The Premier League is the most-watched league in the world and it comes with a lot of scrutiny from the world’s media.
Players are judged for their performances on a weekly basis and have become accustomed to the scrutiny of playing for some of the world’s top football clubs.
Live Football Tickets have analysed how the Premier League’s footballers are perceived in online news coverage over the last two years.
Which position is the most positively perceived in the Premier League?
According to the study, strikers are the most positively perceived in online news coverage (52%), having just 21% of their coverage in a negative tone.
Midfielders rank as the second most positively reported position, while goalkeepers find themselves in third, with 40% positive coverage.
Defenders in the Premier League are the most hated, with just 38% of their online coverage in a positive light. Arsenal’s Riccardo Calafiori boasts the most positive coverage (62%), with his Arsenal team mate Ben White following closely behind (56%).
Happy Birthday, Caoimhin Kelleher 🎂
— The Redmen TV (@TheRedmenTV) November 23, 2022
The Cork-born stopper has kept 9⃣ clean sheets in 18 first-team outings for Liverpool!
Kelleher holds the record for the most penalty shootout victories for the club with four 🙌
Not bad at scoring them either...pic.twitter.com/agj8BjX9dt
The players who receive the most hate in the Premier League
Caoimhín Kelleher (Liverpool)
The goalkeeper is the most negatively perceived player in the Premier League, with 62% of his online news coverage being of a negative tone, and just 11% of his news coverage being positive.
Despite recently making it clear that he wants to leave Liverpool, the goalkeeper was part of the team’s recent starting XI against Bournemouth, due to Alisson currently being injured.
Ruben Dias (Manchester City)
Dias ranks second, with 60% of his news coverage being negative. The Manchester City defender has made 122 appearances for the club, however, news coverage appears to be more critical than positive .
One of his most recent performances in the 2-2 draw against Arsenal was described as ‘wasteful’.
Enzo Fernández (Chelsea)
The Argentine World Cup winner ranks third, with his negative online coverage amounting to 58% of his online news.
Chelsea broke the British transfer record upon signing Enzo Fernández for £106.8 million, however, this hefty price tag hasn’t come without negative press on the midfielder.
Lisandro Martínez (Manchester United)
The Man United’s centre back ranks fourth, with 54% negative media coverage. The defender signed for United in 2022, and has since become one of the team’s key players, yet his positive media coverage only amounts to 24%.
Fifth place is shared by Manchester United’s goalkeeper Altay Bayındır and Chelsea’s defender Levi Colwill, both having 52% negative media coverage.
"He's really stepped up." 🧤@EdmundBrack names #CPFC goalkeeper Dean Henderson as the 'man in form' for The Eagles 🦅
— The Redmen TV (@TheRedmenTV) October 4, 2024
Crystal Palace v Liverpool | Oppo Preview
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Who are the players who receive the most praise in the Premier League?
Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace)
Henderson takes the crown as the most positively perceived player in the Premier League. An impressive 74% of his media coverage is positive.
Last season, the goalkeeper made 58 saves - and was most recently hailed as a "great goalkeeper" following his superb display against his former club Manchester United.
Eberechi Eze (Crystal Palace)
Eze follows with 71% positive news coverage. The midfielder has already achieved a tackle success of 88% already this season. He has been linked with various big teams over the last 12 months.
Jarrod Bowen (West Ham)
West Ham’s Bowen ranks third, boasting 68% positive online coverage. The forward bagged himself 16 goals and 6 assists last season, and has already bagged one goal and one assist this season.
Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa)
Ollie Watkins ranks fifth, with 65% positive media coverage. The striker finished last season on 19 goals, and has already scored three for his club this season - not to mention scoring one of the most “important England goals ever” during the 2024 Euros semi-finals.
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