When Arsenal beat Bournemouth 3-0 this weekend, not only did the Gunners go vaulting to the top of the Premier League table, they also saw one member of their team claim top spot in an important statistic for the 30-year history of the league.
New £30 million signing Oleksandr Zinchenko played all 90 minutes in Saturday’s victory at the Vitality Stadium and moved clear as bearer of the best career win percentage of any player to have appeared 50 times or more in the Premier League.
Zinchenko has now played a total of 79 games in the top flight and has emerged on the winning side in 65 of them, both with new side Arsenal (three games) and with former club Manchester City (76.)
With a Premier League win percentage of more than 82% tucked under his belt, the Ukraine international left-back can now claim to have a better personal record than any other player, though many of his former City teammates are lurking close behind.
5. Naby Keita (Liverpool)
Played 76, Won 59 — 77.6%
While Keita has hardly proved himself to be a midfield staple for Liverpool in the four years since his £48m arrival from RB Leipzig, he has managed to amass an impressive win percentage by picking up appearances during a period of sustained success.
Injuries and fluctuating form have seen the Guinea international struggle to make more than 16 Premier League starts in a single season (during his debut campaign, 2018-19) but his cumulative minutes during the Reds’ long unbeaten streaks see him place high on this list.
4. Phil Foden (Manchester City)
Played 99, Won 79 — 79.8%
A product of the City academy, Foden was incrementally integrated into the first team by manager Pep Guardiola, but has since gone on to become an integral part of the midfield set-up at the Etihad.
Still only 22, he has won four Premier League titles in the five seasons since he made his senior top-flight debut for City as a teenage prodigy in 2017-18. Given that formidable record of success, it’s perhaps unsurprising to discover that Foden has played his part in a lot of victories in that period.
3. Aymeric Laporte (Manchester City)
Played 108, Won 88 — 81.5%
Laporte is the only player in the top five to have made over 100 Premier League appearances and, courtesy of his position at the heart of City’s near watertight defence, he has amassed an impressive tally since his £57m arrival from Athletic Club in 2018.
Of his 108 appearances in the English top flight, the French-born Spain international centre-back has ended up on the winning side an incredible 88 times, contributing eight goals in the process.
2. Arjen Robben (Chelsea)
Played 67, Won 55 — 82.1%
Incredibly, after a £12.1m move from PSV in 2004, Robben made just 67 league appearances for Chelsea in his three-year stint at the club. But though injuries restricted his involvement to a point, Robben still scored 15 league goals and provided 10 assists for Chelsea, who won two titles and four domestic cups before he left for Real Madrid.
The winger became a undoubted star under Jose Mourinho as the Blues continued on their transformation from mid-table also-rans to big-spending Premier League heavyweights.
1. Oleksandr Zinchenko (Manchester City, Arsenal)
Played 79, Won 65 — 82.3%
Victory over Bournemouth on Saturday not only extended Arsenal’s perfect start to the 2022-23 season but also saw Zinchenko squeeze past Robben to take top spot in the win-percentage rankings.
The majority was accrued with former club Manchester City, with whom the 25-year-old full-back won nine major trophies (including four Premier League titles) before making the switch to the Emirates over the summer.
Credit: Source link