Best defensive midfielders in League Two

The highest-potential defensive midfielders in League Two, ranked on Field Insider.

At a glance

S. Braybrooke of Chesterfield is the standout for raw talent across defensive midfielders in League Two, with a Field Insider Rating of 35.9, and A. Read has been the form player this season, grading 42.6, and M. Shelton leads the scoring with 8 goals.

The numbers a scout watches are the year-on-year jumps: M. Shelton has improved his Season rating most, up +34.2 on last season, while A. Mayor's scouting Rating has risen fastest, +4.6 over the same span. Those are the players whose trajectory is bending upward fastest.

By our market-value index, L. Bennett of Cambridge United is the most valuable name in this group at 10.3.

Cambridge United · 24/25→25/26

50 players · ranked by best potentialCustomise →

#	Player	Team	Age	Season	Rating
1	S. Braybrooke Defensive midfielder	Chesterfield	22	351234.6%	366.3%
2	Marcus Lemar Ifill Defensive midfielder	Bromley	22	303687.5%	3629.1%
3	A. Mayor Defensive midfielder	Cambridge United	21	19	3515%
4	J. Snowdon Defensive midfielder	Swindon Town	22	24	35
5	M. Holíček Defensive midfielder	Crewe	21	2310.2%	342.5%
6	L. Bennett Defensive midfielder	Cambridge United	24	2631.8%	3424.7%
7	Ismeal Kabia Defensive midfielder	Shrewsbury	20	25	34
8	R. Stirk Defensive midfielder	Chesterfield	25	2622%	338.3%
9	J. Arthurs Defensive midfielder	Bromley	24	2231.3%	337.3%
10	Joel McGregor Defensive midfielder	Swindon Town	20	1958.2%	334.2%
11	Jake Thomas Batty Defensive midfielder	Swindon Town	21	1238.6%	323.9%
12	J. Evans Defensive midfielder	Harrogate Town	25	39	32
13	Jayden Joseph Defensive midfielder	Tranmere	20	22	32
14	G. Turi Defensive midfielder	Grimsby	24	16600%	3215.4%
15	T. Perry Defensive midfielder	Shrewsbury	25	3154.5%	3125.9%
16	G. McEachran Defensive midfielder	Grimsby	25	2144.6%	3110.1%
17	L. Hoole Defensive midfielder	Shrewsbury	24	2915.1%	3132.6%
18	G. Hoddle Defensive midfielder	Cambridge United	21	6	3120.8%
19	H. Neal Defensive midfielder	Fleetwood Town	25	279.6%	310.6%
20	G. Kilkenny Defensive midfielder	Swindon Town	26	295.6%	318.4%
21	Finley Frank Barbrook Defensive midfielder	Colchester	21	6	31
22	A. Charles Defensive midfielder	Bromley	27	41147%	301.3%
23	A. Read Defensive midfielder	Colchester	27	43129%	301.3%
24	C. Evans Defensive midfielder	Newport County	25	249.7%	305.4%
25	V. Harper Defensive midfielder	Walsall	25	181.1%	2927.4%
26	T. Leigh Defensive midfielder	Bristol Rovers	26	24252.2%	291.4%
27	N. Kenneh Defensive midfielder	Tranmere	23	1529.1%	2932.7%
28	K. Berkoe Defensive midfielder	Shrewsbury	25	14165.4%	291.4%
29	B. Kamwa Defensive midfielder	Newport County	26	2130.8%	2916.3%
30	N. Khumbeni Defensive midfielder	Gillingham	23	563.4%	294%
31	Luke Joseph Butterfield Defensive midfielder	Accrington ST	22	8	29
32	M. Sanders Defensive midfielder	Crewe	27	3159.1%	297.8%
33	J. Plant Defensive midfielder	Tranmere	22	6	281.4%
34	K. Thompson-Sommers Defensive midfielder	Bristol Rovers	24	6	28
35	A. Hartigan Defensive midfielder	Barnet	26	14	282.2%
36	R. McKenzie Defensive midfielder	Gillingham	27	2723.2%	2815.3%
37	R. De Havilland Defensive midfielder	Bristol Rovers	25	936.6%	2835.3%
38	E. Bristow Defensive midfielder	Tranmere	24	105.9%	2713.7%
39	E. Coleman Defensive midfielder	Gillingham	26	2088.5%	275.9%
40	O. Ashley Defensive midfielder	Salford City	26	971.8%	2720.7%
41	L. Coyle Defensive midfielder	Accrington ST	26	1523.1%	2613%
42	T. Sang Defensive midfielder	Shrewsbury	27	270.7%	2517.6%
43	M. Smith Defensive midfielder	Newport County	26	111.8%	2536.7%
44	M. Shelton Defensive midfielder	Barnet	29	42468.5%	246.2%
45	L. Kelly Defensive midfielder	Milton Keynes Dons	30	3876.1%	221.3%
46	A. Little Defensive midfielder	Gillingham	29	3111.3%	2216.7%
47	M. Pinnock Defensive midfielder	Bromley	31	3313.3%	2137.8%
48	B. Stevenson Defensive midfielder	Cheltenham	29	1774%	2032.9%
49	D. Ball Defensive midfielder	Cambridge United	30	25124.3%	2036.5%
50	B. Morris Defensive midfielder	Harrogate Town	30	3311.6%	2020.9%