Only one West Ham player makes FanSided Top 50, is that fair?

FanSided released their top 50 players of the Premier League this week, and it only contained one West Ham player. Is that a fair reflection of the quality in our team and the Premier League?

Every year our website group gets together and votes on the top 50 Premier League players. The considerations for the list were talent (so raw ability), if they’d performed in the Premier League and their consistency across years and teams. So for example Kane after season one of crazy scoring wouldn’t be top 10, but now after 4 seasons of 20+ goals is in at No.5.

This site was involved this year, but despite our assertion that we should have numerous players in the top 50, Arnautovic (41) is the only player in there for West Ham. My first reaction is that that is a very harsh judgement on some of the players we have in the squad. Yes we haven’t had a great few years, but surely the Hammers have more than one in the top 50? Or maybe the quality is so top heavy that’s just the way it is, and I’ve not noticed?

Top Hammers

Firstly, who are the best players at West Ham? Obviously Arnautovic is there, but Chicharito and Lanzini deserve to be in consideration as well. Of the new players Anderson could also be in consideration, and maybe Yarmolenko as well. But do they fit the criteria specified?

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Chicharito has scored everywhere, including United in the Premier League. Last season wasn’t great for him, but he barely started! So surely he’d be in consideration? But no, there was no mention of the Mexican on the list. Lanzini hasn’t achieved too much in his career, but is very talented, still it’s tough for him to get considered.

With new players like Yarmolenko and Anderson, it’s hard for them to break onto the list. Only 2 new Premier League players made the list: Jorginho and Keita. Both of whom are very big signings, although have yet to win anything too significant with club or country. However I think that other issues may have kept players off the leaderboard.

Talent Location

When looking at where players are playing on that list, there’s not many outside the top 6 clubs. Zaha, at 30, is the highest of those and then it only includes 2 Leicester players (Vardy at 31 and Maguire at 43) and one Everton player (Siggurdsson at 48). So 5 players outside the top 6, is that talent hoarding or bias in the voting/perception?

Well when Henderson makes the top 50 (I can’t stand him as a player) I have to think there’s one or the other. And when Van Dijk gets ahead of Alderweireld I do begin to think there’s a Liverpool bias in this voting system. I would also consider Arnautovic as more effective in the Premier League than Lacazette, who just pops ahead of him at 40. But then I think Bernardo Silva deserves much better than 49 as well.

Next. Fight for West Ham's No.1 jersey. dark

The issue is that when you’re surrounded by good players you look better. And when your team is winning you look better too, so the Hammers players are always likely to suffer. That being said, I think that there will be a lot more players in Claret and Blue making that list next season. As long as there’s not a swarm of Liverpool writers voting that is…

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