James Maddison has been unstoppable for Leicester City, asserting himself as one of the best midfielders in the league this season. With the current form that he is in, Foxes of Leicester takes a look at the five best central and attacking midfielders in the Premier League and where the 25-year-old ranks amongst them.
For this list, it will consist of attacking midfielders and advanced central midfielders who have an impact in the final third, so players like N’golo Kante and Fabinho won’t be included as they play a far different role and cannot be compared fairly. Each player will be analysed for the impact that they have had this season, before being ranked accordingly.
Leicester City’s James Maddison
Maddison has been in sublime form with 21 goal contributions in 41 appearances for the Foxes. He is currently the top-scorer for LCFC this season with 13 goals in all competitions.
For a midfielder, Maddison’s minutes per goal is world-class, finding the back of the net every 201 minutes on average. To put that into perspective, Harvey Barnes, who has generally been played in a more advanced role, has scored every 319 minutes this season.
The former-Norwich City midfielder has been a catalyst for Leicester in attack, with his brilliant dribbling skills and his ability to score from outside the box making one of the most exciting midfielders in the league. This ability was highlighted when he scored two incredible goals against Randers in the UEFA Europa Conference League.
Maddison’s impact stretches far beyond just scoring goals, as he has created numerous opportunities for teammates throughout the course of the season. The Coventry-born midfielder has created 52 chances this season at a rate of 1.27 chances every 90 minutes.
Bruno Fernandes
Bruno Fernandes has been a revelation for Manchester United since he joined the club in 2020. The 27-year-old has scored nine goals and made 13 assists in 38 games this season.
The Red Devil hasn’t had the same impact in terms of scoring that Maddison has had this term, with the Portuguese midfielder finding the back of the net every 350 minutes with a goal conversion rate of 15 percent. However, while he has not been as prolific in front of goal, he has still contributed plenty of chances for his teammates.
Fernandes has created 95 chances this season at a rate of 2.5 chances every 90 minutes. Out of those chances created, the Manchester United midfielder has contributed 14 assists in all competitions.
Maddison may be a greater threat in front of goal, but Fernandes has been far better at creating opportunities and bringing others into the game than the Leicester City midfielder this season.
Kevin De Bruyne
The Manchester City midfielder has been one of the best footballers on the planet in the last few years and has continued that form into the 2021/22 campaign. De Bruyne has scored 13 goals and provided eight assists from 35 appearances this season.
The Belgian star this season has scored a goal on average every 194 minutes, with a goal-conversion rate of 21 percent. This doesn’t vary too much from Maddison, who has a conversion rate of 22 percent
The LCFC midfielder and De Bruyne both have the same amount of goal contributions this campaign, but the Citizen has had a greater impact this season than Maddison. The 30-year-old has created 2.46 chances per 90 and completed over 1300 passes this season, almost 500 more than the one-time English international.
Mason Mount
The Chelsea midfielder has gone from strength-to-strength in 2020/21 through to 2021/22; continuing to develop into one of the best attacking midfielders in the league. After a slow start to the current campaign, his season came alive when he scored a hat-trick and provided an assist in Chelsea’s 7-0 demolition of Norwich City.
This season, Mount has scored eight goals and recorded 12 assists in 42 games for the London side. He has been excellent in the Premier League with 15 goal contributions in 25 games.
However, Mount has failed to translate that form to the UEFA Champions League where he has just the solitary assist from his six appearances. The 23-year-old has scored a goal every 351 minutes in all competitions with a conversion rate of 16 percent.
Since Chelsea’s 1-1 draw with Everton in December, Mount has troubled the found the back of the net only once, with a goal in a 3-1 win over Norwich in March.
While Maddison has had a far greater impact in terms of scoring goals, it is much closer in terms of creating goals. Mount has created 64 chances this season at 1.52 per 90 minutes and completed over 1000 passes at 85 percent pass accuracy.
Kai Havertz
Havertz sits equal-first alongside Romelu Lukaku as top scorer for Chelsea with 12 goals in all competitions. The German midfielder has also made three assists to go along with his 12 goals.
The German has proven to be far more consistent than mount in terms of performing in various competitions. The 22-year-old has scored six of his 12 goals in the Premier League, with the rest spread across other competitions.
This season, Havertz has scored goals at a very similar rate to Maddison. He has scored a goal on average every 210 minutes, just nine minutes more than Maddison’s average.
The former-Bayer Leverkusen midfielder has been finishing his opportunities at a similar rate to Maddison as well with an efficiency of 21 percent. The two players have been similar in terms of the amount of goals they’ve scored, but the Leicester City midfielder has provided far more opportunities for teammates than the former Bayer Leverkusen man.
In 37 appearances this season, the 22-year-old has provided just five assists and has created far fewer chances than anyone else on this list. The German international has created just 29 chances this season at 0.81 per 90. Please click the below link to read the final page of this Foxes of Leicester article on ‘Madders” standing along with the final rankings.
Phil Foden
The final player on this list has the potential to become one of the world’s best midfielders. Foden has made 20 goal contributions in 35 games this season.
The 21-year-old has scored 11 goals in all competitions, including seven in the league. He is another player to score less frequently than Leicester City’s top scorer. Pep Guardiola’s player has scored at a rate of one goal every 212 minutes, with a goal conversion rate of 20 percent.
This speaks volumes about the level that Maddison has been performing at this season, with De Bruyne being the only player on this list to find the back of the net more frequently than him. Foden leads Manchester City for assists this season with nine. He has created 42 chances this season at an average of 1.2 per 90.
Final rankings
- Kevin De Bruyne
- Bruno Fernandes
- James Maddison
- Phil Foden
- Kai Havertz
- Mason Mount
Maddison has proven himself to be one of the best midfielders in the league this season, yet he is still unable to break into Gareth Southgate’s England side. However, if he keeps performing the way he has been, it will soon be impossible for Southgate to ignore his case any longer.