Former Manchester United star Paul Scholes has named Newcastle United star Sandro Tonali as the best midfielder in the Premier League.
Tonali has been superb since joining Newcastle from AC Milan in 2023, and Scholes believes his all-around play makes him better than Declan Rice (Arsenal) and Moises Caicedo (Chelsea).
Speaking on The Overlap, Scholes said: “I still don’t class Caicedo as an all-round midfield player. I know he scored a great goal and was brilliant the other day.
“I got some stick last year, having a go at him, and I almost thought about taking that back because he was brilliant in the Club World Cup.
“I just prefer the controlling type of midfield players who play with a bit more style and can score goals a bit more often than Caicedo.
“I love Tonali. He’s been brilliant. Very good. I would probably choose Tonali at this point. Yes, you’re going to say Rice, but I think he’s better than him.
“I really like Rice, don’t get me wrong, I think he’s got everything. Sometimes he takes a few too many touches of the ball and tries to look a bit more stylish than necessary.
“He can do everything, but I just don’t think he does it enough. I prefer Tonali, but they’re both good players.”
How does Tonali compare with Rice and Caicedo this season?
The Newcastle midfielder has just one goal contribution this season – fewer than Caicedo (three) and Rice (three).
Tonali ranks in the 64th percentile for possession won, higher than Rice (23rd) but lower than Caicedo (79th).
He is in the 82nd percentile for progressive carries, while Rice and Caicedo rank in the 92nd percentile and 37th percentile, respectively.
Tonali has completed only 46 percent of his forward passes, which is lower than Rice (92%) and Caicedo (69%).
Only Rice surpasses him for key passes – Tonali ranks in the 74th percentile, while the Arsenal midfielder is in the 88th, and Caicedo is in the 32nd percentile.
Rice also maintains his supremacy for progressive passes, ranking in the 81st percentile, ahead of Tonali (56th) and Caicedo (77th).
Stats from datamb.football.
