10 Best Premier League Right-Backs Ranked

Over the years, there have been serious questions over his defensive abilities, with the 24-year-old guilty of switching off and presenting the opposition with a chance to score. He did improve towards the end of the 2022/23 campaign, which helped Liverpool to finish fifth in the table. That said, in 2023/24, we saw the Englishman become much more assured in the defending side of his game, helping the club lift a Carabao Cup in Jurgen Klopp’s farewell season.

2 Kyle Walker

Manchester City

There may be a fair few who feel as if Kyle Walker should be number one, and there would be little argument given what he’s accomplished with Manchester City (particularly in 2022/23) as well as what he did in previous years. The veteran full-back, an 82-cap England international, is widely regarded as one of the best worldwide – and deservedly so.

He possesses immense speed, a quality which helps him lock up some of the very best in the game. On top of his trademark pace, he’s strong, a good tackler, and a leader at the back. Then there is his trophy-ladened cabinet to factor in as well. Since moving from Tottenham Hotspur, the 34-year-old has got his hands on six Premier League titles and helped his team complete an impressive treble.

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3 Ben White

Arsenal

Arsenal’s number four has proven his innate versatility by playing outside of his natural position across Arsenal’s second-placed season. Ben White, who is a centre-back by trade, has been utilised on the right under Mikel Arteta and the Poole-born defender has taken to his new role like a duck to water. The 26-year-old is solid in defence and isn’t too shabby going forward either, with him registering four goals and assists across his 37 league outings in 2023/24.

He was hoping to aid his side in going one better during 23/24 and has been a relatively immovable object on the right, with summer signing Jurrien Timber nursing an ACL injury. It’ll be interesting to see the Englishman’s role once the former Ajax man returns. However, following the relatively recent news that the defender signed a new deal with the north London-based outfit, it’d seem as if the club have White in their plans long-term.

4 Malo Gusto

Chelsea

After arriving from Lyon, Chelsea fans assumed Malo Gusto would take up the role of Reece James’ understudy. However, following the skipper’s injury woes during the 2023/24 campaign, the young French defender has been given an opportunity to impress in the first team – and he’s taken the chance with both hands, though he is among the top 10 French players to be snubbed from their Euro 2024 squad.

Arguably one of the best in his position in the league right now, the versatile defender has shown that he’s an effective player in the final third while proving to be a real asset in his own box. Going into the next campaign, newly appointed boss Enzo Maresca will have to find a way of having both of them on the pitch at the same time due to the Frenchman’s consistency on the pitch week in, week out.

5 Diogo Dalot

Manchester United

José Mourinho once described Diogo Dalot as ‘the best full-back in Europe in his age group’ when he signed for Manchester United in 2018. And while he might not be quite there yet, he has developed into a respectable figure in the Old Trafford dressing room. A loan stint at AC Milan between October 2020 and June 2021 really helped him to progress, and since coming back, he has enjoyed brilliant spells for the club.

Ten Hag played him 42 times in all competitions in 2022/23, and the Portuguese defender was a key reason why United returned to the Champions League for 2023/24 and got their hands on the Carabao Cup. He continued his incredible development into the most recent term, nailing down a regular place in the starting eleven, while Patrice Evra has called him United’s ‘most important player’. Given all of the above, there will definitely be some people scratching their heads and wondering why he isn’t any higher on this list.

6 Reece James

Chelsea

The Chelsea defender would be higher up on the list, but his brutal injury record keeps affecting his progress. When you consider that he only played 16 league games in 2022/23 because of multiple knocks, you do start to fear that he may be injury prone. Couple that with Chelsea’s embryonic woes last term under Mauricio Pochettino, and it’s hard to rank him any higher than sixth. Perhaps next season, under the guidance of Maresca, we may be subject to prime James.

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Make no mistake about it, he is one of the most exciting full-backs in world football. The Cobham graduate possesses all the qualities you would want from a modern-day right-back, with Kyle Walker saying he is the most complete player in that role. He’s excellent at the back, capable of muscling attackers off the ball or cleaning them out with a superb tackle. He’s also brilliant going forward, with his inch-perfect crosses an attacker’s dream. In the 2021/22 season, he assisted his teammates nine times and bagged five goals himself, which is ample proof that he is a very capable attacker. He just needs a run of games to rise up the list here.

7 Pedro Porro

Tottenham

While the likes of attacking stars James Maddison and Son Heung-min and summer signing Micky van de Ven have attracted Tottenham Hotspur-inspired headlines, Pedro Porro has flown under the radar. A vital cog in Ange Postecoglou’s well-oiled machine, the ex-Manchester City defender is ever so dynamic, making the Spurs right-back berth his own this season.

The Spaniard enjoyed three goals and assists apiece in 15 games last season but bettered his assist tally in 2023/24 with a grand total of seven across 35 outings and, at 24, is poised to get better by the day. Able to put a delivery on a six pence, Porro’s influence on proceedings in north London has been unparalleled – and he would, understandably, be a massive part should they eventually end their trophy drought in the coming seasons.

8 Kieran Trippier

Newcastle United

He might not have looked like an elite full-back while at Tottenham Hotspur, but Kieran Trippier found a new level in his first full season at Newcastle United. The Englishman was a regular fixture on the right side of the Magpies’ back line, having played in every single domestic outing. His quality going forward – only rivalled by Alexander-Arnold – is nothing short of incredible, with his passing ability and set-piece delivery a nightmare for defenders to deal with.

To help underline that point, only Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes played more key passes in the Premier League in 2023/24 than Trippier, per FBref. His quality on the ball is undeniable, and he has continued to be a forward threat, with the armband wrapped around his bicep, under Eddie Howe’s tutelage. Fans did not see the best of the former Atletico Madrid man in the season just gone by; that said, he still finished with 10 assists to his name.

9 Aaron Wan-Bissaka

Manchester United

At one point during the 2022/23 season, it looked as if Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s career in Manchester was coming to a lamentable end as he fell heavily out of favour. Unfancied by Erik ten Hag, dislodged by Dalot for multiple league games, and linked with a winter transfer to a set of different Premier League clubs, but the Englishman may have found his role at the club. Whether he’s happy being a fringe player, however, remains to be seen.

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Monikered as ‘The Spider’ thanks to his gangly limbs and highly impressive 1v1 ability, the uncapped Englishman has evident deficiencies in his game – going forward is one of them. Not as adept as Dalot in that area, Wan-Bissaka may be forced to spend more time on the sidelines than he’d like in the coming season. However, there are not many full-backs, if any, on this list who are better defensively than the United man.

10 Vladimir Coufal

West Ham United

Perhaps the most underrated player on this list, West Ham United’s Vladimir Coufal’s name rarely creeps in said conversations, but his tally of 10 assists from the 2023/24 term shows that he quietly goes about his business. A paramount piece to David Moyes’ Europa Conference League-winning outfit, the Czechia international’s importance cannot be understated.

Unfortunately for the east Londoners, the 31-year-old’s contract runs at the end of June 2024, but given his impressive tally of assists, newly appointed Julen Lopetegui would be wise to delve deeper into his situation. Also defensively reliable, the connection between him and compatriot Tomas Soucek is something the club will not want to split.