Top 10 Most Overrated Players at Premier League Clubs, Including Liam Delap and William Saliba
Here at WANDERLUSTSPORT we’re thoroughly fed up with the unwarranted praise and excessive attention lavished upon Premier League footballers.
Our goal is to bring them back down to earth, to challenge the inflated perceptions surrounding them.
In some cases, particularly with those who are massively built up, we’re aiming for a significant re-evaluation.
Across the board – whether it’s from supporters, coaches, team executives, commentators, journalists (ourselves included), or even the players themselves – certain individuals are valued more highly than their actual performance warrants.
We’ve identified these top 10 excessively praised and perhaps overrated players at some clubs in the Premier League.
10. Carlos Baleba (Defensive–Midfielder)
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Team: Brighton
Envision the amusement we’d all be experiencing right now if Baleba, instead of thriving, was delivering these hilariously dreadful showings compared to last year, but doing so for Manchester United, a team that had desperately splashed out £100 million to acquire him.
Perhaps this decline in form stems from him being distracted by transfer rumors or other off-field concerns.
However, if he paid a bit more attention to the game, he might not be losing possession so frequently, wouldn’t you agree? Good heavens, he’s certainly no Moises Caicedo!
9. Jack Grealish (Attacking-Midfielder)
Team: Everton
We were definitely part of the group enthusiastically pushing for Grealish to be included in the England squad.
We felt frustrated when he was overlooked, especially considering he was the Premier League’s leading provider of goals with assists, racking up four by the time the international games in September came around.
However, a closer look reveals that two of those assists were against Wolves, a detail we now believe should be disregarded.
Furthermore, he hasn’t contributed any further assists in the subsequent seven matches, managing only a single goal.
Now, with a more objective perspective, and having calmed our initial strong support, we’ve started to acknowledge that England might benefit more from having quicker players on the left side of the field.
It’s possible that our personal bias towards him might be influencing our judgment regarding his suitability for the number 10 role, a position he has played very infrequently in recent years.
8. Lucas Paqueta (Attacking–Midfielder)
Team: Westham United
The situation surrounding Paqueta’s potential departure from West Ham in 2026 is certainly generating a great deal of interest. It’s a fascinating prospect to consider what the future holds for him.
On the one hand, there are those occasional performances where he seems utterly out of place, a talent almost wasted given the overall standard of the team.
However, those moments are often outweighed by numerous other matches where he appears to have found a comfortable form, suggesting that perhaps West Ham is the right environment for him.
It’s this inconsistency and the underlying potential that makes his future career moves so compelling to watch.
7. William Saliba (Center-Back)
Team: Arsenal
With Gabriel out injured for a significant period, we’re potentially about to discover Saliba’s true quality as a central defender.
However, this might not be the case, as Christhian Mosquera or Piero Hincapie are likely competent enough to step in and make Saliba appear better than he is, essentially hiding any weaknesses he may have.
Even if these players don’t manage to mask Saliba’s deficiencies, Mikel Arteta has a wealth of options, including a number of full-backs who can play centrally.
Joking aside, Arsenal should seriously consider accepting a £100 million offer from Real Madrid for Saliba.
If he were to leave, any decline in the team’s performance would likely be minimal, suggesting his impact is perhaps overstated.
6. Florian Wirtz (Attacking–Midfielder)
Team: Liverpool
Right now, the reaction to Wirtz’s struggles in the Premier League is one of frustration and outrage. A wave of supporters, especially from Germany, are fiercely defending him, confident that Gary Neville and other doubters will be proven wrong in time.
If this situation follows a pattern similar to the stages of bereavement, which seems likely given how Bundesliga commentators initially struggled to accept Wirtz’s departure from their league (a classic sign of refusal to believe), we can anticipate the next phases.
There will likely be attempts to minimize Wirtz’s underperformance by pointing to other players, like Alexander Isak, and arguing they are bigger disappointments.
This would be a form of negotiation, trying to shift the blame. Eventually, this will give way to disappointment and sadness, leading finally to the realization that, firstly, Wirtz was perhaps valued too highly, and secondly, that the Premier League truly is the most competitive and prestigious football league globally.
5. Senne Lammens (Goal-keeper)
Team: Manchester United
During Lammens’ debut against Sunderland, we found the playful chants from Manchester United supporters, likening him to the legendary Schmeichel due to his secure handling of straightforward crosses, something previous goalkeepers had struggled with quite amusing.
However, that lightheartedness has faded. Now, after a mere handful of matches where he’s simply performed adequately, serious suggestions are being made that the 23-year-old is *the* definitive solution to the team’s long-standing goalkeeping problems.
The initial jest has been replaced by earnest, perhaps premature, declarations of his greatness.
4. Jordan Henderson (Midfielder)
Team: Brentford
“We acknowledge that Henderson’s performance since returning to the Premier League has surpassed our initial expectations and desires.
However, our assessment may be influenced by a strong aversion to his decision to play in Saudi Arabia, particularly given his previous vocal support for the LGBTQ+ community.
Consequently, we may not value his on-field actions such as directing play, vocalizing instructions, and executing long passes – as highly as those who greatly admire the midfielder, especially considering what we perceive as a significant ethical compromise on his part.”
3. Tijjani Reijnders (Attacking–Midfielder)
Team: Manchester City
That first match against Wolves, where Reijnders’ performance led to widespread comparisons with Manchester City legends like Kevin De Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan, and David Silva – all rolled into one impressive player, ultimately wasn’t the predictor of future triumphs that many initially believed it would be.
2. Rodrigo Bentancur (Attacking–Midfielder)
Team: Tottenham Hotspur
It’s rare to see a player so praised primarily for simply being composed with the ball. Bentancur is often considered a vital player in Tottenham’s midfield, a sentiment we share.
However, this is largely because his midfield colleagues often exhibit a chaotic, uncontrolled style, lacking the basic composure you’d expect from professional footballers.
1. Liam Delap (Striker)
Team: Chelsea
Okay, while acknowledging we haven’t seen much of him due to injury and that questionable ejection, based on what we’ve observed so far, he’s performing more like an average, run-of-the-mill forward than an elite, top-tier goalscorer.
However, He’s definitely not displaying the qualities of a truly dominant striker at this point.
