As the Premier League hits the October international break, we’re at the stage where we can review the action so far and pinpoint the biggest stars from across the division and the impact they have made. We spoke to NationalWorld journalists covering the league, to find out their takes on the best players.
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00:00So, Rich, looking at the Premier League season, who's sort of been the standout candidate for you so far?
00:06I think it's very difficult to look behind the sort of star names that you expected it to be before the season started.
00:14I mean, you take for granted how good Erling Haaland is. He just scores goals at the most extraordinary rate and it is almost just absolutely taken for granted.
00:24You check your score apps every Saturday and see Haaland scored again and you roll your eyebrows back and you think like, OK, here we go again.
00:33But he is an absolute phenomenon. You look at how well Arsenal have started. Saliba has been a rock at the back for them.
00:41And then Karl Palmer. I mean, what a 12 months this guy has had. The fact that this time last year we were still wondering why Chelsea really bought him.
00:50They obviously sold him and maybe that indicated that he didn't have sort of first team credentials there.
00:56But he is now not only a starter for Chelsea, he's a starter for England. He's scoring goals just left, right and centre.
01:02He's scoring a variety of goals. He's playing with such calmness and confidence.
01:07And right now he genuinely is one of the best players in world football, Karl Palmer.
01:11So for me, he's a standout because the other element against him was maybe it's a one season wonder.
01:16Will he actually be able to continue it? He's probably got even better.
01:19For me, it's Karl Palmer who's been the standout player in the Premier League this season.
01:23Erling Haaland is just what an outrageous player he is. Averaging more than the goal of the game for Manchester City so far.
01:29Already reaching 100 goals in so few matches. It's just been an incredible signing for them and continuing his fine form into this year.
01:37It doesn't matter what the opposition is. As soon as he gets through on goal, you bet your house on him to score pretty much every single time.
01:44I've been so impressed. Karl Palmer as well against Wolves. He's got a hat-trick of assists against Brighton.
01:50He's got four goals in one half. He's been very good once again.
01:54But I don't think anyone can take that crown away from Erling Haaland.
01:57Certainly it's early days, but we're probably enough of the way into the season now to maybe be starting to make some judgments and get some analysis.
02:04I think that there have been a couple of really impressive performers.
02:07I think some of the usual suspects, Trent Alexander-Arnold has been fantastic.
02:10I think Mo Salah has been really good at Liverpool.
02:13I think Kai Havertz, I've really been impressed with him at Arsenal.
02:16We just spoke about Rigo Lurz, I think he's been fantastic.
02:18But I mean the two standout ones for me, William Saliba, I think he's just a fantastic player.
02:23He's been outstanding this season defensively.
02:25But the standout one for me is still Erling Haaland.
02:28He scored 10 goals in seven Premier League games.
02:31These are astronomical numbers.
02:34These are just ludicrous levels in terms of the stats that he has produced on a weekly basis.
02:40And I think that we become slightly desensitised to it because he does it so often now that it becomes part of the course a little bit.
02:47But these are just remarkable numbers.
02:49And he's had a really good start to the season, albeit that he's slightly slowed up maybe over the last two games.
02:53But he's been brilliant so far at the start of this season.
02:56Just a ruthless finisher and probably the standout player from the opening seven games.