As we have reached the winter break, here, we take a look at this season’s Premier League expected goals (xG) and expected assists (xA) per 90 minutes leaders.
To nobody’s surprise, Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah (£12.7m) and Trent Alexander-Arnold (£8.5m) rank highly, but the data does also reveal some more interesting names, which we’ll explore below.
Note: the following lists only contains players who have featured for a minimum of 450 Premier League minutes in the 2021/22 season.
All stats in this piece come from our Premium Members Area, where there is currently a free trial.
This article harnesses our ‘per 90’ filter, which you can learn more about here.
xG PER 90
| Player | Minutes | xG per 90 |
| Dominic Calvert-Lewin | 518 | 0.79 |
| Mohamed Salah | 1783 | 0.70 |
| Diogo Jota | 1541 | 0.65 |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | 1456 | 0.60 |
| Patson Daka | 450 | 0.58 |
Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£7.9m), who has three Premier League goals to his name this season, is ahead of all other players for xG per 90. However, his 0.79 tally is boosted after being handed three penalties across his six appearances, which notably, he may no longer be on, having missed from the spot against Brighton and Hove Albion in Gameweek 21.
Elsewhere, two Liverpool midfielders appear – Mohamed Salah and Diogo Jota (£8.4m) – with 0.70 and 0.65 xG per 90 respectively, whilst Cristiano Ronaldo features below, having registered a whopping 63 shots since re-joining Manchester United, more than all players bar Salah.
Patson Daka’s (£7.1m) inclusion in fifth is particularly interesting, despite limited minutes which should, of course, be taken into account. Across his nine Premier League appearances in 2021/22, the 23-year-old has produced four goals and three assists, averaging 4.8 points per match.
Jamie Vardy’s (£10.3m) hamstring injury is expected to keep him out until March, although Kelechi Iheanacho (£6.9m) is back from Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) duty, suggesting we could see a bit of rotation up front, especially given Leicester City’s schedule, which includes Premier League, FA Cup and UEFA Europa Conference League games in February.
xA PER 90
| Player | Minutes | xA per 90 |
| Trent Alexander-Arnold | 1773 | 0.43 |
| Michael Olise | 481 | 0.36 |
| Riyad Mahrez | 839 | 0.30 |
| Mason Mount | 1433 | 0.29 |
| Ashley Westwood | 1420 | 0.23 |
Trent Alexander-Arnold is out in front with 0.43 xA per 90, which has translated into 10 Fantasy Premier League (FPL) assists, a tally only Jarrod Bowen (£6.9m) can beat, with 12.
Crystal Palace’s Michael Olise (£5.4m) also features, having impressed despite playing for just 481 minutes. The youngster has produced two goals and three assists during that time, all from the bench, we should add, highlighting his potential when handed game-time.
Riyad Mahrez (£8.6m) could come back onto the FPL radar after the winter break, having been handed a decent rest following his AFCON involvement, though Mason Mount (£7.6m) is seeing huge sales, with three blanks scheduled in the next four Gameweeks.
Ashley Westwood (£5.3m) is a surprise entry in fifth, especially given that Burnley have four games that still need to be rescheduled. However, his lack of goal threat – the midfielder has taken just four shots in the box all season – suggests there are better options available, despite his budget price tag.
2 years, 2 months agoOn WC, whats the best combo?
A) Ramsey and DCL
B) Ramsey and Watkins
C) Cornet and ASM