Opinions, analysis and commentary
Cucurella matches Calafiori’s attacking output closely, and Robinson tackles more often per 90 minutes, but no rival left-back leads across attack, defence and team record the way Calafiori does right now. Three games into the 2026-27 season, Jamie Carragher called him by far the best left-back in the Premier League without ever naming a single rival for comparison. The underlying numbers mostly back that verdict up on close inspection, and Arsenal’s own tactical setup around him helps explain exactly why that is the case.
Three games into the 2026-27 season, Jamie Carragher had already seen enough. After Arsenal beat Aston Villa, with Riccardo Calafiori registering his second assist in as many league games, the Sky Sports pundit called him by far the best left-back currently playing in the Premier League. The Italian had already scored earlier in the Community Shield win over Manchester City back in August.
Against Chelsea a fortnight later, his unusual movement forced Pedro Neto into a back five, opened a 14.4-yard gap between the Chelsea centre-backs, and directly set up Odegaard’s winner. Compelling viewing, but Carragher named no rival left-back for comparison, and Sky Sports’ own coverage acknowledged the gap was left unfilled.
| Player | Team | Goals / Assists | Tackles Won (p90) | Aerial Duel % |
| Riccardo Calafiori | Arsenal | 1G / 2A | 1.68 | Around 60% |
| Milos Kerkez | Liverpool | 2G / 2A | 1.35 | 58.3% |
| Antonee Robinson | Fulham | 1G / 0A | 2.89 | Around 61% |
| Marc Cucurella | Chelsea | 1G / 4A | 1.89 | Around 58% |
Using the completed 2025-26 season as the fullest dataset currently available, Calafiori made 26 Premier League appearances, scored once and set up two further goals, with a pass completion rate of 85.52 percent and 1.68 tackles won per 90 minutes. Arsenal’s expected goals faced per game sat at just 0.9, the lowest total anywhere in the league that season, and they shipped only seven goals across the entire campaign.
Kerkez, who joined Liverpool from Bournemouth in the summer of 2025, managed only two assists across the entire campaign and struggled to consistently impose himself on matches. Robinson was Fulham’s busiest defender at 2.89 tackles per 90 but registered zero assists across 22 appearances, while Cucurella came closest to Calafiori in attack with five goal involvements across 34 Chelsea appearances, though his side conceded 32 goals in those particular matches.
An independent analytics ranking system placed Calafiori first among all 2025-26 Premier League left-backs, ahead of Rayan Ait-Nouri in second place and Kerkez down in third. Sixteen clean sheets across 26 league appearances, combined with a stronger attacking return than anyone outside Cucurella, gives him the single broadest profile of the entire group.
Robinson still beats him comfortably on tackles per 90 minutes. Cucurella still matches him closely enough on goal involvements alone. No other left-back in the entire division manages to do both things at once, which is exactly the gap that Carragher’s original claim quietly depends on.
Arsenal’s tactical setup matters a great deal here. Ben White’s inverted role at right-back, tucking narrow to free up Saka higher up the pitch, pushes most of the team’s wide attacking responsibility onto the left side instead, and Calafiori benefits directly from that structural choice every single week of the season.
White himself has described the position as requiring a mix of central midfielder, centre-back, winger and playmaker all rolled into one demanding role. That system context doesn’t diminish Calafiori’s quality in the slightest, but it does clarify the real scale of Carragher’s by far claim about him.
Cucurella produced broadly comparable attacking numbers, but only over far more total appearances, and Robinson was clearly the stronger defensive tackler of the two, yet Calafiori remains the only left-back who leads simultaneously across attacking output, tackle rate, and overall team defensive record this season.
That combination is exactly what the Calafiori Premier League left-back stats comparison keeps circling back to whenever the numbers get compared properly. Carragher’s verdict genuinely holds up under scrutiny. The by-far margin is simply narrower in reality than the highlight reel alone would suggest to a casual viewer.
Does Calafiori truly deserve the best left-back in the league tag outright, or is this closer than Carragher made it sound? Let us know below.
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What are Riccardo Calafiori’s stats this season?
Calafiori made 26 Premier League appearances in 2025-26, scoring once with two assists. He also kept 16 clean sheets and averaged 85.52 percent pass completion across the campaign.
Who ranks as the best left-back in the Premier League?
An independent analytics ranking placed Calafiori first among 2025-26 left-backs. He finished ahead of Rayan Ait-Nouri in second and Milos Kerkez in third on the same list.
What did Jamie Carragher say about Calafiori?
Carragher called Calafiori by far the best left-back in the Premier League. He made the comment after Arsenal’s win over Aston Villa, having praised him similarly following the Chelsea match too.
How does Calafiori compare to Marc Cucurella?
Cucurella posted more goal involvements, five compared to Calafiori’s three overall. He needed 34 total appearances to do it, though, and his Chelsea side conceded 32 goals across those specific matches.
Why is Ben White important to Calafiori’s numbers?
White’s inverted role at right-back frees up space on Arsenal’s left side. His narrow tucking movement pulls defenders away from Calafiori, directly amplifying the room he finds on forward runs.
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