Another Premier League season is over and following the final weekend we’ve decided to look back on some of best statistics of the 2022/23 campaign.
The race for the Premier League’s Playmaker Award was largely a one-horse one with a familiar name top of the rankings, but six stars ended the season with double figures for assists.
Here are the six Premier League players to provide 10+ assists this season.
Riyad Mahrez – 10
Riyad Mahrez reached 10 assists in the Premier League for the first time as a Manchester City player this season, despite the Algerian struggling for a regular role in Pep Guardiola’s plans.
Mahrez made just 22 league starts for the Premier League champions, but was directly involved in 15 goals (five goals and 10 assists) at an average of a goal involvement every 128 minutes of action.
???? Riyad Mahrez’s 2022-23 Premier League season:
◉ 30 games ????
◉ 5 goals ⚽️
◉ 10 assists ???????? The 10 assists are the most Mahrez has had in a league season for Manchester City
???? The 5 goals are the least goals scored by Mahrez in a league season for Manchester City pic.twitter.com/Vq23Le5xwy
— Algeria FC (@Algeria_FC) May 29, 2023
It was the third time Mahrez had reached 10+ assists in the Premier League, having also achieved the feat at Leicester in 2015/16 and 2016/17. The first of those seasons saw Mahrez named as the PFA Players’ Player of the Year after providing a career-high 11 assists in Leicester’s shock title-winning season.
Bukayo Saka – 11
Bukayo Saka was one of the stars of the Premier League season and ended the campaign with 11 assists for Arsenal.
Saka was one of just two players to record 10+ for both goals and assists in the Premier League, alongside Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah.
The 21-year-old was one of two Arsenal players nominated for the Premier League’s Player of the Season Award, won by Manchester City’s Erling Haaland, after inspiring the Gunners to a runners-up finish and Champions League qualification.
Bukayo Saka’s 2022/23 Premier League season by numbers:
254 touches in opp. box
89 shots
75 chances created
63 successful take-ons
39 accurate crosses
32 shots on target
14 goals
11 assists
11.44 xG
5.81 xASpicy. ????️ pic.twitter.com/13ET87MpAa
— Squawka Live (@Squawka_Live) May 29, 2023
Saka has continued to get better and better at Arsenal and has evolved into one of the most effective attacking options in the division. Only three players – Haaland, Harry Kane and Mohamed Salah – were involved in more goals than Saka (25) this season. That’s elite company.
Michael Olise – 11
Michael Olise had a breakout season at Crystal Palace to emerge as the club’s creative spark.
The Frenchman built on an encouraging first season with the Eagles last term to earn more regular involvement and responded with a productive campaign that delivered 11 assists.
More than deserved ????#CPFC pic.twitter.com/ET4Bmfocgh
— Crystal Palace F.C. (@CPFC) May 24, 2023
No U21 player in Europe’s top five divisions provided more league assists in 2022/23 than Olise, who claimed Palace’s Players’ Player of the Season accolade at the club’s end-of-season awards. The winger was recognised after becoming the first player to record double digits for assists for the Eagles in a Premier League season.
Mohamed Salah – 12
Mohamed Salah led the Premier League for assists to win the 2021/22 Playmaker Award and again featured highly in 2022/23.
Salah scored 19 goals and laid on 12 assists despite Liverpool’s disappointing season, the fourth time he has reached 10+ assists in a Premier League campaign. Only once before has Salah created more goals in a single season, while only one player provided more assists.
Only two Premier League players registered 10+ goals & 10+ assists this season:
M. Salah – 19⚽️ & 12????️
B. Saka – 14⚽️ & 11????️Best 2️⃣ RW in the Premier League. ???????????? pic.twitter.com/BrwvdpMxvw
— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) May 30, 2023
The Egyptian remains a numbers machine when it comes to goals and assists and will be central to Liverpool’s prospects of bouncing back into title contention next season.
Leandro Trossard – 12
Arsenal turned their attention to Leandro Trossard after missing out on Mykhailo Mudryk in January and it’s fair to say the Gunners investment has been a wise one.
Trossard provided 10 assists for Arsenal following his mid-season arrival, including becoming the first player in Premier League history to record a hat-trick of assists in the first half of an away game as the north Londoners won at Fulham.
The Belgium international had already created two goals for Brighton before his winter window move and ended the season on 12 assists.
Two Arsenal players have provided 10+ Premier League assists in a single Premier League season for the first time in 10 years:
2012/13
◎ Santi Cazorla
◎ Theo Walcott2022/23
◉ Bukayo Saka
◉ Leandro TrossardTrossard only joined in January. ???? pic.twitter.com/eBn0JQ0RBr
— Squawka (@Squawka) May 28, 2023
Kevin De Bruyne – 16
Kevin De Bruyne led the Premier League for assists once again following another phenomenal season from the Manchester City midfielder.
De Bruyne’s 16 assists were a league-leading total as the 31-year-old carved out chances for his City teammates, particularly summer arrival Erling Haaland who benefited from the brilliance of the Belgian.
???? Here to assist you…@KevinDeBruyne wins the @Castrol Playmaker award for 2022/23! pic.twitter.com/XMeYsNmozw
— Premier League (@premierleague) May 28, 2023
De Bruyne won the Premier League’s Playmaker Award for a third time, having also topped the division for assists in 2017/18 and 2019/20.
He became just the fifth footballer to reach a century of Premier League assists earlier in the campaign and did so in record-breaking time. He has now provided 10+ assists in five of the last seven seasons.
Read – Six of the best games of the 2022/23 Premier League season
Read Also – Our writers’ Premier League end-of-season awards
