Sports
Jamie Carragher Ranks 10 Greatest Centre Midfielders in Premier League History
Jamie Carragher ranked who he thinks are the 10 greatest midfielders in Premier League history on Sky Sports.
So many world-class midfielders have graced the Premier League since its inception in 1992. Roy Keane, Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, Kevin De Bruyne and Paul Scholes are just a few midfielders that have done some extraordinary things in England’s top tier.
Carragher, in an appearance on Monday Night Football, was given a list of 24 legendary Premier League midfielders and was asked to name the 10 greatest.
Jamie Carragher Thinks Paul Scholes is Only the 7th Greatest Premier League Midfielder
Carragher named former Arsenal and Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas as the 10th greatest midfielder in Premier League history, followed by Rodri and Yaya Toure.
Paul Scholes is regarded by many to be the greatest Premier League midfielder ever, but Carragher only ranked him seventh.
Carragher was highly complimentary of Scholes, saying: “The thing I love about Paul Scholes is that a lot of these players on this list have great physical qualities as well. It’s not just football ability. They were powerful and could run. Scholes didn’t have any of that.
“He was different. When you think of English midfielders, you think of Bryan Robson, Steven Gerrard…there’s almost this thing: ‘it’s got to be box-to-box and energy.’ He was almost like a Barcelona or Real Madrid type of central midfielder. And we don’t usually create that type of player in England.”
Jamie Carragher and Roy Keane Disagree on Greatest Premier League Midfielder
Carragher named N’Golo Kante sixth, Frank Lampard fifth and Patrick Vieira fourth. He then ranked Kevin De Bruyne as the third greatest Premier League midfielder ever. He said:
“I think he is the best ever passer of the ball in the Premier League. Some of the assists he used to have for Man City… and I think that Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool team should’ve won a lot more given how good they were, but Liverpool didn’t have that (De Bruyne) type of player in midfield.
“He was the difference. I go back to the game when Aston Villa were 2-0 up at Man City on the last game of the season (in 2022) and Liverpool went ahead. Kevin De Bruyne just turned it on and Man City won the league title – he is Man City’s greatest player of all time.”
Carragher ranked Roy Keane, one of the greatest Man Utd players ever, in second. He said: “I loved Roy Keane as a player even though I was playing for his biggest rivals.
“The thing that annoyed me though was that Roy Keane was put in this box as someone who ‘put his foot in and got in the box to get a goal’, but he was the best passer of a ball in the Premier League.
“I don’t think anybody on that list was better than Roy Keane at finding his No 10 and playing the ball between the lines. There’s lots of different players on that list but I don’t think anyone ran a game where everything went through them like Roy Keane. You were the boss in midfield, no matter who you played with and you ran games at the highest level of European football.’
Carragher then crowned his former teammate, Gerrard, as the greatest Premier League midfielder ever. He said:
“The strength about Stevie was he didn’t have a weakness, he could tick every box. When you think of the three roles in terms of a six, eight and a ten – he could play all those roles. Not many players on that list could play all three at very high level.”
When questioned on Gerrard’s failure to win a Premier League title, Carragher responded: “The way I flip that is he’s been the best player in league. It says a lot when players you play against pick you in that team.
“Another way of looking at it too is we didn’t win the league, we’d have loved to but with the other players on the list, I don’t think if we put them in for Steven Gerrard that we would’ve won the league.
“They wouldn’t have had the same impact as him and the two games that stand out – big games define a lot of these players – are the FA Cup final (in 2006) and Champions League final (in 2005).”
|
Jamie Carragher’s 10 greatest midfielders in Premier League history |
|
|---|---|
|
Position |
Player |
|
1 |
Steven Gerrard |
|
2 |
Roy Keane |
|
3 |
Kevin De Bruyne |
|
4 |
Patrick Vieira |
|
5 |
Frank Lampard |
|
6 |
N’Golo Kante |
|
7 |
Paul Scholes |
|
8 |
Yaya Toure |
|
9 |
Rodri |
|
10 |
Cesc Fabregas |
Roy Keane disagreed with Carragher, saying De Bruyne is the greatest Premier League midfielder ever. He said: “It’s about opinions, but he’s the first that springs to mind for me.”
Sports
Arsenal Want to Sell 4 Stars After Losing Champions League Final
It was a brilliant season for Arsenal as they won the Premier League title for the first time in 22 years. However, Mikel Arteta will look back on it with a sense of frustration after the Gunners came so close to a historical double.
Indeed, the Gunners were beaten by Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final, losing on penalties after the teams played out a 1-1 draw across 120 minutes. The club’s Spanish manager is not one to rest on his laurels, and it appears as though Arsenal are already working on improving in 2026/27.
The summer transfer market is the most obvious way to address any shortcomings. With that in mind, it seems Arteta and his staff will be busy in the coming months with some notable arrivals. To fund that, however, some players will have to leave.
According to reports in the Daily Mail, four key men are now going to be shown the exit door after that Champions League disappointment, and four players who could replace them.
Ben White
Ben White has long been one of the most reliable players in Arteta’s team, respected by teammates and fans for regularly putting his body on the line for the club since arriving from Brighton in 2021. Sadly, that commitment has cost him at times, and he’s spent the past two seasons plagued by injuries.
Jurrien Timber has made the first-choice right-back spot his own, while Cristhian Mosquera appears to be an able alternative as well. That said, the report names Newcastle United’s Tino Livramento as a potential target this summer.
Gabriel Martinelli
One of the few players in the current team to have joined before Arteta took charge, Gabriel Martinelli arrived as a teenager in 2019 and quickly established himself as a first-team regular. While a reliable squad option, just one goal in the Premier League this season is far from ideal.
If Arsenal want to reach an even greater level, it’s little wonder they are looking at the left flank as an area to improve upon. The report suggests Marcus Rashford could be of interest ‘if the price is right’.
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Mikel Arteta has wasted no time at all.
Leandro Trossard
Leandro Trossard has proved to be worth every penny since signing from Brighton in January 2023 for just £27m. That said, he’s never quite been spectacular enough to truly make the left-wing position his own, sharing duties with Martinelli.
Now 31, it appears as though Arteta may be willing to cash in on the Belgian. If this is the case, the report names Aston Villa’s £80m-rated Morgan Rogers as an ‘admired’ option to bolster the attack. The Englishman plays more centrally at times for Villa, but has spent plenty of time on the wing across his career.
Gabriel Jesus
Finally, Gabriel Jesus looks set to leave. Although the report suggests he’d be willing to stay around and gain British citizenship, Arsenal have said the 29-year-old can leave if they offer over £18m. The Brazilian was electric when he first arrived, but a bad knee injury during the 2022 World Cup has derailed his career in north London.
The dream replacement is said to be Atletico Madrid’s Julian Alvarez. His preference is Barcelona but the Gunners may have a chance if they are willing to pay the £120m price tag, especially as Atletico don’t seem keen to sell to their La Liga rivals.
Sports
Harry Redknapp Names 4 Players That Should’ve Made England’s World Cup Squad
Harry Redknapp has named four England stars that he believes should have made the World Cup squad after Thomas Tuchel left out a series of big-name players.
Tuchel has been tasked with leading England’s charge at this summer’s World Cup, with the Three Lions among the favourites to go all the way in North America.
England have two friendlies ahead of kicking off their World Cup venture, with games against New Zealand and Costa Rica slated. They take on New Zealand on Saturday before facing Costa Rica on June 11.
Tuchel’s 26-man squad will be on display before they meet old rivals Croatia in their Group L clash on June 17.
The German boss got fans and critics alike talking about his squad selection, with many high-profile players left out, including a couple of attacking stars.
Four England Players Harry Redknapp Would Have Taken to World Cup
Redknapp, who was linked with the England job in 2012, has shared his thoughts on Tuchel’s World Cup squad. He called the ex-Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain boss a “great manager”, but would have liked to have seen Cole Palmer and Phil Foden on the plane to the United States.
He also name-dropped Manchester United defender Harry Maguire and West Ham United forward Jarrod Bowen, who were snubbed of a spot in Tuchel’s World Cup party.
Speaking to Sky Sports News, Redknapp said: “He certainly knows what he’s doing, that’s for sure.
“He’s a great manager and I think we’ve got the players. There’s one or two that didn’t go. We’ve all got opinions, but at the end of the day, the manager’s opinion is the one that counts. I’d like to have seen. I’m a big Cole Palmer fan, Phil Foden fan, Harry Maguire… Bowen.”
‘Palmer, Foden, Maguire and Bowen Would All Feel Quite Hard Done by’
Redknapp believes Palmer, Foden, Maguire and Bowen can all feel quite hard done by for not making the World Cup squad and hopes England can bring it home this summer for the first time since 1966.
“You can’t take everybody, but certainly them four would all feel quite hard done by not making it. Hopefully he’s picked the right squad and hopefully he picks the right team and we can bring it home,” the 79-year-old added.
“London would be buzzing, wouldn’t it, again. It would be like 66 the last time we won it. Them scenes in London were incredible that night, so we want to have that again.”
Palmer, Foden, Maguire and Bowen weren’t the only players to miss out on Tuchel’s squad as Morgan Gibbs-White and Adam Wharton also failed to make the England team.
Sports
Liverpool Want to Sign £60m Star Matias Fernandez-Pardo
Liverpool are looking to strengthen their offensive options for the new season under new manager Andoni Iraola, and they have now entered the race for a new target, according to reports.
The Reds have seen Mohamed Salah depart this summer after nine years at Anfield, and the club have identified RB Leipzig star Yan Diomande as their top target to come in, despite the Bundesliga club demanding over £100m to let the Ivorian depart.
But while Liverpool have already secured an agreement with Diomande, and talks are ongoing with Leipzig to find an agreement over a transfer, now they are eyeing a move for another forward to add to their options.
Liverpool Eyeing £60m Move for Fernandez-Pardo
According to FootMercato, Liverpool have now entered the race to sign Lille sensation Matias Fernandez-Pardo this summer.
Fernandez-Pardo, who has been described as ‘explosive’, enjoyed a fine season with the Ligue 1 club this season, registering eight goals and six assists in 40 appearances across all competitions.
A number of clubs are understood to be paying close attention to the 21-year-old’s situation for this summer, and they are likely to be watching him closely during the World Cup after he earned a call-up to Rudi Garcia’s squad.
But Lille are not looking to let him leave cheaply, and have now slapped a €70m (£60m) asking price on his head amid all the interest, as they look to ensure they maximise his value, and they believe he should only move on if they receive an ‘astronomical’ bid.
It’s reported that Fernandez-Pardo is not against staying with Lille to continue his development for another year and is highly unlikely to push for a move. But Liverpool could be ready to make a push for his signature, as they look to strengthen after a poor season.
Liverpool Need Reinforcements
Salah is gone, Arne Slot is gone, Andy Robertson and Ibrahima Konate have departed too, and that means a major rebuild at Anfield is needed this summer.
Andoni Iraola is coming in and will need reinforcements in attack, with Hugo Ekitike ruled out until 2027 and Federico Chiesa also likely to be on the way out after two seasons of barely playing football for the club.
Fernandez-Pardo is unlikely to come to Anfield and be an immediate starter, but he has the quality to grow into a top attacker and it could be the type of signing that the Anfield club have made in the past that has come to fruition later down the line.
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