feel that Branthwaite is the next great defensive hope of English football and he has certainly proved his believers correct so far this season.

CB: Micky van de Ven - Tottenham

Prior to his injury, there were few defenders as impressive as Micky van de Ven. After a spectacular breakout campaign in the Bundesliga last term, Tottenham snapped up the Dutchman for €40 million in the summer and it turned out to be a great piece of business.

The 22-year-old took to the physicality and speed of the Premier League like a fish to water and proved an ideal fit for Ange Postecoglou's risky approach to defending. His recovery pace is immaculate and he struck up a fantastic partnership with Cristian Romero prior to his unfortunate hamstring injury.

LB: Destiny Udogie - Tottenham

Tottenham’s defence has not been water-tight so far this season - especially since Van de Ven's injury - but their backline has been one of the most impressive in the division.

Like Van de Ven, Destiny Udogie has been superb so far this campaign since his move from Udinese. He has been excellent both in and out of possession and survived the Bukayo Saka test despite a very rough first 20 minutes versus the England international earlier in the season.

Udogie’s ability to drive forward with the ball has been a key facet of Spurs’ tactical play, with Postecoglou utilising the Italian’s immense ability to carry the ball into dangerous areas.

CM: Declan Rice - Arsenal

Declan Rice was the most expensive signing across world football this summer (Moises Caicedo will overtake him if add-ons are met) and the Arsenal man has lived up to expectations so far.

He has become a key member of Mikel Arteta’s side already and has experienced no issues with the step-up to playing for a team expected to dominate proceedings in almost every match.

Rice has given the Gunners some stability and the England star is not afraid to do the dirty work, winning balls back and driving the team forward. Many believe that his signing has made Arsenal a better, more complete team and it is therefore no surprise that they currently top the table.

CM: James Maddison - Tottenham

There are several West Ham players who are unfortunate to miss out on our Team of the Season and one of them is James Ward-Prowse. The former Southampton man has been a cheat code when it comes to set-piece deliveries and he has notched three goals and five assists so far this term.

However, James Maddison boasts the exact same numbers and, as he is currently injured, recorded them in fewer games. Prior to his injury, his €46.3m price tag looked a snip as he made an excellent start at Tottenham.

The England international struck up a brilliant relationship with Son Heung-min it looked every bit as devastating as the Korea Republic star’s former connection with Harry Kane.

Maddison seamlessly slotted into the Tottenham team and the fact he is already vice-captain proves how quickly he settled in. He is one of the Premier League’s very best attacking midfielders.

CM: Douglas Luiz - Aston Villa

A player who has come to typify Aston Villa's spectacular rise under Unai Emery, Douglas Luiz has been one of the best midfielders in the Premier League this term.

The Brazilian does a bit of everything and offers the Villans both stability and a drive forward, having notched five goals and three assists so far this season. It is a testament to how good he has been that Arsenal are desperate to sign him.

Luiz is one of Villa's most important assets and if he stays put for the full season, there is no reason to believe that Emery's men can't get into the Champions League.

RW: Mohamed Salah - Liverpool

Mohamed Salah was judged to have endured a slow start to the season after the first few games, but the Egyptian is set to enter 2024 as one of the league's most prolific players.

The Egyptian King recorded his 200th Liverpool goal against Crystal Palace in December and he boasts the most goal contributions of any player at this point in the season. Salah currently boasts 12 goals and seven assists.

Although his positioning on the right flank has often kept him away from central areas since Jurgen Klopp’s system change, which sees Trent Alexander-Arnold sometimes tuck inside, Salah has still been a constant end-product machine and he edges out Jarrod Bowen and Pedro Neto for the right-wing slot in FootballTransfers’ team.

ST: Erling Haaland - Man City

Despite an up-and-down start to the campaign, Erling Haaland is still the same old Erling Haaland. It has not always been easy for him this season, but the Norwegian sharpshooter still tops the Golden Boot charts with his 14 goals in 15 games.

At times, Julian Alvarez has threatened to steal Haaland's spotlight - and the Argentine is unlucky to miss out - but the two have more often than not shown that they can also work together to devastating effect.

The likes of Dominic Solanke and Ollie Watkins have also enjoyed spectacular goalscoring campaigns but they have not done enough to push Haaland off his throne.

LW: Son Heung-min - Tottenham

The final player in FootballTransfers’ Premier League Team of the Season is yet another Tottenham player.

Ange Postecoglou has begun life in England in fantastic fashion and his decision to move Son Heung-min into a central striker role has filled the void left by Harry Kane perfectly.

The Korea Republic international features on the left wing in our team, but most of his 11 league goals have come since Postecoglou stationed him through the middle.

He’s shooting more, scoring more and Postecoglou has found the answer to the Harry Kane replacement conundrum. Son looks back to his scintillating best and has become a true leader for Spurs.