Ranking the 10 best centre-backs in the Premier League right now (2024)

The art of defending, often overshadowed by the glitter of goals and assists, remains the backbone of every successful football side. No team has been able to dominate their respective league, or even individual competitions, without having a world-class back-line. Over the years, the Premier League has been home to some of the best centre-backs in world football. The likes of Rio Ferdinand, Tony Adams, John Terry, Vincent Kompany, and many, many, more spring to mind when thinking about whom the best of the best were.

The aforementioned quartet were arguably complete defenders, imperious in the air when required, solid in one-vs-one situations, and intelligent enough to position themselves in the right place to snuff out any danger. Today, modern-day centre-backs plying their trade in the English top-flight are meant to do all that and more, given the frantic pace of the league.

However, the current crop of defenders are truly some of the finest we've ever seen. Be it Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk, often labelled the best defender in recent memory, or Arsenal's William Saliba, an extremely talented youngster who is already at the heart of Mikel Arteta's plans at just 23 years of age.

But who is the best of the best today? We've attempted to rank the 10 best centre-backs in the league right now. We've considered a player's form in 2023/24 so far, but have also factored in how good they have been historically too. Because of that, some players who are currently out injured do crack our top 10.

To give you an idea of how impressive the current centre-back pool is right now, some big stars miss out. There is no room for Fabian Schar, despite his excellent performances at the back for Newcastle. Crystal Palace's Marc Guehi is also absent. And despite Aston Villa flying high at the moment, there is no space for Diego Carlos or Pau Torres either. The latter was on the cusp of making it in, but we need to see a little more before we definitively say he's better than number 10 on our list.

Ranking factors

• Their current form - how well they've performed in the 2023/24 season.
• Overall importance to their respective teams - how do their sides perform without them?
• Success - how successful have they been at their current employers?
• How they've performed in recent seasons - their 2022/23 performances, particularly.
• Injuries - sustained periods on the sidelines were taken into account.
• Their status among their side's other centre-backs - where do they stand in the pecking order?

1 William Saliba

Arsenal

Breaking into Arsenal's first team in 2022/23, not many would have predicted Saliba's rise from young talent to one of the best defenders in world football. But that's exactly what happened. The Frenchman was one of the standout players in the Gunners' title charge, getting into the PFA Team of the Year on the back of his dominant performances.

It says a lot that the club's Premier League title aspirations fell apart when he dropped out of the team through injury, but he has bounced back magnificently and has returned to the starting line-up looking better than ever. Playing every game so far, it takes quite something to keep out Erling Haaland the way he did. Recently, the Frenchman revealed that he thought he was one of the top three best centre-backs in the Premier League, but he's being modest. There's no one better in England right now.

2 Virgil van Dijk

Liverpool

In 2022/23, there were many fans and pundits alike who claimed that he'd dropped off and that he wasn't the same player that he once was. But last season, Van Dijk was back with a vengeance and consistently showed why he is regarded as one of the best defenders in the world. The transformative effect he has had on Liverpool since joining the club cannot be understated, and his defensive ability in 2023/24 saw the Red compete on numerous fronts.

In a season that had been marred by injury woes, the Dutchman was ever-present in the heart of the Reds' back line, winning many aerial duels and contesting every ball on the deck. Given the performances he has consistently put in over multiple years - most recently in the League Cup final against Chelsea - the trophies he's won, and what he brings to the club, he is certainly one of the best defenders in the league right now.

3 John Stones

Manchester City

What a player John Stones was for Pep Guardiola during the 2022/23 season. Taking up an unorthodox role as someone who would step into midfield, the English defender earned the nickname 'the Barnsley Beckenbauer' because of his excellent performance in the heart of Man City's team as they completed the treble.

There aren't many who could have played that role, and his development into one of the league's best centre-backs is made all the more impressive because he came so close to leaving the club in 2020, per The Guardian. Stones had an injury-plagued campaign throughout the 2023/24 season, but his absence from the Citizens' line-up shows his quality as the backline struggled to put in the same level of performances without the England international.

4 Ruben Dias

Manchester City

A gem at the back for Manchester City, Ruben Dias has earned his reputation as a defensive titan, and one of the best in his position in the world. Fearless when tackling, an underrated passer of the ball and a leader at the back, he is well-equipped to play Pep Guardiola's style of football and has cemented his status as one of the best defenders in the world.

He wasn't at his best last season mind you, but it would be remiss to disregard his brilliance. Dias' foul on Armando Broja gave away a penalty and cost City in their 4-4 draw against Chelsea, and he was also at fault for one of RB Leipzig's goals in the Champions League. For those reasons, and due to the stellar performances of our top three, we have had to drop him down to fourth, but we have full faith that he can get back to his very best.

5 Gabriel

Arsenal

Gabriel, Arsenal's Brazilian wall, showcases the perfect blend of physicality, aggression and technical ability. He was mightily impressive last season at the back alongside Saliba, and after being linked with a surprise exit at the beginning of the 2023/24 term, he has re-established himself as a mainstay in the Gunners' set-up.

With 36 league appearances to his name, he played a key role in Arsenal's performances throughout the recent season, with his 2.7 clearances per game in the Premier League the best within the Arsenal squad. The 26-year-old has a knack for asserting his aerial dominance, which makes him a formidable piece of Arsenal's spine. His prowess in the air also helps at the other end of the pitch, with his four goals last season showing that he has an eye for goal.

6 Micky van de Ven

Tottenham Hotspur

Albeit injured for a fair chunk of his debut season, Micky van de Ven has been a revolutionary signing under Ange Postecoglou. Particularly at the start of the 2023/24 campaign, Tottenham Hotspur’s upturn in results was as much to do with their defence – spruced into life thanks to Van de Ven’s concoction of pace, power and high defensive IQ – as it was their free-flowing attack.

An astute passer, too, there are not many downfalls to the former Wolfsburg man’s skillset. The fastest man in the Premier League since records began, Postecoglou can afford to play his high-risk, high-reward system with Van de Ven as the orchestrator in the middle. Without him, however, the drop in quality is a concern.

7 Ibrahima Konate

Liverpool

Thanks to the imperious nature of Van Dijk, the brilliance of his partner in crime, Ibrahima Konate, is often overlooked. Regarded as one of the best bargains of the Klopp era, the Frenchman is as comfortable on the ball as he is imperious. Standing at an eye-catching 194cm, Konate can rival anybody off the ground, while no attacker dares stand him up.

A great all-rounder for the Merseyside-based outfit, he’s undoubtedly a big presence, whether that’s off-field or while playing – and hence why his importance cannot be quantified. Aged 25, Konate is set to be a key player for the club in years to come. That’s how good he is.

8 Ezri Konsa

Aston Villa

It’s not unfair to say that Unai Emery’s transformative effect at Aston Villa has been nothing short of brilliant – but the 2023/24 campaign looked to be in disarray when Tyrone Mings ruptured his ACL during their first game of the season. Fear not, though, as Euro 2024 hopeful Ezri Konsa stepped up to the plate in his compatriot’s absence.

The Londoner excels with the ball at his feet – and his 92.2% pass success rate is a testament to his comfortability in possession. Boasting ample versatility, too, with his ability to play on the right-hand side of the Villans' defence, Konsa became indispensable for Emery last season season.

9 Lisandro Martinez

Manchester United

Do not get us wrong, Lisandro Martinez is higher than ninth in this list when he is fully fit and firing – but that is the crux of the problem. That being said, form does come into our minds when picking the top 10 as of right now, and the Argentine played just 11 times in the English top flight throughout the entirety of the 2023/24 season.

When he is available, however, he is an exceptional tackler, with only four United players ranking higher than the World Cup winner for tackles and interceptions combined (87) in the 2022/23 season. Also capable of accurately spraying passes around the pitch, highlighted by his 93% pass completion rate in his limited game time last term, and you have a quality ball-playing defender on your hands.

10 Sven Botman

Newcastle United

Newcastle's Sven Botman might have missed a chunk of last season through injury, but his form in his debut year of English football just about drags him into the top 10. The Dutchman seamlessly slotted into the backline and was quick to muster a fantastic partnership with Fabian Schar to guide his new club back to a spot in the Champions League.

Botman had terrible luck with injuries during the 2023/24 campaign as he missed the majority of the first half of the season. After returning to action in the new year, the 24-year-old struggled to get back to the impressive form he showed the previous year and suffered a season-ending injury. Eddie Howe and his coaching staff will be confident the Netherlands international will rediscover his form upon his return to action.

All statistics have been taken from WhoScored - correct as of 07/06/24