5 Premier League defenders with most goals in the last decade

Alonso has been excellent going forward
Alonso has been excellent going forward

#3 Patrick van Aanholt: 21 goals

Patrick van Aanholt has been an unsung Premier League hero
Patrick van Aanholt has been an unsung Premier League hero

It wouldn't be too wrong to say that Patrick van Aanholt never got the dues for his contribution in the Premier League. Flourishing from Chelsea's youth academy, he was sold well before he could find a foothold at Stamford Bridge.

His chances of scoring in the Premier League only started to arrive from the 2014-15 season when he started working under Sunderland manager Gus Poyet.

The 4-3-3 formation used by Poyet allowed Van Aanholt to go out on attack and assist the striker. He ended his first season with five assists.

Premier League found out about the Dutch full-back's goal scoring ability the following season. He scored five and set up another three as Sunderland managed to escape relegation.

Van Aanholt found a sense of stability when he joined Crystal Palace. 13 of the full-back's 21 Premier League goals have come in a Crystal Palace shirt.

The full-back's ease with both right and left foot allows managers to use him at either end of the pitch. With his move to Turkey now being confirmed, the Premier League has lost out on a quality goal-scoring defender.


#2 Leighton Baines: 22 goals

Leighton Baines has been one of Everton's most loyal servants
Leighton Baines has been one of Everton's most loyal servants

Everton players have often come out to say how they consider the club as a family and their team-mates as family members. No other family member was as celebrated as the now-retired Leighton Baines.

The 36-year-old was often found inside the opposition penalty box, either setting up goals for his team-mates or taking the onus upon himself to score. He was good on the overlap and was Everton's free-kick specialist for a number of years.

Over the course of the 2012-13 season Baines created an astonishing 116 chances for his team-mates, the highest in the Premier League that term. This was in addition to the 353 crosses he had delivered inside the opposition penalty box.

His heroics that season prompted newly-appointed Manchester United boss David Moyes to sign him. However, the Toffees held on firm and the Scot ended up with just Marouane Fellaini.

Baines ended his Everton career with an average of 0.6 dribbles per game. His 0.7 shots per game also showed that the full-back was not afraid to shoot.

The Toffees had counted heavily on Baines to take spot kicks. Out of the 22 goals Baines scored between the periods mentioned, 15 came from penalties, showing the trust his managers had in him.


#1 Marcos Alonso: 23 goals

Alonso has been key to Chelsea's attacking plays over the course of so many seasons
Alonso has been key to Chelsea's attacking plays over the course of so many seasons

The top spot on the list of the Premier League's highest goal scoring defenders goes to Chelsea full-back Marcos Alonso.

The Spaniard speaks of a history somewhat similar to Patrick van Aanholt's. The Champions League winner started his career at Real Madrid but was forced out after just half a season in Spain.

He got his first taste of Premier League action at Bolton Wanderers. His three-year stint there produced just one goal before he was shipped out yet again.

There was another brief stint at the Stadium of Light with Sunderland in between. Alonso finally got the chance to show his real class when Chelsea came knocking.

Antonio Conte's 3-5-2 formation required the presence of attack-minded full-backs and Alonso fit the bill perfectly.

The 30-year-old's Chelsea career, though, went on a downward spiral after an infamous fallout with former manager Frank Lampard.

There has been an upsurge in his form this season though, helping him feature in all three of Chelsea's Premier League fixtures so far. Alonso even scored in the ongoing season during Chelsea's 3-0 win over Crystal Palace.

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