The Premier League is filled with incredible players, but every team needs one man who will stand above the rest and lead his team to glory. Being club captain is not an easy task, requiring dedication, passion, composure and a fair dose of natural ability, too.

To be selected as club captain, you don't necessarily have to be the best player at your club. That said, a few of the captains in this division are definitely among the best players in the Premier League.

Some may simply be the longest-serving player at their respective club and have been rewarded for their loyalty by being handed the armband, while others are newer to the role of captain, but excel nonetheless. With all that in mind, all 20 Premier League captains for the 2026/27 season have been ranked from worst to best, based on the factors below.

Ranking Factors:

• Individual ability and contributions
• Leadership qualities
• Team success
• Availability for team
• Experience in the role

20 Ethan Ampadu, Leeds United

Although a move to a team of a bigger stature is perennially in the pipeline for Welsh midfielder Ethan Ampadu, he remains on Leeds United's books for the time being. Appointed captain in the summer of 2024 after leading the Whites out on a number of occasions throughout the second half of 2023/24, his influence was unmatched.

A loveable character but also a terrific player, his versatility allows him to dart around the pitch with ease and link up with plenty of his Leeds teammates. A Chelsea academy graduate, Ampadu has been at Elland Road following a smattering of loan spells since the summer of 2023. Neither the club nor the player have looked back since.

19 Dara O'Shea, Ipswich Town

Dara O’Shea joined Ipswich Town from Burnley at the beginning of the 2024/25 campaign and was named captain ahead of their promotion to the Premier League in 2025/26.

He didn’t miss a single minute of action last season, completing all 46 of Ipswich’s games in the Championship. He may rank lowly on this lsit due to not being a Premier League captain for very long, but his leadership at the back could prove critical to the Tractor Boys' relegation plight.

18 Lewie Coyle, Hull City

Lewie Coyle joined hometown club Hull City from Fleetwood Town in 2020/21 when they were in League One and has gone to make over 200 appearances. He was appointed as captain ahead of the 2022/23 campaign, and last season helped the Tigers return to the Premier League for the first time since 2016/17, against many people's expectations.

The Yorkshire side's trend of surprising everyone has continued into the current season, with a 2-0 win over Man United, alongside draws against Chelsea, Aston Villa, and Everton, seeing them rise into ninth after seven matches.

17 Matt Grimes, Coventry City

After spending more than a decade with Swansea City, Matt Grimes joined Coventry halfway through the 2024/25 campaign. He was named captain by Frank Lampard at the beginning of the 2025/26 season and led the club back to the Premier League for the first time since 2000/01.

Due to a lack of time at both the Sky Blues and in the topflight, his position on this list is restricted. Should he lead them to survivale, however, another conversation might be needed.

16 Micky van de Ven, Tottenham Hotspur

Micky Van de Ven succeeded Cristian Romero as Spurs captain following the Argentinian’s transfer to Atletico Madrid this summer. The Dutchman joined the club from Wolfsburg in 2023 and helped them defeat Man Utd in the 2025 UEFA Europa League final, securing their first major trophy since 2008.

He wore the armband for Spurs’ final six matches of 2025/26 before taking on the role permanently. Questions have been raised over his mentality at times - while there is a very good player in there somewhere, his attitude means he often struggles for consistency, and with the North Londoners once again looking a shell of their former selves at the start of this term, he can't currently rank any higher.

15 Nathan Collins, Brentford

After Christian Norgaard left to join Arsenal and Thomas Frank left to join Tottenham Hotspur in the same summer, Brentford were in a bit of a pickle – and Keith Andrews, who replaced Frank, had to make a crucial decision: who would replace the former captain? Up stepped centre-back Nathan Collins.

Still just 25 years of age, the former Wolves defender was indispensable for those of an Old Gold persuasion – and, therefore, he was the perfect candidate when discussions were had over the summer. He can see the entire pitch from his position at the back and his availability record gave him a big green tick next to his name.

14 Adam Smith, Bournemouth

Former captain Neto joined Arsenal on loan towards the end of the summer transfer window in 2024, and so someone needed to fill the Brazilian goalkeeper's void. It was a fairly straightforward replacement for Andoni Iraola, who turned to a man who first joined south coast-based Bournemouth on loan in 2010.

Permanently, Adam Smith has been at the club since 2014 and has played in League One all the way to the Premier League for the Cherries, and the defender bleeds red and black. There was no better choice to replace the out-on-loan shot-stopper than the former Tottenham youngster; his post-match interview after Antoine Semenyo was allegedly abused towards the start of last season was the perfect example of Smith being a tip-top captain.

13 Ryan Yates, Nottingham Forest

A product of the Nottingham Forest academy, Ryan Yates is Forest through and through and was the worthy replacement to take over from Joe Worrall when he left the club in August 2024. For all the changes to the squad that the Garibaldi have seen ever since they were promoted in 2022, Yates has remained a consistent presence and is enjoying his best spell yet with his boyhood club.

In terms of quality and leadership, there are better options. But for the City Ground outfit, there is really no one more deserving of the honour. Yates' rise from battling for minutes in the National League to becoming the captain of Forest in the Europa League is a rise built on resilience and hard work; two crucial things that are required from a Premier League skipper.

12 Tom Cairney, Fulham

Tom Cairney has now been captain of Fulham for a grand total of 10 years, which is an incredible feat in itself, making him the longest-serving captain on this list. His earlier days at Fulham saw the Scottish midfielder far more involved, and he earned many plaudits for his role in helping Fulham return to the Premier League in 2022 by winning the Championship title.

At the time of writing, he's played 384 times for the Cottagers now, and even at the age of 35, he's rarely unavailable as his beloved side look to finish in the top half of the table season after season. While he has been mainly utilised from the bench in games so far in the current term, Nottingham-born Cairney remains a valuable influence at the club.

11 Granit Xhaka, Sunderland

Be honest, who ever saw Granit Xhaka returning to the Premier League to captain Sunderland? The Swiss midfielder left Arsenal for Bayer Leverkusen in the summer of 2023, was part of the latter's brilliant campaign in 2023/24, and then wanted another change in scenery. The Stadium of Light'll do, Xhaka said!

An esteemed midfielder on the international stage, Regis Le Bris and his team put all their eggs in one basket by signing the 32-year-old and swiftly naming him club captain. Xhaka has previously assumed the role in Germany and north London so it's not to say that he's not got the know-how of the day-to-day proceedings, and leading them to European football last term proved just that.