Top 5 ‘Dirtiest Players’ In The Premier League This Season

David Tully

1 month ago

Categories: Galleries, West Ham United News

Tags: Arsenal, aston villa, Brentford, Brighton, Celtic, Chelsea, Everton, Fulham, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Newcastle United, Rangers, Sheffield United, Southampton, Spurs, Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham, Wolves

The ‘dark arts’ are part and parcel of the professional game and some footballers are more prone to deploying them on the pitch than others.

In a study conducted by Ticketgum, they analysed the number of red cards, yellow cards, cards per 90 minutes, fouls committed and fouls drawn by every Premier League player.

They then ranked them based on a score which used these metrics and compared it to the number of matches played this season.

Press the next page as we list the 5 players who are currently ranked the dirtiest players in the English top flight.

5) Yves Bissouma (Tottenham)

The Spurs star can be rather rash with his tackling at times.

This campaign, Bissouma has racked up 1.42 fouls per 90, which is not as bad as others in our top five but he does, more often than not, get himself in trouble with the referee.

The Malian international has picked up seven yellow cards and two red cards since the beginning of the season.

As a holding midfielder, though, it is inevitable that Bissouma will make more challenges than most, but Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou would probably be hoping that he can be more precise with his interventions in future.

4) Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool)

The Reds snapped up the World Cup winner from Brighton at the start of this season and he has been an outstanding addition to the squad.

However, due to the makeup of Liverpool’s midfield, manager Jurgen Klopp was initially forced into using Mac Allister as a no.6.

It clearly wasn’t his best position, though, as he racked up fouls (23 in total) and a number of yellow cards.

Since moving further up the pitch, Mac Allister has begun to excel, with his passing range being fully on show.

3) Jordan Ayew (Crystal Palace)

The Ghanaian is known for his high work rate but it does sometimes mean that he gets into trouble with officials.

Since the beginning of the campaign, Ayew has committed 32 fouls as well as picking up 6 bookings.

Forwards are not generally known for being dirty players but, with managers keen on ensuring that their teams press from the front, it means that they are increasingly getting involved in the dirty work.

In Ayew’s case, it appears he is simply willing to get stuck in more than most.

2) Diogo Jota (Liverpool)

The Portuguese international has a similar work ethic to Ayew so his position on his list reflects his willingness to get his hands dirty for the team.

Liverpool assistant manager Pep Lijnders once called Jota a “pressing monster” and that consequently means he does make more fouls than the average striker.

Despite being injured for a good portion of the season, the 27-year-old has committed 15 fouls, as well as picking up 3 yellow cards and 1 red.

Jota has been on outstanding form in front of goal this campaign but his work off the ball can be equally as important for his team.

1) Oli McBurnie (Sheffield United)

The Scotland international is very much an old-fashioned centre forward.

Much like his fellow countryman Duncan Ferguson, McBurnie likes to throw his weight around as he tries to get under the skin of opposition defenders.

Considering the Blades’ position in the table, though, his exploits haven’t been that effective, despite picking up 12 fouls and 2 red cards.

Those figures are quite some achievement considering McBurnie has only played seven full 90 minutes in the league this season.