When you think of the Premier League’s most creative players, attention usually turns to those towards the top of the table.
Mesut Özil, Philippe Coutinho and David Silva are among those many people will name when asked to guess who has created the most chances in the top flight.
But the man who has created the most chances for teammates this season – and by quite some distance – plays for a team with just three wins to their name all season.
Dimitri Payet has laid on 43 chances for his West Ham teammates since the start of the 2016/17 campaign, according to data courtesy of EA SPORTS, creating four goals and showing that the Hammers’ downturn in form can hardly be pinned on him.
Just one of the 43 chances created by the French international has led to a meaningful goal for the East London club – his pass for Winston Reid’s late winner at home to Sunderland – with his other assists coming in defeats to Watford and West Bromwich Albion.
West Ham have scored just 13 goals in the first 12 games of their campaign, with none of the club’s strikers finding the net in any competition this season.
But Payet has undoubtedly been pulling his weight, laying on eight more chances than the next-best creator, Manchester City’s Kevin de Bruyne.
The Frenchman also leads the way when it comes to chances created per 90 minutes, with Chelsea’s Willian a close second.
Of the 10 players to create the most chances in the 2016/17 Premier League, only one – Southampton’s Dušan Tadić – has failed to chalk up an assist so far.
Top 10 chance creators 2016/17 (accurate as of November 24)
- Dimitri Payet – 43 (4 assists)
- Kevin de Bruyne – 35 (7)
- Roberto Firmino – 32 (3)
- Philippe Coutinho – 32 (5)
- David Silva – 31 (2)
- Dušan Tadić – 31 (0)
- Jason Puncheon – 29 (2)
- Ross Barkley – 28 (1)
- Mesut Özil – 27 (1)
- Christian Eriksen – 26 (3)
Dick Clerkin makes his GAA Hour debut to talk about a wonderful career and argue passionately with Colm Parkinson over Sky Sports GAA. Subscribe here on iTunes.
