Arsenal legend Ray Parlour has named his two players of the season so far, and they’re not who you would expect.
Arsenal looking to make it 10 games unbeaten against Crystal Palace
After putting Atlético Madrid to the sword on Tuesday night, Mikel Arteta is now looking to extend Arsenal’s impressive unbeaten run in all competitions to 10 games against Crystal Palace on Sunday.
Arsenal 3-0 Nottingham Forest
Athletic Bilbao 0-2 Arsenal
Arsenal 1-1 Man City
Port Vale 0-2 Arsenal
Newcastle 1-2 Arsenal
Arsenal 2-0 Olympiacos
Arsenal 2-0 West Ham
Fulham 0-1 Arsenal
Arsenal 4-0 Atlético Madrid
Palace, who recently saw their own 19-game unbeaten streak come to an end against Everton before the international break, will be tricky customers for an Arsenal side who need every point they can muster.
Arteta’s side are in high spirits right now and look absolutely rock solid, having conceded just three goals in the Premier League so far this season, and they have plenty of stars to thank for their imperiousness.
Gabriel and William Saliba continue to cement their places among world football’s best centre-backs, with the former majorly contributing going forward as well. His threat from set plays has been a constant thorn in the opposition’s side since the very start of last season, and Gabriel’s carried this trend into 25/26 as teams struggle to find an answer.
Bukayo Saka, now that he’s returned from a hamstring problem, is back to his imperious best and caused Atlético all sorts of problems on the right-hand side, with Paul Merson saying he had the La Liga side “on toast”.
Bukayo Saka
5
Gabriel Magalhaes
3
Viktor Gyokeres
3
Julian Alvarez
3
Eberechi Eze
2
via WhoScored
Before his knee injury, Noni Madueke was seriously impressing too, while goalkeeper David Raya was rewarded with new and improved terms recently amid his continued contribution to the team.
Declan Rice has also stood out as the linchpin of Arsenal’s midfield, with Martin Zubimendi doing a stellar job alongside the England international.
However, according to Parlour, two completely different names have shone above the rest.
Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Calafiori named Arsenal's players of the season so far
Speaking to EPL Index, Parlour claimed that Riccardo Calafiori and Jurrien Timber are quietly outshining everyone, even with Saliba and Gabriel at the heart of Arsenal’s rise to the Premier League summit.
“Defensively, Arsenal have been brilliant again,” said Parlour.
“We know what Gabriel and William Saliba can do, and they’ve kept performing at that high level.
“Riccardo Calafiori and Jurrien Timber have both been very good and could be joint players of the season so far. They have been equally as impressive going forward as they have been defensively too.”
Timber has been a rock at the back, showcasing defensive brilliance with more tackles on average per 90 in the Premier League than any other Arsenal player, according to WhoScored.
The Dutchman is also their best-performing player by average match rating (WhoScored), so the numbers absolutely support Parlour’s theory.
Timber really needs to start getting even more credit from pundits who arguably don’t mention him enough, but Arsenal recognise his stellar contribution amid reports they’re speaking to the right-back about a new and improved deal.
Calafiori, meanwhile, has kept budding teenage star Myles Lewis-Skelly out of the team with his very impressive performances at left-back so far, with the Italian averaging more tackles on average than any other defender in the team, including both Saliba and Gabriel.
