Comparing Rashford, Saka, Grealish, Sterling, and Salah's 22/23 Premier League stats | OneFootball

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The Premier League is home to some of the most talented players in world football, and one area on the pitch where that is particularly evident is in wide attacking areas.

Fast, technical, and lethal in front of goal, some of the wingers in English football’s top-flight today are simply outstanding.

But how did five of the best in the league stack up against each other last season?

Well, using football statistics website Squawka, we can compare the statistics of five of the best in 28 different categories.

We have already used their comparison tool to get the measure of the Premier League’s elite playmakers, with there being some surprising results.

Picking out the five was a tough choice, but there were four incredible wingers last season at four big teams: Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka, Manchester City’s Jack Grealish, Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford, and Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah.

And although Chelsea were disappointing last year, we have thrown Raheem Sterling into the mix too, simply because of how good he has been in seasons gone by.

Sterling is some way behind the rest

Let's get the unsurprising fact out of the way first shall we - Sterling is some way behind the others in nearly every department.

The 28-year-old signed for Chelsea last summer for nearly £50 million and was meant to be their marquee signing.

Even though he would finish as the Blues’ top scorer in all competitions, tied on nine with new Arsenal man Kai Havertz, it was still a disappointing campaign.

A 12th-place finish in the league only underlines that, but Sterling never really seemed like he got going at Stamford Bridge.

That is reflected in last season's stats too, with him not finishing first in any categories.

You can’t discredit his achievements at Man City, where he looked like one of the best wingers in the division, but he certainly has a point to prove this season.

Two highest goalscorers joint-third

Despite being the most efficient when given a shooting chance, the two men with the highest number of Premier League goals out of the five last season are joint-third for categories won.

First up, we have Man United’s Rashford.

The 25-year-old had a great season for the Red Devils, scoring 17 times in the league last campaign.

He hit 30 in all competitions, with manager Erik ten Hag full of praise for his player and believing that there is even more to come.

“We supported him where we could with the way of play, but also in his mental mindset,” the Dutch coach said.

"So we are happy with that but yeah, we have to push for more.

"I'm sure he's capable of scoring 40 goals in the season and to make also for him the next step.”

But despite his impressive record, Rashford only ranks highest in five of the 28 categories.

He is top for goals and shots on target, unsurprising given his goalscoring numbers last year, and is also top for aerial duels contested.

Impressively, he showed a willingness to help his team out in defence too. Out of the five men on this list, nobody recorded more clearances or blocks per 90.

While Rashford is willing to do the defensive part of the game, the same cannot be said for Liverpool’s Salah based on the numbers.

The Egyptian King also tops five different categories on this list, but all of them are attacking metrics.

He is the only man on this list who scored more goals than Rashford last season, finding the back of the net 19 times, but is tied with the United attacker on 0.6 goals per 90.

However, he did pull the trigger more often than anyone else, taking more shots per game compared to his rivals.

Salah is not just an inside forward who likes to get himself on the scoresheet though, and finished last season with 12 assists in the league.

And the statistics highlight his creative talents too. He is joint-top for assists per 90 and total through balls attempted.

Nobody had a higher percentage for completed crosses either, with Salah seemingly a master at picking out a man in the box.

What categories did Saka finish first in?

Arsenal’s star boy had his finest season in a red shirt yet, with 14 goals and 11 assists in the league as the Gunners pushed Man City for the title.

His ability is highlighted by the fact that he was top in 10 different statistics for last season, with Saka excelling in both defence and attack.

Early experiences in the Arsenal first team as a left back allowed Saka to develop the defensive part of his game, and that is something that appears to have stuck with him.

Nobody contested more duels than Saka, especially on the ground, and he made the most tackles every game compared to his rivals, as well as the joint-most interceptions.

Saka seems to stand head and shoulders above the rest when it comes to defending, but he is sensational in possession too.

Arsenal’s winger is not afraid to play an ambitious long ball, attempting more crosses and more long passes than the five other men.

He also made more successful crosses from open play than the others, picking out his Arsenal teammates time and time again.

To cap it all off, he and the last man on this list are joint-top for chances created per game, take-ons completed, and assists too.

All this at 21. The crazy thing to remember is that he is only going to get better from here...

Grealish’s numbers are insane

Had we done this last season, there is a good chance we would be saying very different things about Grealish.

The wide man endured a difficult first season at the Etihad. But he has rediscovered his best form in his second Man City campaign.

Need proof of that claim? Just look at the numbers.

On the face of it, there might be those who doubt his prowess. Grealish scored the fewest league goals out of anybody on this list and only managed the third-most assists.

Yet he finishes first in 15 different categories on this list.

Passing is an area where he excels in particular. Grealish is some way ahead of the competition for long pass accuracy and general pass completion.

He gets on the ball more than anyone else too, which isn’t a shock as Pep Guardiola's team are so dominant.

But he drives at defences when he gets possession. Saka and Grealish completed the most take-ons per game last season out of the five, but the Man City man completed a higher percentage of his dribbles.

Additionally, he is a defensive workhorse when he needs to be, recovering the ball, intercepting passes, and completing more ground and aerial duels than his competition.

Who is the best?

Picking one player for your team out of these five men really does come down to personal preference and style of play.

Four demonstrated last season that they were the elite wide men in the Premier League today, while Sterling has been in that category in seasons gone by.

Saka, at 21 years old, could have the highest ceiling of the lot, with the Arsenal man potentially becoming even better as he develops.

Grealish is outstanding both in and out of possession. And if you need a goal, look no further than Rashford or Salah, two individuals who were among the most clinical in the league last year.

All five will be looking ahead to the new Premier League season, and we will undoubtedly see why everyone holds them in such high regard.