Most assists? Fastest players? See 2025/26's stats leaders

Football writer Adrian Clarke picks out the leading players across several categories from the first three Matchweeks of the 2025/26 season.

Who have been the most creative?

It is hard to look past Everton's on-loan midfielder Jack Grealish, who leads the very early race for this season’s Golden Playmaker award, with an impressive four assists.

Showcasing skill, imagination and guile, the rejuvenated 29-year-old made two goals against both Brighton & Hove Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Making intelligent decisions at key moments, Grealish has laid on those four strikes from a total of only five key passes.

Most assists 25/26

Four of the six opportunities AFC Bournemouth’s David Brooks has carved out until now have been classified as big chances.

He crossed brilliantly for Antoine Semenyo to score at Liverpool on the opening night, and in subsequent matches against Wolves and Tottenham Hotspur, Brooks delivered sensational centres for the same player, which really should have been converted.

Brooks' excellent outside of the foot delivery in their 1-0 win at Spurs was one of the best crosses of the season so far.

Big chances created 25/26

Manchester United have had 58 shots this season, which is 14 more than any other Premier League side.

They have only converted those into four goals, but skipper Bruno Fernandes has been at the heart of their attacking play, despite failing to register an assist yet.

The Portuguese midfielder has created 12 chances in three matches, including eight from open play, a category he also tops just ahead of Leeds United’s Anton Stach (seven).

Most chances created 25/26

Unsurprisingly, it is dead-ball maestro James Ward-Prowse who has created the highest number of set-piece opportunities after three rounds of matches, with seven.

Ball-carrying brilliance from Minteh

Brighton’s 21-year-old winger Yankuba Minteh does not have a direct-goal contribution yet, but he has been busy tying left-backs in knots.

The Gambian completed all five of his dribbles against Everton in Matchweek 2 and followed that up last time out, enjoying four successful dribbles from six attempts in their 2-1 home win over Manchester City.

Minteh has been the division’s best dribbler so far, rarely losing the ball in 1v1s.

Most dribbles completed 25/26

While Minteh will be eager to ensure better productivity follows, he has consistently put his markers on to the back foot.

This has helped him enjoy more touches inside the opposition box than anyone else in the division.

Most touches in opposition box 25/26

Who’s the fastest player?

Minteh comes fourth on the list of top speeds registered in the early weeks, but he is way behind the Premier League’s quickest player, Jackson Tchatchoua.

Since making a summer switch from Hellas Verona, the Cameroon international has been used as a right wing-back for Wolves.

Tchatchoua crossed for Jorgen Strand Larsen’s winner against West Ham United in the EFL Cup second round and made his first start at Molineux against Everton in Matchweek 3.

Clocked at a top speed of 37.3km/hr, he is a full 1km/hr ahead of Bryan Mbeumo in second place.

Tchatchoua's pace down the right has potential to give Vitor Pereira’s side a new dimension.

Fastest players 25/26

Scroll across to see the full table

In terms of distance covered, Bruno Guimaraes and Stach share top spot, running 35.1km apiece.

Man City’s Tijjani Reijnders is just behind them on 34.2km.

All-rounder Anderson has been outstanding

Off the back of a fabulous summer starring for England Under-21s, Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson has continued his sparkling form.

Orchestrating a central midfield that has flipped to become possession-heavy, the 22-year-old has had more touches than any other top-flight player.

Anderson's excellence with and without the ball can been seen in this table below, where he ranks highly in a string of different departments.

How Anderson ranks 25/26

Scroll across to see the full table

He is also highly effective when Nottingham Forest do not have the ball, and is brave in possession, while also breaking the lines with a string of piercing forward passes.

It is no surprise Thomas Tuchel has called Anderson up to England's senior squad.

Who makes which runs the most?

Overlapping full-backs have perhaps become less prevalent in recent years, but Andoni Iraola’s AFC Bournemouth are bucking the trend.

New left-back Adrien Truffert and right-back Adam Smith currently top the charts for the highest number of overlaps.

The dynamic Truffert, signed from Rennes, has also made 83 sprints, more than any other player.

Most overlapping runs 25/26

Iraola also has one of the division’s best trackers; hard-working American midfielder Tyler Adams.

Brimming with energy, and always willing to push himself physically, the USA international tracks back with tremendous enthusiasm.

Most runs tracking player without ball 25/26

Most runs tracking back to position 25/26

Liverpool’s Florian Wirtz has also caught the eye with his desire to make forceful attacking runs, often into a centre-forward position when Hugo Ekitike drops deep.

Enzo Fernandez, who scored from a late run into the box at West Ham, is another who makes a high frequency of sprints into the final third from deep.

Most runs into final third 25/26

Which forwards want to run in behind?

Man Utd's Mbeumo is always looking to make those movements, with Ollie Watkins unsurprisingly next in line.

Premier League newcomers Viktor Gyokeres and Ekitike have also shown a willingness to give team-mates the option of a pass in behind.

Most runs in behind 25/26

Which goalkeeper has been most influential?

Tottenham Hotspur’s Guglielmo Vicario has been the division’s busiest and most impressive goalkeeper from a shot-stopping perspective.

His total of 13 saves leads the way, with Man City’s James Trafford (11) just behind.

Yet his save percentage is also the best of all 'keepers to have made at least five stops, which is no mean feat.

Most saves 25/26

Min. five saves

When it comes to the all-important "goals prevented" category, which looks at shots on target and rates them for how much it was expected that they would be goals, comparing each goalkeeper's xGOT Conceded against how many goals they actually let in, three homegrown English goalkeepers featuring prominently.

Vicario leads the way, preventing 2.2 extra goals, but Trafford, Dean Henderson and Jordan Pickford are also in the top five.

xGOT conceded/goals prevented 25/26