Ranked! The top 50 Football League players 2023

20. Josh Cullen

Club: Burnley
Position: Midfielder
Age: 26

Vincent Kompany knew that his Anderlecht midfielder was worth more than £3m. After his debut against Huddersfield in the EFL’s curtain-raiser, so did Sky viewers. Selfless, smart, strong, creative and producing moments of pure brilliance, Cullen’s been integral to Burnley’s style and success.

THEY SAID “He’s the ultimate player” – Kompany in January.

19. Zian Flemming

Club: Millwall
Position: Midfielder
Age: 24

Gary Rowett knew what he had to do after losing FFT’s No.23 on a free transfer. “Jed is a unique player,” the Lions boss said of the man who scored or assisted 57 goals in Rowett’s near-three seasons at the Den. “We must replace his goals and assists.”

And they did. Millwall spent a club-record £1.7m on Zian Flemming, whose dozen goals in 28 Eredivisie games had saved Fortuna Sittard from relegation by a single point. It was unusual for an outfit synonymous with recruiting domestic players to sign a rangy, technical operator with the close control of one schooled in Ajax’s academy. In October, however, Flemming’s credentials were confirmed at Rotherham by a savage 25-yard rocket using his ‘weaker’ left foot. Three goals in 10 days followed.

Rowett installed Flemming as creator-in-chief for striker Tom Bradshaw, to devastating effect. In February, Rowett said, “The price we paid was a snip... he’s got character, physicality and that game-changing quality.” The dribbling Dutchman’s big impact – earning a Den chant of, “He comes from Amsterdam; he f**king hates West Ham” – is such that he’s also consulted by his manager on tactical matters.

“He’s a very intelligent player – you tell him and he can action those instructions on the pitch,” said Rowett after they discussed changes en route to the dressing room against Stoke. Flemming’s second-half winner was his 12th goal in a great first term. Almost too great. Rowett called him “the sort of player I’d expect to see in the Premier League”. Lions fans can only hope it’s with them.

18. Barry Bannan

Club: Sheffield Wednesday
Position: Midfielder
Age: 33

HE TOLD FFT It took us a while to get going – we were probably caught by surprise when we didn’t really know what the division was about. It threw many different things at us that we couldn’t deal with. From the second part of last term and most of this one, we’ve learned it’s a demanding league, a physical league, and we need to work extremely hard to pick up results. We’ve added players who know what it takes to get out of this league, which has helped as well.

17. Alex Scott

Club: Bristol City
Age: 19
Position: Midfielder

Pointing Spider-Man memes flooded Twitter as the Guernsey Grealish met the real thing in an FA Cup tie with Manchester City. Scott shares the low-slung socks, sinuous skill and England future.

THEY SAID “The way Alex glides over the pitch, I see why people compare him to Jack,” said the Robins’ Andi Weimann, who was also with Grealish at Aston Villa.

16. Anass Zaroury

Club: Burnley
Position: Forward
Age: 22

Kompany paid fees to bring nine players from Belgium to Burnley – and who can blame him? £3.5m Zaroury is developing as rapidly as he dribbles: he got called up for Belgium U21s in September, earned his first Clarets start in October and went to the World Cup with Morocco in November.

DID YOU KNOW? He first played 11-a-side at 16, due to Brussels’ technique-focused academies.

15. Taylor Harwood-Bellis

Club: Burnley
Position: Defender
Age: 21

HE TOLD FFT "You always hope that a loan spell turns out like this one! But having worked before with the manager, Vincent Kompany, I didn’t doubt that we’d have a good season.

I’d never have dreamed of playing under him when I was younger. It’s fantastic to know that I could go to him with anything, football-related, and he’d have an answer. He’s made it clear what he wants from me, how he wants me to do it and how I can get better at it. And you’ll be on the training pitch until you’ve perfected it – that’s just how he is. It’s a massive help to know you’ve got that as a player."

14. Anel Ahmedhodzic

Club: Sheffield United
Position: Defender
Age: 24

A tall, Bosnian-Swede from Malmo, just like Zlatan Ibrahimovic but representing the Balkan nation, the centre-back combines strong tackling and smooth technique. He scored twice against Reading in August with a perfect volley and a tricky, twisting header.

HE SAID “If we don’t win, I feel depressed until the next game.”

13. Ben Brereton Diaz

Club: Blackburn Rovers
Position: Forward
Age: 23

The Stoke-born Chilean couldn’t top a 2021/22 campaign that began with a South American Pepsi ad and ended with 22 league goals – especially now defenders know his in-to-out runs, er, inside-out – but he’s still a deadly finisher.

HIGHLIGHT An unstoppable hit against Sunderland, struck from 20 yards with his weaker foot.

12. Sander Berge

Club: Sheffield United
Position: Midfielder
Age: 25

Half of the Premier League were sniffing around the Norwegian midfielder in January, hoping to take advantage of the Blades’ financial woes. Berge, now given more attacking freedom, stayed put and had posted five goals and three assists before March, with his powerful runs standing out following a patchy 2021/22.

11. Ian Maatsen

Club: Burnley
Position: Defender
Age: 21

After catching the eye at Coventry, Chelsea’s rampaging wing-back being loaned to rampant Burnley was a recipe for fun. Playing in a back four without the ball, he has preserved his threat with it, offering nine goal contributions.

HE SAID “These video reveals are getting worse”, as Burnley’s socials had Minions unveil him.