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Which defenders have contributed to the most goals this season?
Gone are the days of defenders simply frustrating opposing forwards.
The modern defender must be comfortable in possession and able to contribute to build-up play and, more directly, affect goals.
Full-backs in particular are just as important in attack as defence these days.
From a Dream Team perspective, clean sheets are always going to be the consistent source of points for defenders but it’s worth being aware of those who are generating attacking output.
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With that in mind, here are the defenders who have registered the most goal contributions in all competitions this season.
- Stuart Dallas (£2.7m): 5 goals, 2 assists
- Ben Chilwell (£3.7m): 2 goals, 5 assists
- Luke Shaw (£3.3m): 1 goals, 6 assists
- Aaron Cresswell (£2.2m): 0 goals, 7 assists
- Michael Keane (£2.6m): 4 goals, 2 assists
- Andy Robertson (£3.8m): 1 goal, 5 assists
- Trent Alexander-Arnold (£4.2m): 1 goals, 5 assists
- Lucas Digne (£2.7m): 0 goals, 6 assists
- James Justin (£3.8m): 3 goals, 2 assists
- Aaron Wan-Bissaka (£3.7m): 2 goals, 3 assists
As is often the case, the frontrunner is a player who benefits from their adaptability.
As Marcelo Bielsa’s most-trusted utility man, Dallas has spent just as much time playing in midfield as at full-back this season.
Gareth Southgate may be keeping a close eye on the neck-and-neck contest between Chilwell and Shaw with the Euros on the horizon.
Chelsea’s £50million summer signing has been forced to share playing time with Marcos Alonso (£2.9m) since Thomas Tuchel’s appointment.
Meanwhile, Man United’s left-back has never boasted a higher stock after his goal in the Manchester derby and will fancy his chances of poking his nose ahead of Chilwell before the end of the campaign.
It’s a testament to how prolific Liverpool’s full-backs have been for the last two seasons that they still appear in this list despite a dramatic cut in their output.
West Ham’s impressive campaign owes much to Cresswell’s potent delivery.
Only five players have provided more Premier League assists than the 32-year-old this season after he added another to his tally against Leeds on Monday night.
Wan-Bissaka and Justin are the only two defenders on this list who also feature in the top ten defenders when ranked on Dream Team points, which is of course the most important metric.
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