The start of a new Premier League season can be an unknown period as squads start to gel, a fresh set of recruits burst onto the scene, and records are there to be broken.
Bukayo Saka’s superb start to the season has taken the Arsenal winger to the top of the creative standings, with the 23-year-old leading the league for assists.
Such has been his level, Saka came agonisingly close to breaking the record for the most Premier League assists after seven games this year. We’ve looked at the players with the most Premier League assists at this stage of a season.
The players with the most assists in Premier League history after seven matches
Thierry Henry – 2004/05 (7)
Coming off the back of Arsenalโs ‘Invincibles’ campaign, Thierry Henry was in the midst of his prime years.
The charismatic Frenchman had that certain โje ne sais quoiโ about him. His mere presence struck fear into the souls of opposition defenders and he started the Gunnersโ title defence in electric form.
Arsene Wenger and his player’s endeavour for successive Premier League titles was ultimately unsuccessful, but individually Henry excelled.
Arguably the most impressive aspect, is the fact that he also scored 25 goals to go with the 14 assists he eventually attained, resulting in a staggering 39 total goal contributions. He truly is one of the Premier League greats.
Cesc Fabregas – 2014/15 (7)
The Spanish technician was convinced to return to English football by Jose Mourinho in the summer of 2014, which proved to be a masterstroke by the Special One.
Fabregas announced his return in customary fashion with a defence-splitting pass to set up Andre Schurrle at newly promoted Burnley in the opening game.
The best #PL assist you’ve ever seen? ๐#GoalOfTheDay @ChelseaFC pic.twitter.com/VoSSE1qC6J
โ Premier League (@premierleague) December 14, 2019
The former Barcelona and Arsenal man established a perfectly balanced midfield partnership with Nemanja Matic that season as Chelsea went on to lift the Premier League title come May.
Fabregas’ importance in that title triumph cannot be understated, as he finished the season with 18 assists. Visionary.
Paul Pogba – 2021/22 (7)
Many consider Paul Pogbaโs ยฃ89 million move to Manchester United in 2017, which was a world record fee at the time, a failure. However, the enigmatic midfielder still caught the eye, and not just with his outlandish haircuts.
Pogba stormed ahead in the assist rankings with seven in as many games in 2021/22. Like others on this list, the Frenchman accrued the majority of his assists in a single game, with four coming on the opening day in a 5-1 thrashing of Leeds United.
๐จ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐.
๐จ @PaulPogba#MUFC pic.twitter.com/GmeenPwexw
โ Manchester United (@ManUtd) August 18, 2021
Pogba orchestrated an emphatic triumph as he set up Fred, Mason Greenwood and Bruno Fernandes twice. The latter ended up with a hat-trick, but Pogba still took the plaudits.
However, his purple patch failed to last. A red card and hamstring injury ruled the midfielder out until February before a calf problem curtailed his campaign. He ended the campaign with nine assists.
Bukayo Saka – 2024/25 (7)
Just two players have ever provided more assists after seven games than Bukayo Saka.
The winger has taken the creative burden at Arsenal in his stride in the absence of injured captain Martin Odegaard.
As Arsenalโs primary set-piece taker, Saka has profited hugely off his sideโs aerial dominance in the box. The 23-year-old consistently whips inviting corners and free-kicks into dangerous areas, just waiting for a telling touch from a teammate.
There’s only one Premier League player this season with more than 10:
โ Chances created (27)
โ Big chances created (12)
โ Shots (25)
โ Dribbles completed (14)
โ Tackles (12)Bukayo Saka โจ pic.twitter.com/lxcUJCzWIQ
โ Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) October 8, 2024
This season alone, centre-half Gabriel has gleefully met a corner from Saka in big games for Mikel Artetaโs side, with the Brazilian powering home away at Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur.
His clipped cross to the back post is becoming a signature move for the Englishman and he will now be chasing the record for the most assists in an single campaign, set at 20.
Harry Kane – 2020/21 (8)
Back in 2020, Harry Kane was recognised as one of Europeโs best strikers with his ruthless finishing putting him among the continentโs best.
However, that summer the England captain transformed himself into an all-encompassing centre-forward with his range of passing blossoming.
Jose Mourinho has a habit of sparking evolution in his players and Kane was his next success. As revealed in Spursโ Amazon Documentary: All or Nothing, one of the first conversations Mourinho had as Tottenham manager was about helping the lethal goalscorer โexplode.โ
And explode he did. Kane collected the Golden Boot and the Playmaker Award at the end of that season with 23 goals and 14 assists in Englandโs top division.
Exactly half of his eight assists in that early period of the campaign came in one match, a virtuoso performance against Southampton. In it, he set up teammate Heung-min Son a staggering four times and also notched a goal himself in Tottenhamโs 5-2 rout.
๐ผ ๐๐๐ฃ๐ฉ๐๐จ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐! โฝโฝโฝโฝ https://t.co/XsYvB3uPwA pic.twitter.com/2fbHpx9azT
โ Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) November 13, 2020
Remarkably, after eight assists in seven games, he then only recorded six in his remaining 28 league appearances. But his purple patch of creativity remains a joint-record.
Kevin De Bruyne – 2019/20 (8)
Kevin De Bruyne is one of the greatest innovators to grace these shores and he shares the crown with Kane for top spot in this list.
The Belgian encapsulates everything that makes the โBeautiful Gameโ so mesmerising. His passing ranges from the subtle and simplistic to the seemingly impossible and he has captivated fans of every club for the best part of a decade.
Kevin De Bruyne’s 2019/20 campaign was special:
โ Most assists
โ Most goals+assists
โ Most through balls
โ Most chances created
โ Most Big Chances created
โ Most open-play chances created
โ Most goals from outside the boxKing Kevin is here to stay. pic.twitter.com/yYTBDNr3cy
โ Squawka (@Squawka) April 7, 2021
If you extrapolate his average assist per game at that stage over a full campaign, De Bruyne would have ended up with roughly 43 assists.
He only managed 20 in reality, which was still enough to see him match Thierry Henry’s record for the most assists in a single Premier League season.
Now 33, the Manchester City midfielder finds himself second in the all-time assist list with 113 set-ups, behind only Ryan Giggs (162).
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