The role of the wingers in football has undergone a significant transformation over the years. Traditionally, wingers were expected to stay wide, beat their markers with pace or skill, and deliver crosses into the box for strikers to convert. Their primary contribution came in the form of assists and stretching the opposition defence.
Now, however, their responsibilities have expanded. Today’s wingers are no longer confined to the flanks or limited to creating chances; they’re expected to be versatile operators — capable of scoring goals, creating opportunities, and contributing defensively. Many modern wingers operate as inverted forwards, cutting inside and scoring goals, often matching or even surpassing traditional strikers.
The rankings below are based on the following criteria:
Let’s take a look at the best wingers of the 2024/25 Premier League season.
Note: All stats mentioned below have been taken from PremierLeague.com and FBref.com.
This Japan international plays as a left-winger for the Seagulls. Known for his dribbling skills and excellent first touch, Mitoma has proven to be a top-class winger for Brighton over the years.
Mitoma has performed consistently for the Seagulls, and this season wasn’t any different. He scored 10 goals and provided four assists in 36 league games. In addition, he created eight big chances, made 24.72 passes per match, and took 57 shots with a 47% shooting accuracy.
The 28-year-old is an important presence in the Brighton forward line, influencing the game from the left wing, and was vital to the Seagulls getting close to the European places this season.
Jarrod Bowen was arguably the only shining light in an otherwise abysmal season for the Hammers. The English right-winger was, in fact, one of the major reasons West Ham escaped relegation.
Bowen is a strong player who plays direct. He has pace and agility to go with his great decision-making in front of goal. He is a consistent performer and regularly delivers goals and assists. This season, he contributed 13 goals and 10 assists in 34 league games. He also created 11 big chances, made 20.59 passes per match, and took 87 shots with a 43% shooting accuracy.
Despite West Ham not doing well this season, Bowen showed his top-class ability, almost single-handedly saving the club from relegation.
Bournemouth winger Antoine Semenyo also made a mark this season. The Ghanaian forward was in good nick and is another Cherries player attracting widespread interest from top clubs in the league.
Semenyo possesses explosive pace with exceptional dribbling skills. He has great ball-carrying ability and is a decent finisher. This season, he registered 11 goals and six assists in 37 league games. He also created 11 big chances, made 26.95 passes per match, and took 125 shots with a 33% shooting accuracy.
Semenyo is a versatile operator who can play anywhere across the front line. It also seems as though he can develop further and become a lethal forward in a bigger team alongside other quality players. It will certainly be difficult for Bournemouth to keep hold of him this summer.
Bukayo Saka did not have a perfect season. He was out with a long-term injury. Even so, he did enough to be considered one of the best this term. Before his three-month absence, Saka was in great form, and his absence also made a massive impact on the Gunners’ trophy ambitions.
Saka possesses pace, agility, superb dribbling skills, great intelligence, and positional awareness. He can also score from both close range and distance. Despite the injury lay-off, his numbers were admirable: six goals and 11 assists in 25 league games, with 21 big chances created, 23.92 passes made per match, and 67 shots registered with a 34% shooting accuracy.
While Arsenal handled his absence quite well, they did miss the presence of a world-class winger and ultimately ended the season trophyless.
Brentford’s Yoane Wissa plays off the left or at centre-forward. He is another player who made a massive impact this season alongside Bryan Mbuemo.
Wissa is a dynamic player who can take up positions both centrally and out wide. He possesses great pace, dribbling, and finishing skills. He is adept at ball retention as well as link-up play. This season, he put up remarkable numbers: 19 goals and five assists in 35 league games, creating three big chances, making 16.09 passes per match, and taking 221 shots with a 44% shooting accuracy.
It was due to Wissa’s partnership with Bryan Mbuemo up front that Brentford managed to be in the scrap for European football before ending the season in tenth place.
Anthony Elanga was one of Nottingham Forest’s most important players this season, alongside Morgan Gibbs-White and Chris Wood. The ex-Manchester United winger was sensational and helped Forest put up a fight for Champions League qualification right to the very end.
Elanga is a versatile player with exceptional pace, dribbling skills, and ball-carrying ability. He is a direct player who likes to run behind defenders, finding space for himself and creating chances for others. This season, he scored six goals and provided 11 assists in 38 league games, creating nine big chances, providing 16.63 passes per match, and taking 44 shots with a 55% shooting accuracy.
The young Swede was a massive threat for opposition defences and ended the season as one of the best wingers in the league.
The Colombia international was a major contributor to Liverpool’s title win this season. While Mohamed Salah was in a league of his own, Díaz also quietly made his mark.
Díaz possesses that South American flair and likes to play direct, challenging opposition defenders in 1v1 situations with exceptional dribbling skills and working tirelessly for the team. This season, he made big contributions: scoring 13 goals and providing seven assists in 36 league appearances. He also created eight big chances, provided 22.94 passes per match, and took 71 shots with a 42% shooting accuracy.
All in all, Liverpool’s wingers were simply sensational this season and provided more output than the two strikers in the team; Díaz’s numbers were second only to Salah’s.
The Brentford winger once again showed his top-class level this season. The right-winger was in fantastic form throughout.
The Cameroon international is another strong, direct winger with decent pace, dribbling skills, and clinical finishing. He also creates chances for his teammates and possesses great game intelligence and spatial awareness. This season, he scored 20 goals and bagged eight assists in 38 league games. He also created 17 big chances, provided 28.74 passes per match, and took 85 shots with a 41% shooting accuracy.
With the season he has had, the 25-year-old has been grabbing eyeballs both in the Premier League and abroad. It will be difficult for the Bees to keep hold of him over the coming weeks.
Jacob Murphy is one player who might have escaped attention due to Alexander Isak’s exploits in the Magpies’ line-up, though his contributions mustn’t go unnoticed.
Murphy is another pacy winger with good dribbling skills. He is a great ball carrier and can create chances for himself and his teammates. This was arguably the best season of his career, as he registered eight goals and 12 assists in 35 league games, creating 16 big chances, providing 24.11 passes per match, and taking 43 shots with a 35% shooting accuracy.
The English veteran was vital to Newcastle securing Champions League qualification and winning the League Cup this season.
Liverpool’s Egyptian king had a season to remember. Mohamed Salah almost single-handedly dragged the Reds to the league title. Already a consistent performer in a Liverpool shirt, Salah outdid himself with his output this term, breaking several records along the way.
The veteran winger might have lost his pace with age, but he has more than made up for it with his creativity and game intelligence. Salah is able to impact games from wide areas by cutting inside, taking on defenders, and scoring and assisting. This season, he ended up with 29 goals and 18 assists in 38 league games, creating 27 big chances, providing 30.39 passes per match, and taking 130 shots with a 47% shooting accuracy.
Salah was undoubtedly the player of the season, let alone the best winger in the league. The 33-year-old is ageing like fine wine — one could even say he’s better as a forward now than he has ever been.
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