With another season now in the books, we decided to look back at who were the league’s most attacking playmakers during the 2023/24 Premier League season.
Using data from fbref.com, we analysed the most creative attacking talent that topped the league with the most shot-creating actions, along with who the top playmaker from all 20 teams was this season.
Martin Odegaard named the Premier League’s most creative playmaker
| Player | Club | Shot-Creating Actions | Shot-Creating Actions per 90 mins |
| Martin Odegaard | Arsenal | 220 | 6.41 |
| Bruno Fernandes | Manchester United | 210 | 6.06 |
| Bukayo Saka | Arsenal | 188 | 5.8 |
| Pascal Groß | Brighton & Hove Albion | 185 | 5.35 |
| Luis Díaz | Liverpool | 163 | 5.58 |
| Cole Palmer | Chelsea | 162 | 5.59 |
| James Maddison | Tottenham Hotspur | 161 | 6.79 |
| Rodri | Manchester City | 157 | 4.82 |
| Morgan Gibbs-White | Nottingham Forest | 149 | 4.25 |
| Phil Foden | Manchester City | 144 | 4.54 |
1: Martin Odegaard
Martin Ødegaard tops the charts with a whopping 220 shot-creating actions during the 2023/24 Premier League season, working out at 6.41 chances created per 90 minutes played.
Of those 220, 23 were also goal-creating actions, the fourth highest in the league behind only Anthony Gordon (29), Cole Palmer (26) and Ollie Watkins (26).
2: Bruno Fernandes
Despite a difficult season for Manchester United, Bruno Fernandes was once again a standout star, proven by his high placement on this list.
The Portuguese playmaker was only ten shot-creating actions behind Odegaard on 210, boasting an impressive 6.06 shot-creating actions per game.
3: Bukayo Saka
Arsenal have two players in the top three, with Bukayo Saka ranking third.
The English forward provided 188 shot-creating actions this season which helped earn him nine assists this season, the most in the Arsenal team.
4: Pascal Groß
Although Brighton will be disappointed with their end-of-season form, one player who was a consistent creative force was Pascal Groß.
The German midfielder was responsible for 185 shot-creating actions, enough to earn him the joint third-highest number of assists this season with 10, behind only Palmer and Watkins.
5: Luis Diaz
Rounding off the top five is Liverpool’s Luiz Diaz, who had 163 shot-creating actions this season, an average of 5.58 per 90 minutes.
However, due to Liverpool’s poor finishing in front of goal, Diaz only managed to rack up nine goal-creating actions this season.
6: Cole Palmer
Palmer established himself as a creative force in the league this season, not just as a goalscorer but also as a playmaker.
He provided 162 shot-creating actions, 26 of which turned into goal-creating actions, the second-highest number in the league. He tallied 11 assists in his first full season.
7: James Maddison
Despite spending an extended period out injured this season, James Maddison still accumulated the seventh most shot-creating actions this season.
Maddison’s 161 shot-creating actions work out at 6.79 per game, a better per 90 rate than Odegaard and behind only Kevin De Bruyne’s 7.36 per game.
8: Rodri
Manchester City and Arsenal are the only teams with two players in the top ten, the highest of which for City is Rodri.
The Spanish midfielder created 157 shot-creating actions this season. An impressive 23 were also goal-creating actions, the joint third-highest in the league tied with Odegaard.
9: Morgan Gibbs-White
Although Nottingham Forest spent most of the season in a relegation battle, Morgan Gibbs-White created 149 shot-creating actions.
Gibbs-White ended the season as one of only 11 players with 10+ assists, behind only Watkins and Palmer.
10: Phil Foden
Foden provided 144 shot-creating actions this season, one more than Newcastle United duo Anthony Gordon and Bruno Guimarães to sneak into the top 10.
Only Palmer, (Erling Braut) Haaland, Watkins and (Mohamed) Salah finished the season with more combined goals and assists than Foden.
De Bruyne provided the most shot-creating actions per 90 minutes
| Player | Club | Shot Creating Actions per 90 mins | Shot Creating Actions |
| Kevin De Bruyne | Man City | 7.36 | 100 |
| James Maddison | Tottenham | 6.79 | 161 |
| Martin Ødegaard | Arsenal | 6.41 | 220 |
| Jeremy Doku | Man City | 6.26 | 111 |
| Bruno Fernandes | Man Utd | 6.06 | 210 |
| Bukayo Saka | Arsenal | 5.8 | 188 |
| Michael Olise | Crystal Palace | 5.79 | 82 |
| Cole Palmer | Chelsea | 5.59 | 162 |
| Luis Díaz | Liverpool | 5.58 | 163 |
| Luis Sinisterra | Bournemouth | 5.42 | 42 |
Looking at the players in the top ten shot-creating actions per 90 minutes paints a slightly different story.
Due to missing the first half of the season, De Bruyne failed to make the top 10 overall. However, he tops the list of shot-creating actions per 90 minutes, averaging 7.36 per game.
Maddison leapfrogs Odegaard when weighted by per game, with the Arsenal captain dropping to third for shot-creating actions per 90 minutes.
Jeremy Doku and Bruno Fernandes round out the top five, with both players creating over six shot-creating actions per game.
Saka, Palmer and Diaz keep their spots in the top 10 when weighted by per 90 minutes. They are joined in the top 10 by Crystal Palace’s Michael Olise and Bournemouth’s Luis Sinisterra in seventh and tenth respectively.
The top playmaker this season for each Premier League club
Are you wondering how the players in your favourite team fared for the most shot-creating actions this season? Scroll down to see the top three for each Premier League team during the 2023/24 Premier League season.
Arsenal
| Player | Shot Creating Actions | Shot Creating Actions per 90 mins |
| Martin Odegaard | 220 | 6.41 |
| Bukayo Saka | 188 | 5.8 |
| Kai Havertz | 106 | 3.62 |
Aston Villa
| Player | Shot Creating Actions | Shot Creating Actions per 90 mins |
| Douglas Luiz | 117 | 3.52 |
| John McGinn | 106 | 3.18 |
| Ollie Watkins | 100 | 2.8 |
Brentford
| Player | Shot Creating Actions | Shot Creating Actions per 90 mins |
| Mathias Jensen | 87 | 3.55 |
| Bryan Mbeumo | 82 | 3.77 |
| Vitaly Janelt | 80 | 2.36 |
Brighton & Hove Albion
| Player | Shot Creating Actions | Shot Creating Actions per 90 mins |
| Pascal Groß | 185 | 5.35 |
| João Pedro | 91 | 4.01 |
| Simon Adingra | 77 | 3.12 |
Burnley
| Player | Shot Creating Actions | Shot Creating Actions per 90 mins |
| Wilson Odobert | 76 | 3.26 |
| Josh Brownhill | 70 | 2.8 |
| Sander Berge | 67 | 2.01 |
Chelsea
| Player | Shot Creating Actions | Shot Creating Actions per 90 mins |
| Cole Palmer | 162 | 5.59 |
| Conor Gallagher | 109 | 3.14 |
| Nicolas Jackson | 95 | 3.05 |
Crystal Palace
| Player | Shot Creating Actions | Shot Creating Actions per 90 mins |
| Eberechi Eze | 110 | 4.82 |
| Michael Olise | 82 | 5.79 |
| Jordan Ayew | 72 | 2.55 |
Everton
| Player | Shot Creating Actions | Shot Creating Actions per 90 mins |
| Dwight McNeil | 130 | 4.05 |
| James Garner | 98 | 2.94 |
| Abdoulaye Doucoure | 67 | 2.29 |
Fulham
| Player | Shot Creating Actions | Shot Creating Actions per 90 mins |
| Andreas Pereira | 137 | 4.72 |
| Willian | 111 | 4.87 |
| Alex Iwobi | 103 | 4.23 |
Liverpool
| Player | Shot Creating Actions | Shot Creating Actions per 90 mins |
| Luis Díaz | 163 | 5.58 |
| Mohamed Salah | 139 | 4.94 |
| Trent Alexander-Arnold | 126 | 5.27 |
Luton Town
| Player | Shot Creating Actions | Shot Creating Actions per 90 mins |
| Alfie Doughty | 115 | 3.54 |
| Ross Barkley | 104 | 3.58 |
| Chiedozie Ogbene | 79 | 3.56 |
Manchester City
| Player | Shot Creating Actions | Shot Creating Actions per 90 mins |
| Rodri | 157 | 4.82 |
| Phil Foden | 144 | 4.54 |
| Bernardo Silva | 130 | 4.54 |
Manchester United
| Player | Shot Creating Actions | Shot Creating Actions per 90 mins |
| Bruno Fernandes | 210 | 6.06 |
| Alejandro Garnacho | 119 | 4.17 |
| Marcus Rashford | 87 | 3.45 |
Newcastle United
| Player | Shot Creating Actions | Shot Creating Actions per 90 mins |
| Anthony Gordon | 143 | 4.45 |
| Bruno Guimarães | 143 | 3.94 |
| Kieran Trippier | 101 | 4.07 |
Nottingham Forest
| Player | Shot Creating Actions | Shot Creating Actions per 90 mins |
| Morgan Gibbs-White | 149 | 4.25 |
| Callum Hudson-Odoi | 82 | 3.98 |
| Anthony Elanga | 70 | 2.59 |
Sheffield United
| Player | Shot Creating Actions | Shot Creating Actions per 90 mins |
| Gustavo Hamer | 116 | 3.59 |
| James Mcatee | 60 | 2.97 |
| Cameron Archer | 49 | 2.41 |
Tottenham Hotspur
| Player | Shot Creating Actions | Shot Creating Actions per 90 mins |
| James Maddison | 161 | 6.79 |
| Heung-min Son | 129 | 3.96 |
| Dejan Kulusevski | 127 | 4.14 |
West Ham United
| Player | Shot Creating Actions | Shot Creating Actions per 90 mins |
| James Ward-Prowse | 116 | 3.48 |
| Mohammed Kudus | 100 | 3.62 |
| Lucas Paqueta | 95 | 3.26 |
Wolverhampton Wanderers
| Player | Shot Creating Actions | Shot Creating Actions per 90 mins |
| Pablo Sarabia | 87 | 4.49 |
| Matheus Cunha | 78 | 2.88 |
| Pedro Neto | 75 | 4.45 |
Author: Matt Seabridge
Matt is a sports content specialist producing data-led insights at Half Time Content. He has over seven years of experience in content production and is a lifelong Man Utd fan, which, sadly for him, isn’t quite as enjoyable as it used to be.
