Premier League 2016-17 awards: 5 best attacking midfielders

By Ty Finch | May 3, 2017

LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 08: Dele Alli of Tottenham Hotspur celebrates scoring his sides first goal with Jan Vertonghen of Tottenham Hotspur and Eric Dier of Tottenham Hotspur during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Watford at White Hart Lane on April 8, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images) /

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The Premier League boasts some excellent attacking midfielders, but who have been the best five in 2016-17?

The roles of attacking players have changed markedly in recent years, as the old division between wingers and forwards and number 10s has begun to break down. These days, some of those creative players in the world line up in wide positions and drift inside with their team in possession.

That positional fluidity makes classification difficult, so we’ve decided to keep things deliberately vague, listing the five best attacking midfielders in the Premier League in 2016-17. Some of these players are more traditional wingers, others are natural number 10s stationed out and some are combinations of both. Whatever you want to call them, here are the top five.

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – APRIL 23: Philippe Coutinho of Liverpool in action during the Premier League match between Liverpool and Crystal Palace at Anfield on April 23, 2017 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images) /

5. Philippe Coutinho, Liverpool

While all the players on this list are fun to watch, the Brazilian can be the most exciting. In 24 appearances this season, Coutinho has scored 10 goals and assisted six. He faded a little in the second half of the season, after picking up a mid-season injury, but when he’s on his game, he’s one of the most compelling players to watch in the world.

Occasionally, Coutinho looks like the right-footed reincarnation of Arjen Robben. Every club he plays against knows that he loves to cut in right from the left side of the pitch and unleash a rocket of a shot. Like Robben, most of the time the opposition are still unable to to stop him. He can be a nightmare.

Coutinho is more than just a winger that can shoot, though. In Jurgen Klopp’s system, he harasses players all over the pitch to win the ball back in key areas. He also has a bag of tricks up his sleeve to befuddle defenders, and uses those skills to set up his own shots as well as others for his teammates. The main reason he hasn’t produced more this season is a nagging injury he acquired in late November of last year.

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