5 best Spaniards in the Premier League at the moment

The Premier League is the richest, and arguably the most competitive, football league in the world. Not surprisingly, the lure of the Premier League has attracted many a fine player to ply their trade in the competition.

Not surprisingly, the Premier League features skillful players from many different countries and currently boasts of a talented Spanish contingent that has strived to continue the legacy of its illustrious compatriots like Xabi Alonso, David Silva and Fernando Torres, to name a few.

Top five active Spanish players in the Premier League

The Premier League features a bevvy of talented Spanish players who have been key to their respective clubs over the years. This list also includes a new summer arrival who made his name at two different top-5 league clubs in the continent before landing on English shores.

Without further ado, let's get started.

#5 Sergio Reguilon (Tottenham Hotspur)

Sergio Reguilon has been a standout performer for Premier League leaders Tottenham Hotspur since arriving at the London club from Spanish giants Real Madrid in the summer.

In fact, such has been the player's impact at the club - he has already managed three assists in nine games in all competitions - Sergio Reguilon has emerged as one of the key men in Jose Mourinho's plans, starting five of Spurs' last six Premier League games.

The Spurs boss was particularly euphoric after Reguilon had an outstanding outing against Pep Guardiola's Manchester City, shutting down Riyad Mahrez and not allowing the player to dribble past him.

With the player achieving an unspecified objective in that game, Mourinho did not renege on a promise to gift Reguilon an expensive bag of ham that set the Portuguese tactician poorer by £500.

#4 Adama Traore (Wolverhampton Wanderers)

Adama Traore has played over 100 Premier League games for three different clubs.

The 24-year-old right winger, who currently plays for Wolverhampton Wanderers, has had 15 goal contributions (five goals and ten assists) at his current club, but is yet to make one this season. Nevertheless, Traore remains a key player in Wolves manager Nuno Espirito Santo's plans.

Considering his impact at the Molineux since his move from the Riverside stadium, the Premier League team are keen on extending Traore's contract at the club, but talks in this regard appear to have stalled at the moment.

Nevertheless, Espirito Santo is delighted that Traore, a player who was once said to be a bit of both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, is still plying his trade for the ninth-placed club in the 2020-21 Premier League when he said in this regard:

“What I can say about this is Adama is delighted to be here. You can see how happy he has been in training just by seeing us be together again. Things will happen naturally. Speculation around our players doesn’t bother us. We know what we have to do. First of all, you have to be happy where you are, and he clearly is.”

#3 Ferran Torres (Manchester City)

Ferran Torres has been tipped as Leroy Sane's replacement after two-time Premier League-winning manager Pep Guardiola made the 21-year-old winger his first major signing of the season.

The young Spaniard has not disappointed in that regard, having already made six goal contributions (four goals and two assists) in various competitions for Manchester City while impressing with his versatility in the attacking third.

Although he is new to the Premier League, Torres has stood up admirably in the absence of Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Jesus in a few games this season to earn praise from Pep Guardiola who said about the player:

"He is a guy who is an incredible finisher. He has a sense of goal and a quality to score a goal. We didn’t think about playing him as a striker. He is an incredible alternative for us. He’s settled really well in the locker room. He’s so shy but so calm. He wants to learn and has helped us a lot in the positions we have without the strikers. It’s an alternative that we have.”

Torres recently became the first Spain player to score a hat-trick against Germany. The form of the former Valencia player, who has surprisingly not yet opened his Premier League account, could be key to Manchester City this season as they find themselves languishing in the bottom half of the league table.

#2 David de Gea (Manchester United)

Despite his recent frailties, David de Gea has been the epitome of brilliance and consistency for a largely mediocre Manchester United side in the last decade, especially after the departure of the club's long-standing manager Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013.

The 30-year-old custodian, who has kept 146 clean sheets in all competitions for the club - 116 of them in the Premier League - has consistently saved the blushes for a club that has struggled to regain its lost dominance in the competition.

De Gea committed a few high-profile errors last season that had critics breathing down his neck.

With the arrival of Dean Henderson after a fine loan spell with Sheffield United, many thought that Dea Gea's time at the Premier League club was over. However, that has not been the case, as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has continued to prefer the Spanish veteran over the young Englishman.

Solskjaer was all praise for De Gea, who recently made his 400th appearance for the club in all competiitons, saying:

“He's had some fantastic seasons here now. He had a little bit of a tough ride early on, with the physicality of football in England, but, for me, he has been the best goalkeeper in the world over the last nine or 10 years."

De Gea, on his part has been humility personified, expressing his gratitude at the opportunity to represent a the most successful club in Premier League history:

“I just want to keep playing and enjoying training and enjoying being with my team-mates and the staff and everyone. I just enjoy wearing the Manchester United shirt in every game and to play at Old Trafford is always special. I’m grateful to be here and hopefully I can be here for many years.”

#1 Thiago Alcantara (Liverpool)

Thiago Alcantara may have made only two appearances - both of them in the Premier League - for his new club Liverpool, but he is undoubtedly the most illustrious active Spanish player gracing the English top flight.

Alcantara first plied his trade at Barcelona under the tutelage of Pep Guardiola before blossoming into one of the world's finest midfielders during a successful seven-season stint at Bayern Munich, where he won seven Bundesliga titles and two continental trebles.

Capable of playing in a plethora of positions in the middle third of the pitch, Alcantara is at his lethal best in a deep-lying playmaking role, orchestrating his team's attacks from the middle of the park. The 29-year-old Spaniard became Liverpool's first major signing after the club won their first title in the Premier League era.

Considering the pedigree of Alcantara, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp opined that the player could bring a different dimension to the Premier League team who are brimming with quality in all departments.

"He is an absolutely exceptional player, and you are right it is difficult to improve a team like us in the moment in a normal way."

About the author

Bhargav is a veteran sports journalist and editor at Sportskeeda, with a rich professional experience of 17 years, working for the likes of Siemens and Bombay Dyeing. An avid football and tennis follower for over three decades, Bhargav uses his vast knowledge and experience, attention to detail, an unbiased yet interesting writing style, and thorough research to craft insightful articles, which have raked in over 20 million reads so far.

Bhargav supports Italy at national level, a team steeped in tradition and history according to him. He still harbors the heartbreak from the Azzurri’s 1994 FIFA World Cup final defeat against Brazil, and protagonist-turned-antagonist from the game, ‘Divine Ponytail’ Roberto Baggio is his all-time favorite player. His favorite manager is Marcelo Lippi, who ended Italy’s 24-year wait for the World Cup trophy, winning it in 2006.

Outside Europe’s top five leagues, he follows the MLS following Lionel Messi’s move in 2023 but favors Cristiano Ronaldo in the G.O.A.T. debate. During his free time, Bhargav enjoys driving off to new places and singing.

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Edited by S Chowdhury