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Premier League clubs are allowed to have 17 non-homegrown players in their 25- man squad. With many clubs trying to find the right balance when it comes to their squad, most Premier League sides are actively involved in hiring talent from abroad.
Premier League has been home to many South American footballers
South American giants Brazil and Argentina continue to provide the Premier League with some exceptional talent on a regular basis. Some of the greatest players in Premier League history have been from South America.
Even now, players from the continent play integral roles for several top clubs in the Premier League. Not only are they popular but they have been significantly crucial for their sides in both the English top-flight and the Champions League.
On that note, here is a list of the five best South American footballers in the Premier League right now:
#5 Thiago Silva
Chelsea knew exactly what they were investing in when they signed Thiago Silva as a free agent from Paris Saint-Germain. Here was a defender in his mid 30s, who could potentially spend considerable time on the treatment table. But whoever was praying at Chelsea for this one to go well would certainly feel it did.
Silva holds the backline together and organizes the defense at Chelsea. His vast experience has allowed the Blues to find a calm personality on the field, even in the most challenging scenarios.
Silva has had a brilliant start to the ongoing campaign. He’s played three out of five games in the Premier League and his display against Tottenham Hotspur was exceptional. Every time the Brazilian pounced on a corner it seemed like he’d score, and he eventually did.
Thomas Tuchel is trying to integrate Trevoh Chalobah into the first team as well so that he can manage the workload of the Brazil veteran. Although Silva initially arrived on a one-year contract at Chelsea, he ended up extending his stay for this season. It’s still early days but if Chelsea can keep their star man free of injuries, we might see Silva at the club for another year.
#4 Emiliano Martinez
Whether you call it patience or endurance or just a delay in decision-making, Emiliano Martinez experienced a difficult 10 years at Arsenal which ended in fame and respect. The Argentina player finished a strong 2019-20 season with Arsenal, winning the FA Cup and emerging as a better goalkeeper than Bernd Leno.
However, he joined Aston Villa last season on a permanent basis and had to do justice to his demands of wanting to be Arsenal’s first-choice goalkeeper. Martinez grabbed the opportunity with both hands and guarded the goal for Villa in all 38 Premier League fixtures.
He kept 15 clean sheets with Ederson from Man City and Edouard Mendy of Chelsea being the only others to better that tally. Martinez has turned out to be a no-nonsense keeper who sticks to the basics of distributing the ball long from the back and doing the job well with his gloves.
He played a key role in Argentina’s Copa America triumph in July with an iconic and vocal performance in the penalty shootout against Colombia in the semi-finals.
As far as this list is concerned, Alisson could have been the popular choice over Martinez. But last season, the Liverpool shot-stopper ended up committing a few howlers.
Based on their recent form in the Premier League and their contribution to the national team, Martinez pips Alisson, even though just closely.
#3 Gabriel Jesus
After Sergio Aguero left last season, the sensible guess was that the baton was passed on to Gabriel Jesus to lead the line for the Premier League side. However, manager Pep Guardiola has done some thinking behind the scenes. Manchester City's No.9 is now being employed on the wings to provide more scoring chances for the team.
City are never short on attacking prowess thanks to the abundance of quality forward players at the club’s disposal. But the players have been forced to show versatility to fit into Guardiola’s system. Luckily for the Brazilian starlet he’s been asked to move back to the position he loves to thrive in.
Jesus was quite exceptional for Brazil back in 2019 as he played on the right-wing in their Copa America winning side. He started out on the right against Norwich and bagged a couple of assists in the Premier League. In a strong showing against Arsenal, Jesus was intelligent with his link-up play, scoring as well as assisting in the game.
This season, the City No.9’s goalscoring stats will get skewed as he’s tasked to set up others rather than scoring for himself. But playing on the wing gives Jesus more freedom to express himself and he is putting a strong case to start ahead of Riyad Mahrez and Raheem Sterling.
#2 Fabinho
If Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Virgil van Dijk are your teammates, it can be difficult to keep your name among the headlines in the Premier League. Such is the character of Fabinho, who is no sucker for headlines, but knows well that his absence on the team sheet is as significant as any of those three.
There is no midfielder in Jurgen Klopp’s side right now who can keep hold of the ball under pressure better than Fabinho. There’s no one better at stealing the ball either. Fabinho is one of the most complete defensive midfielders and certainly among the best in the Premier League. He brings safety and comfort to Liverpool and makes it look effortless.
Last season, when Liverpool were haunted by injuries to Van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip, Fabinho stepped up to fill the void at centre-back. Despite playing out of his natural position, the Brazilian was the saving grace for Klopp’s men in the Premier League, helping them stay in the top four.
Thiago Alcantara hasn’t been able to keep himself fit consistently which often disturbs the flow of the Liverpool midfield. But Fabinho, while playing in his favorite No.6 position, ensures that the midfield keeps ticking.
Klopp likes to rotate between Naby Keita, Curtis Jones and Thiago, among others. But there is no touching Fabinho, who is one of the best midfielders in the Premier League when it comes to recovering balls.
With the Brazilian starting in midfield, Liverpool have won 77 per cent of their games. More importantly, he is yet to make an error in his Liverpool career that directly led to a goal.
#1 Ederson Moraes
There is hardly a more complete goalkeeper in the Premier League right now. Manchester City’s Ederson Moraes is the perfect blueprint for a modern-day goalkeeper. The popular argument is that goalkeepers are supposed to save goals and there are many who are exceptional at their jobs.
But if you were to pick a goalkeeper who can dribble past strikers lunging at the ball, who can score penalties and assist a goal, you wouldn’t say no. That's Ederson in a nutshell.
Ederson has been the pick of goalkeepers in the Premier League and has won two straight Golden Glove awards in the last two seasons. The Brazilian has ice running through his veins and is never off judgment in his 18-yard box. Guardiola can replace anyone in the side, but Ederson is the first name on the starting sheet.
The City goalkeeper has shown impressive vision with his distribution from the back, especially with long balls. He also became the first Manchester City goalkeeper ever to assist a goal in 2018.
Ederson’s neat passing has allowed Guardiola’s team to play from the back quite effectively, a system his apprentice Mikel Arteta wishes to employ at Arsenal. Before last year’s Champions League final against Chelsea, there were reports that claimed Ederson was scoring penalties for fun in training. In a Premier League game against Tottenham Hotspur, Ederson was involved in a conversation with Rodri to take a spot-kick. The latter eventually took the penalty though.
Earlier this month Ederson signed a new contract at City which will keep him at the club until 2026. The Brazilian is a significant part of Guardiola’s football philosophy and enjoys the role at his current club.
