Best defensive players in Premier League

The best defensive players in Premier League, ranked on Field Insider.

At a glance

D. Kuzyk of LNZ Cherkasy is the standout for raw talent across players in Premier League, with a Field Insider Rating of 43.4, and O. Palamarchuk has been the form player this season, grading 47.9, and B. Faal leads the scoring with 8 goals.

The numbers a scout watches are the year-on-year jumps: O. Gorin has improved his Season rating most, up +38.2 on last season, while V. Salyuk's scouting Rating has risen fastest, +8.3 over the same span. Those are the players whose trajectory is bending upward fastest.

By our market-value index, D. Kuzyk of LNZ Cherkasy is the most valuable name in this group at 19.1.

O. Palamarchuk47.9SsN

LNZ Cherkasy

Rising potential

V. Salyuk+8.3RTG

Metalist 1925 Kharkiv · 24/25→25/26

Most improved

O. Gorin+38.2SsN

LNZ Cherkasy · 24/25→25/26

50 players · ranked by most clean sheetsCustomise →

#	Player	Team	Age	CS	Season	Rating
1	D. Kuzyk Central midfielder	LNZ Cherkasy	23	12	27115.1%	430.9%
2	O. Palamarchuk Goalkeeper	LNZ Cherkasy	34	11	4890.1%	1223.1%
3	O. Gorin Full-back	LNZ Cherkasy	26	11	45530.6%	357.3%
4	A. Ryabov Central midfielder	LNZ Cherkasy	25	11	24512.8%	4011.3%
5	N. Muravskyi Centre-back	LNZ Cherkasy	26	11	46181.1%	365.8%
6	H. Pasich Full-back	LNZ Cherkasy	33	11	47144.3%	1430%
7	E. Sarapiy Centre-back	Polessya	27	10	44201.4%	3411.7%
8	Y. Pastukh Central midfielder	LNZ Cherkasy	22	10	1763.8%	427.1%
9	B. Mykhailichenko Full-back	Polessya	29	10	4282.6%	2621.3%
10	M. Assinor Centre-forward	LNZ Cherkasy	26	10	28634.2%	3713.2%
11	O. Drambaev Full-back	LNZ Cherkasy	25	10	4161.9%	387.1%
12	D. Varakuta Goalkeeper	Metalist 1925 Kharkiv	24	9	4643.9%	3917.4%
13	Y. Pavlyuk Centre-back	Metalist 1925 Kharkiv	23	8	3298.7%	399.2%
14	R. Didyk Centre-back	LNZ Cherkasy	23	8	336.8%	389.2%
15	R. Babenko Defensive midfielder	Polessya	34	8	1611.3%	1139%
16	I. Krupskyi Full-back	Metalist 1925 Kharkiv	21	8	3181.1%	413.1%
17	Y. Volynets Goalkeeper	Polessya	32	8	4059.3%	1631.2%
18	O. Gutsulyak Attacking midfielder	Polessya	28	8	2932.8%	3024.2%
19	S. Chobotenko Centre-back	Polessya	29	8	3350.9%	2524.5%
20	I. Kalyuzhnyi Defensive midfielder	Metalist 1925 Kharkiv	28	8	1723.3%	2827%
21	A. Shabanov Centre-back	Metalist 1925 Kharkiv	34	8	3328.9%	1146.4%
22	A. Tsurikov Full-back	Kolos Kovalivka	33	7	282.8%	1340.7%
23	A. Ponedelnik Full-back	Kolos Kovalivka	29	7	298.2%	2523.9%
24	N. Domchak Goalkeeper	Karpaty	19	7	30	40
25	A. Chachua Central midfielder	Karpaty	32	7	2337%	1733.7%
26	D. Antyukh Attacking midfielder	Metalist 1925 Kharkiv	28	7	154.5%	292%
27	I. Pakholyuk Goalkeeper	Kolos Kovalivka	22	7	325.3%	397.7%
28	D. Riznyk Goalkeeper	Shakhtar Donetsk	27	6	2818%	3026.6%
29	M. Matvienko Centre-back	Shakhtar Donetsk	30	6	2514.5%	2036.4%
30	O. Andrievskyi Central midfielder	Polessya	32	6	21263.8%	1612.6%
31	M. Bragaru Attacking midfielder	Polessya	23	6	20359.1%	418.7%
32	V. Salyuk Centre-back	Metalist 1925 Kharkiv	24	6	30108.4%	3927.4%
33	E. Rashica Attacking midfielder	Metalist 1925 Kharkiv	22	6	628.9%	3824.9%
34	I. Krasnopir Centre-forward	Karpaty	23	6	229.8%	398.7%
35	O. Ocheretko Defensive midfielder	Shakhtar Donetsk	23	6	171.8%	413.3%
36	V. Bondar Centre-back	Shakhtar Donetsk	27	6	2528.4%	3028%
37	M. Gayduchyk Centre-forward	Polessya	26	6	1815.7%	3412.9%
38	B. Krushynskyi Full-back	Polessya	24	6	2410.6%	3714.1%
39	O. Nazarenko Central midfielder	Polessya	26	6	1941%	3516.9%
40	M. Jashari Centre-forward	LNZ Cherkasy	28	6	1649%	2727.7%
41	V. Baboglo Centre-back	Karpaty	27	6	2828.9%	3026%
42	Bruninho Centre-forward	Karpaty	26	6	2522.4%	3417.7%
43	E. Tverdokhlib Central midfielder	Kryvbas KR	25	6	2826.9%	396.6%
44	I. Krasniqi Centre-back	Kolos Kovalivka	26	6	2610.6%	3312.9%
45	E. Kozik Centre-back	Kolos Kovalivka	23	6	2419%	383.8%
46	Elias Telles Defensive midfielder	Kolos Kovalivka	27	6	192055.6%	327.1%
47	N. Gagnidze Attacking midfielder	Kolos Kovalivka	25	6	569.3%	351.4%
48	P. Obah Attacking midfielder	LNZ Cherkasy	22	5	1526.1%	4025%
49	O. Demchenko Central midfielder	Kolos Kovalivka	30	5	11101.8%	2030.3%
50	I. Lytvynenko Central midfielder	Metalist 1925 Kharkiv	25	5	11	3625.3%