We all love watching a winger ply his trade — seeing him hug the touchline, using his trickery and skill on the ball to beat his man and create chances, or pushing up as a forward, cutting inside and scoring plenty of goals. Whichever way he operates, he’s always pleasing on the eye and getting us fans out of our seats.
Now let’s take a look at our contenders for the best winger of the 2019-20 EPL season so far:
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Adama Traoré (Wolves)
What a revelation Traoré has been this season. The former Barcelona man has historically shown tremendous ability but has struggled to prove himself consistently. However, he has finally started to deliver on his promise. He has been absolutely explosive for Wolves this campaign and has been wonderfully exciting to watch. He fulfills the typical role of a winger, having completed the 2nd most successful dribbles this season (123*) and providing a healthy 144 crosses. Further to this he has improved on his output, bagging 4 goals (3 of which came against the current champions in memorable matches) and providing a solid 7 assists to his teammates.
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Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
Liverpool’s Egyptian King has continued his fine form from last season, in March becaming a record breaker for Liverpool, having scored the most goals (70) in his first 100 appearances for the club. Talking of goals, Salah is on course to score 20+ EPL goals for the 3rd year running, with 16 to his name currently. He has also provided 6 assists to his teammates and created 12 Big Chances in total. Salah is certainly Liverpool’s big game player, having scored or assisted against every “Big 6” opponent he has faced this season.
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Riyad Mahrez (Manchester City)
After a relatively quiet first season for Manchester City, the £60 million man has really stepped up this campaign for the the Citizens. Thanks to his constant trickery in turning defenders inside out, he has won the most penalties this season (4), provided more assists (8) and Big Chances (14) than any other winger. He’s also returned a solid 7 goals this season. The most impressive thing about his stats is the limited game-time he has features this season; starting in only 15 PL matches (subbed on 8 times, subbed off 5 times). That said, he has a higher goal + assist ratio per game than any other winger (0.97 per 90*).
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Sadio Mane (Liverpool)
What a great season the African Footballer of the Year is having so far, helping the Reds well on their way to their first EPL title. Both his form and pace are electric, and he has continued to terrorize defenders; playing on their shoulders, always ready to pounce. He has scored 14 goals this season, and seems to make a habit of netting at key times; with late winners against Aston Villa, West Ham and Norwich. In addition to the goals, he has stepped up as a provider for his teammates, having supplied 7 assists so far, 6 more than his total for the whole of the last season. He has has created 7 Big Chances, level with his total from last season.
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Son Heung-min (Spurs)
It has been something of a difficult season for Son and Spurs so far. After a poor start to the campaign, Pochettino’s reign came to an end as he was promptly replaced by Mourinho. Despite their poor performances, Son has proven how invaluable he is to the Spurs side. This is even more evident in Harry Kane’s absence; highlighted by his classy solo-goal against Burnley. He has netted 9 goals, registered 7 assists and created 10 big chances; these impressive stats have been achieved despite making only 21 appearances (partly due to a Red Card suspension) this season. At least he was able to discharge his Korean national service requirement during the Coronavirus shutdown, so he should be 100% in the restart.
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Honorable Mentions: Emiliano Buendia (Norwich), Raheem Sterling (Man City), Harvey Barnes (Leicester).
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What do you think of our selections? What do you think is the importance of traditional wingers in the modern game?
Please cast your votes in the poll and comment on your reasons why!
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Poll
Who is the best Winger of the 19/20 EPL Season so far?
This poll is closed
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13%
Adama Traoré
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13%
Mohamed Salah
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13%
Riyad Mahrez
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40%
Sadio Mané
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4%
Son Heung-min
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13%
Other (please name in the comments)
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Poll
Who is the best winger in the EPL outside of the "Big 6"?
This poll is closed
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10%
Emiliano Buendía
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36%
Adama Traoré
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0%
Dwight McNeil
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0%
Harvey Barnes
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26%
Wilfried Zaha
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26%
Other (please name in the comments)
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All statistics quoted are from the official premier league website, unless stated otherwise (*Stats quoted from fbref.com)
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