We’ve run the numbers to determine the players topping all the wrong stats charts so far this season
The 2026/27 Premier League returns next week, once the three-week international break finally draws to close. It felt like things had only just started heating up before they abruptly came to a halt, and clubs will be looking to hit the ground running once the campaign gets back underway next Saturday.
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An exhilarating opening five gameweeks saw Manchester City storm to the top of the table with a perfect record before news of their impending sanctions dropped, with Premier League champions Arsenal trailing them by three points. Meanwhile, despite spending well over £300m on new players, Tottenham are bottom of the table without a single win so far.
As we wait patiently for the return of the world’s most entertaining league, we’ve buried ourselves in the mountains of player data available on WhoScored, and taken a look at the footballers who’ve topped the statistics charts for all the wrong reasons. To make things fair, in we only included players who’ve made at least four starts in the season so far.
The worst stats offenders in the Premier League so far this season
Aston Villa's Ross Barkley, along with his teammate John McGinn, has lost possession more than any other PL player this seasonplaceholder image
Aston Villa's Ross Barkley, along with his teammate John McGinn, has lost possession more than any other PL player this season | Getty Images
We began our deep dive into individual player stats for the 2026/27 Premier League with dispossessions, i.e., when a player is robbed of the ball. In our stats-based worst team of the season so far, we were shocked to discover that no fewer than five Aston Villa players made the cut - this is borne out in numbers here too.
Midfielders John McGinn and Ross Barkley both losing possession a whopping 13 times, seeing them narrowly beat Ipswich Town’s Julio Encisco (12), Bournemouth Marcus Tavernier (11), Ipswich Town’s Abdul Fatawu (10) and Chelsea’s Cole Palmer (10).
We’ll stick with failings on the ball for our next section: unsuccessful dribbles. Of course, some players will attempt more than others, so we’ve taken a look at the percentage failed for players who’ve tried at least 15. Interestingly, three players considered to be among the league’s best attackers topped the charts here. Man City sensation Antoine Semenyo complete just 19% of 21 attempted dribbles, following closely by Bournemouth’s Kevin Schade (20% of 20) and Bryan Mbeumo (20% of 15)
Heading to the skies of our final category of part one, we examine headers lost. As with dribbles, some players will attempt more headers than others, so we’ve set a minimum threshold of 30 to keep things fair. Everton’s Thierno Barry is the big scorer, losing 65% of all 49 headers attempted. Not far off are Brentford’s Igor Thiago (64% of 42) and Bournemouth’s Rayan (57% of 35).
Arsenal and Fulham players make the dreaded list
Arsenal's Kai Havertz has been flagged offside more than any other PL player so far this seasonplaceholder image
Arsenal's Kai Havertz has been flagged offside more than any other PL player so far this season | Getty Images
Next up, we’re taking a look at the players who’ve committed the most fouls in the league this season. Top of the charts is Ipswich Town’s Sasa Lukic with 11, who just pips Bournemouth’s Adrien Truffert (also 11) to the post due to playing fewer minutes. Five players came tied in second with ten fouls, including Newcastle United’s Yoane Wissa and Leeds’ Anton Stach.
Moving up the field, Arsenal’s Kai Havertz leads the way when it comes to offsides, having been flagged by the assistant referee nine times in his five outings. That’s nearly double the amount than second place Dominic Calvert-Lewin of Leeds United, who sits on five offsides alongside fellow Englishman Marcus Rashford from Man United and Bournemouth’s Evanilson.
When it comes to shot accuracy, the big outlier is Fulham’s £34m summer signing Gonzalo Garcia, who got just 13% of his 15 attempted shots on target - eight were blocked, five missed the target, and just two were successful. Encisco came in second place after landing 24% of his shots on target, followed by Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes with 26%. As with other categories, a threshold was set so as not to unfairly penalise players who take on a great number of shooting opportunities.
Rounding things things off, Brentford’s Mikkel Damsgaard is the Premier League’s worst tackler so far this season, emerging from just fifty percent of his tackles attempted with a successful outcome. He’s joined on the podium by Aston Villa’s Emi Buendia and Daizen Maeda from Ipswich Town.
Read more:The surprising £233m Premier League team of the season so far - including Newcastle, Leeds and Everton stars