Ferguson the fraud? Gabriel > Saliba? Picking all 20 Premier League clubs’ most over-rated player

We have completely subjectively picked the most overrated player from all 20 Premier League clubs. What a way to make yourself hated by every single fanbase, eh?

It’s important to remember, folks; over-rated does not mean bad. We are not saying these players are rubbish and are stealing a living. Promise.

Anyway, here goes. An underrated version will follow in a desperate bid to win over the angry mob.

Arsenal – William Saliba
Arsenal fans, hear me out. I am one of you after all.

Saliba is a superb young talent and has the potential to be the best in the world in his position. He is calm in possession, rapid and great in the air. But he still has a lot to learn, and the way some Arsenal supporters go on about him gives you the impression he is a modern-day Rio Ferdinand.

Yes, the Gunners’ title race fell off a cliff when he got injured in March, but that is less of a testament to his ability, but more a nod to Robert Samuel Holding, who cost Crystal Palace £2million and can’t get a kick for them.

Saliba is yet to impress for France and how highly rated he is by some people is a disservice to Gabriel Magalhaes, who is the better player. The fact Gabriel is better than Saliba but doesn’t get half the praise is my argument here. The France bit is just a little extra fuel to the fire.

Aston Villa – Douglas Luiz
A solid Premier League midfielder, Luiz has been excellent for Aston Villa this season. This is inarguably the best form he has ever been in, but it would be baffling to see Arsenal bid north of £60m for his services in 2024. He isn’t on the same level as Declan Rice and Thomas Partey. At least he doesn’t get injured nearly as often as the latter.

Bournemouth – Max Aarons
No offence to Bournemouth and friends, but selecting a player for the smaller clubs is going to be a lot more tricky. There is less noise about them and their players, both from fans on social media and pundits. Bournemouth and Dominic Solanke don’t get you clicks, Manchester United and Erik ten Hag do, and that’s the unfortunate truth.

Having said that, Aarons – who has been around forever but is only 23 years old – is our guy. Relegated twice as Norwich City’s first-choice right-back, the Cherries summer signing strikes us as someone who is decent in the Championship and not good enough for the Premier League.

Brentford – Kevin Schade
Schade was Brentford’s record signing before Nathan Collins joined a few days after him in July but he has not done anything to prove he is worth the money aside from that one goal he scored. Currently out injured, Bees fans will hope the young German comes back stronger.

Brighton – Evan Ferguson
Ferguson is a very promising young striker, but £100m?! Bloody hell. If he is worth that, an 18-year-old Wayne Rooney would cost at least £200m.

Brighton are experts when it comes to selling players and will probably get that for the Irish teenager. He could be worth it but the hype is a bit much for someone who has 43 senior appearances for the Seagulls.

Burnley – James Trafford
The three promoted teams are going to be tricky but for Burnley we have gone with Trafford, who is being overrated by his manager, Vincent Kompany.

After a great season at Bolton and an even better summer with England Under-21s, Trafford was snapped up by Burnley for around £20m. Thrown straight into the deep end by Kompany, he is not ready to be a Premier League No. 1, especially with a bunch of inexperienced heads around him.

It’s time to bring back another ex-Manchester City goalkeeper in Arijanet Muric, who is very unlucky not to have started the season as Kompany’s first choice.

Chelsea – Levi Colwill
Colwill did well at Brighton on loan but only played 22 times for them. You’d think it was closer to 100 the way some people rattle on about him.

His inclusion is probably a bit like Saliba’s, in truth. Because he is so young, folk are going a little bit overboard. That’s fine, though. It’s okay to be excited. Chelsea fans should be; he looks like he will be pretty decent. Not quite the new John Terry, but decent enough.

Crystal Palace – Rob Holding
Ugh, nobody qualifies, to be honest. Picking Eberechi Eze, Marc Guehi or Michael Olise would have been the easy choice as they are comfortably Palace’s best players. In truth, none of those three are overrated in the slightest.

Let’s cop out with Holding, who was deemed good enough to start in a title decider for Arsenal at Manchester City. The fact he scored a consolation goal that day will never not be funny.

Everton – Jordan Pickford
How can an Everton player be overrated? Everyone has been taking the mick out of them for the past three years. Even their own supporters.

An N/A is out of the question. It had to be someone and that someone is Jordan Pickford. Only because I just saw someone on Twitter call him world class. He sure as hell isn’t.

Fulham – Calvin Bassey
Still living off that Europa League run with Rangers, Bassey has somehow become a £20m Premier League signing. I said he would be the flop of the season and he is doing me justice.

Liverpool – Darwin Nunez
Everyone not associated with Liverpool seems to despise them so picking a player from their squad was the most difficult out of all the ‘big six’ clubs. No matter who it is, Liverpool fans are going to be absolutely furious and that’s fine. They are a passionate bunch.

Every player just sort of works under Jurgen Klopp, don’t they? But our pick is Darwin – which is unfortunate because he is only overrated because of how much the fans want to protect him from rival fans who laugh at him for missing sitters.

He still has a long way to go but the Uruguayan Timo Werner is not really paying back the faith put in him just yet.

Luton – Albert Sambi Lokonga
Nobody at Luton is overrated and that is the unfortunate truth for us. We have to pick someone and have opted for Lokonga because he clearly isn’t what Arsenal thought they were signing.

Manchester City – Phil Foden
Here is our timely reminder that over-rated does not mean bad. We are most certainly not saying Phil Foden is a bad footballer. He is quite the opposite, in fact.

Perhaps the sport has declined, meaning players of Foden’s ability are cast in the same light as your Rooneys and Gazzas of yesteryear.

Manchester City have an abundance of world-class players and they will continue signing them, which is never a good thing for Foden. He is yet to properly nail down a spot as a regular starter under Pep Guardiola, starting 22 league matches last term, 24 the year before, and 17 the year before that. But, but, he dyed his hair blonde for the Euros!

Manchester United – Marcus Rashford
Admittedly, nobody is rating Rashford very highly this season, because he has been absolutely pants. He would admit that himself. Saying that, the England winger genuinely needs to score to have any impact on a game; without a goal, he is proving himself to be rather useless.

Maybe it’s a confidence thing. Or maybe he is just a one-season wonder. Let’s wait and see.

READ MORE: Premier League’s worst finishers 23/24: Rasmus Hojlund second only to Marcus Rashford

Newcastle United – Miguel Almiron
Almiron going on that nice scoring spell last season blew people’s minds. He is a likeable character and a favourite at times because of his tireless work rate, but the Paraguayan is a very average footballer who often makes the wrong decision on the ball.

Nottingham Forest – Morgan Gibbs-White
This was tough. Forest have a squad full of underrated talents and perhaps MGW falls into that bracket with some people. This feels harsh mainly because we are going off his stats. No goals and one assist this season isn’t a good look. Sorry, Forest fans.

Sheffield United – Anel Ahmedhodzic
Ahmedhodzic was great last season and understandably received a lot of praise. He has been anything but great in the Premier League and with the Bosnian out of the team, Paul Heckingbottom’s defence looks a bit more solid.

Tottenham – Cristian Romero
Another group of players that was hard to slate and the decision to pick Romero comes from how highly he is rated by his own fanbase. He is a good defender, but is simply far too unreliable. When he grows up a little as a player, he will be one of the best in the world in his position.

West Ham – Tomas Soucek
Soucek is still living off that purple patch during lockdown. It’s amazing what one good spell in front of goal can do for a player who has somehow still not been replaced by David Moyes.

The fact Soucek is worth €35m (£30.6m) on Transfermarkt is also a bit mental.

Wolves – Fabio Silva
Mario Lemina, Max Kilman and Rayan Ait-Nouri are three of quite a few underrated players Gary O’Neil has at his disposal.

Silva is the closest thing to overrated because he is picking up minutes in the Premier League and nobody appears to be alarmed. Five goals in 72 games for Wolves. Thirty-five million of the Queen’s finest.

READ MORE: Every Premier League player on international duty in November and how they’re getting on…