5 best right-backs in the Premier League this season

The English Premier League has a raft of incredibly talented right-backs.

Another exciting weekend of Premier League action has passed us by and we are now in the final quarter of the 2020-21 campaign. Several individuals have had memorable seasons and will look to top it all off with good performances in the final leg of the season.

Full-backs are vital to any good team. They act as the link between defense and midfield and also midfield and attack. They are usually the hardest workers on the field and have to shuttle back and forth down the flanks for the entirety of the game.

Without further ado, let's take a look at the best right-backs in the Premier League this season.

#5 Vladimir Coufal

One of the most interesting characters in an impressive West Ham team, the 29-year-old Czech international has been in solid form this season. If you've followed the Hammers this term, you've probably seen how much Coufal hates losing and it is perhaps this mentality that has got him playing some of the best football of his career.

Coufal has registered three assists in the Premier League this season. He has also attempted 60 tackles at a success rate of 52%. The West Ham right-back has created six big chances over the course of the season so far and has completed 29% of his attempted crosses as well.

#4 Reece James

Chelsea right-back Reece James is just 21-years-old and he is already one of the best at his position in the whole country. He has been a regular for the Blues this season and has made 23 appearances in the league this term.

James has got electric pace and can also drive some quick crosses into the box. He has a goal and two assists to his name this season. James is good defensively as well and has a tackle success rate of 68%. He is also decent when it comes to aerial ability and has won 66% of his aerial duels.

The Chelsea right-back has all the skills needed to make it big in the Premier League in abundance, and in Thomas Tuchel, he has a coach who is famous for improving young players. If he can keep his head down and work hard, he could very well go onto become one of the best right-backs on the continent.

#3 Matty Cash

Since joining Aston Villa from Nottingham Forest, Matthew Cash has gone from strength to strength. He has the pace to match any player in the league and is a solid attacking outlet as well.

Aston Villa have missed him as he remains sidelined with a hamstring injury. Aston Villa have been a surprise package this season and the arrival of players like Matty Cash has a lot to do with it.

Matty Cash has registered two assists from 21 appearances for Dean Smith's men so far this Premier League season. He also has a tackle success rate of 57%. He has become a crucial part of this Aston Villa side and looks set to enjoy a long career in the English top-flight.

#2 Aaron Wan-Bissaka

Newcastle United v Manchester United - Premier League

Manchester United's very own Spider-Man, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, has always been a beast defensively. He is arguably the toughest one-on-one defender in the Premier League but he has received a lot of criticism in previous seasons for not being very adept in attack.

However, Wan-Bissaka seems to have worked on that bit of his game and the outcome is impressive. The 23-year-old has been several times more enterprising this term going forward and has two goals and two assists from 27 appearances this season.

He has made 77 tackles at a success rate of 62% and once he gets down to business, it is extremely difficult for any attacker to get the better of him. Wan-Bissaka has won a whopping 141 recoveries this term.

#1 Joao Cancelo

West Bromwich Albion v Manchester City - Premier League

Joao Cancelo is perhaps the most complete right-back on the list. He is tactically astute, creative and technically proficient and this season he has grown into one of the finest players in the star-studded Manchester City side.

He has three assists in the Premier League this season from 23 appearances and has created eight big chances for the Cityzens this term. He is not erratic and is excellent with the ball at his feet and almost plays as a midfielder at times in Pep Guardiola's season.

Pep Guardiola is all praise for Cancelo. He recently said:

“He is so clever. He gives us something special in our process of play.”

Cancelo is also good defensively and has a tackle success rate of 56%. He has also made 132 ball recoveries this season and has won 50% of his duels.

About the author

Shambhu is a European and international football journalist at Sportskeeda who focuses on previews, listicles and news articles. An ardent Manchester United supporter since before his teenage years, he started following the Red Devils by age 10 watching MUTV on television. Shambhu is also a highly-revered rapper and a playback singer on Spotify, having a whopping 1 million monthly listeners.

For his articles, Shambhu believes in triple-checking every piece of information, relying on trusted websites like Transfermarkt and Opta, and staying away from speculative publications. He believes that his law degree helped him to be more articulate and meticulous with his content and one of his core strengths is seamlessly involving emotion in his write-ups owing to the love for the sport. For Sportskeeda, has done exclusive interviews with Spanish legends Gaizka Mendieta and Fernando Morientes so far, and his articles boast of a huge readership of close to 50 million.

Shambhu's favorite footballer is Lionel Messi, and the Argentine attaining glory in 2022 is his favorite FIFA World Cup moment. He believes only Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland could replicate Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo's rivalry in the years to come. His favorite manager is Sir Alex Ferguson due to the Scot's unmatched longevity at the top.

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Edited by Shambhu Ajith