We have ranked the Premier League Big Eight in terms of injury and suspension problems in 2024/25, taking into account severity, player importance and sheer numbers.
Players in bold are currently unavailable or doubtful for their club’s next game. The vast majority of our research was on Transfermarkt.
Premier League ‘Big Eight’ ranked by injury and suspension issues in 2024/25
8) Liverpool
Harvey Elliott – Seven matches
Alisson – Four matches
Federico Chiesa – Four matches
Curtis Jones – Two matches
Darwin Nunez – One match
Well, well, well. Who’d have thought it? Top of the table while having the most fortune with injuries of the ‘Big Eight’. We see you, Arne.
Sure, all five players have their own importance. Darwin is an £80million striker, Jones has shown he can thrive under Arne Slot, Chiesa was recently regarded as a world-class forward, Alisson is arguably the best goalkeeper in the world and a club legend, and Elliott is a fantastic young player who Jurgen Klopp – by his own admission – should have played more often last season.
Liverpool’s fixture list is gruesome and some players will definitely feel the effects. But Slot does have decent depth at his disposal, with Wataru Endo, Nunez, Conor Bradley and Joe Gomez among those very capable of seamlessly coming in.
7) Chelsea
Reece James – 11 matches
Omari Kellyman – 11 matches
Romeo Lavia – Four matches
Malo Gusto – Two matches
Ben Chilwell – Two matches
Enzo Fernandez – One match
Filip Jorgensen – One match
Carney Chukwuemeka – One match
Marc Cucurella – One-match suspension
Wesley Fofana – One-match suspension
Sympathy for injuries will be in short supply given Chelsea have forced players to change for training in the corridor due to the bloated nature of their squad. Those shenanigans mean they should always have players ready to come in no matter who and how many are unavailable, but James is someone we do sympathise with; his injury record is devastating.
Chelsea are the only team to have a player suspended for receiving two yellow cards and they have two: Cucurella and Fofana missed Sunday’s loss at Liverpool.
6) Aston Villa
Kortney Hause – 12 matches
Robin Olsen – 11 matches
Tyrone Mings – 11 matches
Boubacar Kamara – 10 matches
Matty Cash – Six matches
John McGinn – Four matches
Jaden Philogene – Four matches and upcoming one-match suspension in Premier League
Amadou Onana – One match
Leon Bailey – One match
Jacob Ramsey – One match
You can be forgiven for not realising how many injuries Villa have suffered this season. They have been amazing and fans are bloody loving life, which is probably the reason they are sixth here. Unai Emery is going to be cast in gold outside of Villa Park if they continue on this trajectory.
Onana is only a doubt after being substituted at half-time against Bologna as a precaution and Philogene is suspended, meaning their only injury absentee this weekend against Bournemouth could be Hause, who has missed every game in 2024/25 and absolutely wouldn’t play anyway.
5) Tottenham
Richarlison – Eight matches
Wilson Odobert – Six matches
Heung-min Son – Three matches
Dominic Solanke – Two matches
Yves Bissouma – Two matches
Rodrigo Bentancur – One match
Micky van de Ven – One match
Djed Spence – One match
Fraser Forster – One match
Four names here are telling: Son, Solanke, Bissouma and Van de Ven. All four are extremely important and have missed eight matches in total. The number of injuries is not ideal but the length of each injury has helped avoid excessive stress at Tottenham.
Richarlison is now back and Ange Postecoglou will hope he can contribute with Timo Werner characteristically misfiring and the forgotten Odobert absent.
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4) Newcastle United
Sven Botman – 10 matches
Jamaal Lascelles – 10 matches
Callum Wilson – 10 matches
Lewis Miley – Nine matches
Garang Kuol – Six matches
Matt Targett – Five matches
Alexander Isak – Three matches
Fabian Schar – Three-match suspension
Sandro Tonali – Two matches
Martin Dubravka – Two matches
Kieran Trippier – One match
Joe Willock – One match
Newcastle’s defence has not been the same without Botman, who tore his ACL in March and probably won’t get back on the pitch until 2025. It was a big blow at the time and remains a big blow. The Magpies’ defensive record in 2022/23 was outstanding with Botman partnering Schar. It’s been largely downhill from there.
Elsewhere, it is a bonus to see Willock has only missed a single match, but Isak being injured for three hurt them. The goalless draw at Everton probably would have been a victory with the Swede in the side and the fact Callum Wilson was also unavailable rubs salt in deep wounds.
What does drop Newcastle down a ranking or two is the fact they did just fine without Tonali and Schar, who you would reasonably expect to be huge misses. Tonali returned from a lengthy suspension after four points from six but Newcastle only have two from nine in matches he has started. The Geordies were also unbeaten when Schar was suspended.
3) Manchester City
Oscar Bobb – 12 matches
Rodri – Eight matches
Nathan Ake – Seven matches
Kevin De Bruyne – Seven matches
Phil Foden – Two matches
Kyle Walker – Two matches
Savinho – One match
It is quality over quantity here. Rodri is the best in the world in his position. He trumps any argument. Add in Kevin de Bruyne and City have been missing two-thirds of their most important players (and are still unbeaten).
Oscar Bobb was expected to have an increased role in the Man City team and his injury is extremely unfortunate, but hardly damning for Pep Guardiola.
2) Manchester United
Luke Shaw – 11 matches
Leny Yoro – 11 matches
Tyrell Malacia – 11 matches
Mason Mount – Six matches
Rasmus Hojlund – Five matches
Victor Lindelof – Three matches
Harry Maguire – Two matches
Kobbie Mainoo – One match
Bruno Fernandes – Upcoming one-match suspension in Europa League
Having three players out from matchday one is vexing for Erik ten Hag, who frequently bemoaned his side’s injury problems last season. Noussair Mazraoui has been an inspired signing with Ten Hag’s two specialist left-backs, Shaw and Malacia, yet to kick a ball this season. The Moroccan has come in and allowed Diogo Dalot to play on the left, where he is now very comfortable.
New signing Joshua Zirkzee has also mercifully been available in the absence of Hojlund, who had plenty of problems last season too. Zirkzee has been largely rotten and slow, but he has at least been fit.
Yoro suffering a metatarsal injury before making his competitive debut was typical of the modern Manchester United and has seen Jonny Evans play more than expected for the second season in a row.
Man Utd have been all over the place this season, and while they recruited heavily in the summer, they have not been helped by more injuries to key men, with Mainoo now out for a few weeks. His absence is frustrating as he makes the Red Devils a much better team. We no longer know whether missing Mount is a blow or not.
The worst news of all is that Antony has been available all season.
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1) Arsenal
Kieran Tierney – 12 matches
Takehiro Tomiyasu – 11 matches
Martin Odegaard – Nine matches
Oleksandr Zinchenko – Nine matches
Mikel Merino – Eight matches
Jurrien Timber – Four matches
Benjamin White – Four matches
Bukayo Saka – Two matches
Gabriel Jesus – Two matches
David Raya – One match
Riccardo Calafiori – One match
Declan Rice – One-match suspension
Leandro Trossard – One-match suspension
William Saliba – Upcoming one-match suspension in Premier League
We do not sympathise with Arsenal for their red card woes. No matter how much their fans will argue – and call you a ‘turd-eater’ on social media for denying it – there is no anti-Arsenal agenda; not from the Premier League, PGMOL or Football Association. Grow up. And grow up fast.
Injuries, on the other hand, have truly hurt the Gunners. Mikel Arteta has spent a lot of money on shiny new toys so is well equipped to deal with the problems he has faced, but it has still been extremely testing for him. Arsenal are built around Martin Odegaard and he was typically injured on international duty. More typical was the decision to loan out Fabio Vieira to FC Porto. He would have been a perfect imperfect replacement. Instead, Trossard has been forced to play out of position.
Their biggest attacking threat comes from Bukayo Saka, who was also injured on international duty. Mikel Merino dislocated his shoulder in his first training session. And Arteta’s three left-backs, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Jurrien Timber, can’t shake their individual injury issues. That’s a lot of injury woe.
