Football leagues around Europe are gearing up for the new season as preseason training and friendlies reach their conclusion. All eyes remain fixed on the transfer window as clubs scramble to secure the final pieces of their squads. The summer has seen significant moves, including England international Elliot Anderson switching Nottingham Forest for Manchester City and Ivory Coast’s Yan Diomande moving from RB Leipzig to Real Madrid. While rumors persist regarding a potential exit for Rodri, with Barcelona reportedly interested, the market has been notably more settled than in previous years. Al Jazeera Sport examines the players most crucial to their teams’ success, backed by the statistical realities of the modern game.
After an underwhelming World Cup, Declan Rice is under pressure to renew his importance to Arsenal. The 27-year-old, who arrived in North London from West Ham, was central to the Gunners’ defensive setup, ball retention, and, crucially, their extraordinary set-piece threat last season. The Gunners scored a league-high 24 goals from set-pieces, with eight coming from Rice deliveries and three producing direct assists. The arrival in midfield of Bruno Guimaraes from Newcastle should lighten the load for Rice, but it will not diminish his importance to the title defense.
The heartbeat of Manchester United, Bruno Fernandes remains the player hardest to replace should he sustain a long-term injury. The attacking midfielder was arguably the best in his position last season, producing a remarkable 21 Premier League assists—a single-season record—while ranking first for chances created and through balls. His 45 chances created were the most in the division, while his expected assists ranked second. His workload in midfield may be affected by the departure of Brazilian midfielder Casemiro; how United fill that void is likely to influence the performance of Fernandes, whose influence is particularly significant because he can contribute both as a scorer and creator rather than relying exclusively on one dimension of his game.
Cole Palmer’s importance to Chelsea is defined by his attacking output, and he will be boosted by the arrival of Morgan Rogers to help him in that department. Palmer’s breakthrough 2024/25 campaign produced extraordinary numbers, with the attacking midfielder directly involved in 29 Premier League goals. Chelsea’s structure has increasingly been built around his creativity and ability to operate between the lines. After a less productive 2025/26 season, the statistical challenge is clear: Chelsea need Palmer back closer to his elite production levels if they are to compete with England’s best.
Erling Haaland’s importance to Manchester City is reduced to one extraordinary statistic: 27 Premier League goals in 2025/26, enough to win his third Golden Boot. That means City possess a striker capable of converting their possession and territorial dominance into points. Meanwhile, Dominik Szoboszlai was a key part of Liverpool’s title-winning side in 2024/25 and his contributions helped lift a woeful 2025/26 campaign. The Hungarian was among Liverpool’s leading creators last season, producing seven assists while recording 78 chances created and 68 key passes, according to the Reds’ season statistical breakdown.
Kylian Mbappe’s performance this season is likely to set the tone for whether Real Madrid can stop Barcelona from winning a third successive La Liga title. The French forward finished the 2025/26 season with 25 goals and five assists in 31 appearances, winning the Pichichi Trophy for the second consecutive season. Across all competitions, he scored 42 goals in 44 matches and finished as the Champions League’s leading scorer with 15. With each season, the importance of Lamine Yamal to Barcelona continues to grow. Yamal finished the last campaign with 16 goals and 11 assists, meaning he directly contributed to 27 league goals despite making just 28 appearances.
As the reigning Ballon d’Or winner, Ousmane Dembele remains crucial to PSG. In the 2024/25 season, Dembele scored 35 goals with 51 goal involvements in total. In the last campaign, he had a more interrupted time, with 10 goal involvements in eight Champions League matches and 17 in 22 Ligue 1 games. Finally, Harry Kane’s move to Bayern Munich has yielded incredible results. In the 2025/26 Bundesliga campaign, he scored 36 goals in 31 appearances and added five assists, averaging a goal every 66 minutes. His 36 goals were the highest league tally by any player in Europe during 2025/26, and in the Champions League, he netted 14 times. In his 32 La Liga appearances at Barcelona last season, Robert Lewandowski scored eight goals, showing his play is approaching the elite levels of years past.
The 19-year-old’s ability to create chances and beat defenders forces opponents to alter their defensive structure accordingly.
Rumours are rife that Rodri may be heading out of City with Barcelona poised.
Haaland’s numbers are particularly important because Manchester City frequently create large volumes of attacking situations – his job is to finish them.
His presence also forces defenders to remain deep and devote multiple players to control him, creating space elsewhere.
Creating goals off his own back is the one criticism levelled at the Norwegian and with the likely loss of the midfield maestro, Rodri, that may come into sharper focus this season.
His versatility added another layer: Szoboszlai was even used at right-back during the season, demonstrating his value beyond attacking numbers.
For Liverpool, his combination of chance creation, progression, pressing and versatility makes him almost irreplaceable in the Reds’ current squad, influencing the overall balance of the team.
If anyone can solve that problem, it will be the new manager, Jose Mourinho.
When it comes to breaking down well structured opposition defences, see Arsenal’s woes in last season’s Champions League final, despite their formidable back line.
For the German champions, Kane provides something almost priceless: virtually guaranteed goals every season.
The last player on the list could be the most influential wherever he ends up.
Marcus Rashford spent last season on loan at Barcelona, where he instantly returned to form after a downturn to his Manchester United career.
Seemingly out of favour under Ruben Amorim, Rashford was reduced to a bit-part role at his childhood club.
All was forgotten once he linked up with Barca’s esteemed attack.
It could be back at Old Trafford should the now permanent replacement for Amorim, Michael Carrick, try to resurrect the forward’s career.
Wherever Rashford goes next year, if he returns to the peak of his powers, his teammates will look on in awe at his pace and skill, while opposing defences will once again be fearful of his threat
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