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

Updated: 10 Oct 2023 08:51 CDT
8 min read

Mohamed Salah, James Maddison — © ProShots

The opening eight matches of the 2023-24 Premier League season have taken place, with Tottenham Hotspur narrowly leading the way at the top of the table.

Ange Postecoglou’s men have picked up 20 points from the first eight fixtures and are level on points with their cross-city rivals Arsenal.

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Both teams are currently unbeaten, with six wins and two draws. Manchester City are third after suffering back-to-back league defeats against Wolverhampton Wanderers and Arsenal, while Sheffield United are rock bottom having picked up only one points.

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

FootballTransfers’ Premier League Team of the Season so far

GK: Bernd Leno - Fulham

Fulham have not looked particularly great so far this season and their attack appears blunt with the talismanic figure of Aleksandar Mitrovic.

As a result, Bernd Leno has become even more important for Marco Silva at the other end of the pitch.

He virtually single-handedly won Fulham the opening game of the season against Everton and has backed that up with a further two clean sheets.

Therefore, the former Arsenal man has the joint-most clean sheets of any ‘keeper this campaign and he ranks third for post-shot Expected Goals prevented, with xG predicting Leno should’ve conceded 2.7 more goals than he has.

RB: Kieran Trippier - Newcastle

Kieran Trippier has the joint-most assists of any player in the English top flight in 2023-24 (five), with the Englishman providing three in Newcastle’s 8-0 demolition of Sheffield United at Bramall Lane.

Trippier has been a standout player for Eddie Howe’s side as they once again look set for a European battle.

Matty Cash was also close to selection, but Trippier narrowly edges the Polish international to the right-back spot in our Premier League Team of the Season so far.

CB: Joachim Andersen - Crystal Palace

Crystal Palace have the joint-third best defensive record in the Premier League this campaign (seven goals conceded) and the centre-back duo of Marc Guehi and Joachim Andersen have played a key role in that.

The latter has also scored two goals so far this season and he ranks third in the league for total clearances (47). Andersen has been excellent for Palace once again and big clubs will be starting to take notice.

CB: Micky van de Ven - Tottenham

Of defenders to have played in every Premier League match so far this season, only two have committed two or fewer fouls and have been dribbled past two or fewer times.

They are Micky van de Ven and William Saliba. As a result, Saliba is perhaps unlucky to miss out on this team; the Frenchman is probably a victim of his own success in that regard as performances like his this season are what we’ve come to expect from the Arsenal man.

For Van de Ven, however, it has been an exceptional start to life in the English top flight. There were certainly doubts surrounding him when Spurs paid €40m to sign him this summer, but that fee already looks like a bargain.

© ProShots - Micky van de Ven, Tottenham

His recovery pace is immaculate and he has already struck up a fantastic partnership with Christian Romero. Plus, he scored the winner in their 1-0 victory over Luton.

LB: Destiny Udogie - Tottenham

Tottenham’s defence has not been water-tight so far this season (Man City, Arsenal, Chelsea and Crystal Palace have conceded less than them), 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.

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 at carrying the ball into dangerous areas.

As a result, Malo Gusto (25) is the only defender with more progressive carries than Udogie (24) in the Premier League so far this season.

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 also scored the late winner against Manchester United, which has helped the Gunners keep pace with their north London rivals Tottenham.

© ProShots - Declan Rice with Kai Havertz and Jurrien Timber

CM: James Ward-Prowse - West Ham

James Ward-Prowse is the secret weapon that David Moyes was crying out for. West Ham were already a massive threat from set pieces thanks to their huge squad, and they now have the best free-kick and corner taker in world football in their team.

As a result, it’s perhaps no surprise that Ward-Prowse has registered three league assists this season (as well as three in the Europa League).

In addition, the Englishman has also scored two goals as West Ham look set to challenge for European football this season.

CM: James Maddison - Tottenham

James Maddison’s €46.3m price tag is looking a snip right now after his excellent start at Tottenham.

The England international has two goals and five assists (the joint-most in the league) in eight league matches for his new club and his relationship with Son Heung-min looks every bit as devastating as the Korea Republic star’s former connection with Harry Kane.

Maddison has seamlessly slotted into the Tottenham team and the fact he is already vice-captain proves how quickly he has settled in.

He is one of the Premier League’s very best attacking midfielders and he has been sublime since joining Tottenham.

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 has entered the October international break with five goals and four assists in just eight games.

As a result, he has the joint-most goal contributions (nine) of any player in the Premier League so far this season - along with Erling Haaland.

Although his positioning on the right flank has 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 Bukayo Saka for the right wing slot in FootballTransfers’ team.

ST: Erling Haaland - Man City

Erling Haaland went somewhat missing during Manchester City’s 1-0 defeat against Arsenal, with William Saliba getting the better of him on the day.

However, despite a slow start to the campaign by his own incredibly-high standards, Haaland is still the Premier League’s top goal-scorer with eight goals.

As a result, it would be slightly unfair to leave him out of this team, even if Julian Alvarez has attracted perhaps more praise at the start of this season.

The Argentine is unlucky to miss out himself, but Haaland finds his way into the XI courtesy of his brilliant scoring record.

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 all six of his league goals have come since Postecoglou stationed him through the middle.

In the three games Son played off the left wing, he averaged 1.67 shots per game, but that number has increased to 3.6 per game in the five matches of playing as a striker.

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.