Assists are a flawed metric, yet goal contributions (goals+assists) continue to dominate the media as the go-to measure of a player's success. The problem is that whether a player gets an assist is almost entirely out of their control. It depends on a teammate's ability to score from the opportunity, making it an outcome-based stat rather than a true reflection of what the player actually did.
Chances created is a far more valuable measure, because it removes the shooter's finishing ability from the equation. A player who creates 20 chances and registers 2 assists while playing alongside a poor striker is far more valuable than one who gets 2 assists from just 4 chances with a clinical finisher up front. Even chances created has its limitations, though. Traditional metrics typically count any pass or cross that leads to a shot, regardless of where on the pitch it was made.
At Gradient Sports we manually collect opportunity types, classifying them into three distinct categories: dangerous positions, half-chances and chances.
Dangerous position — where the player has put the ball in a good spot to continue the attack, either enabling the next player to get a decent shot away or play a pass that creates a chance.
Half-chance — when the ball has been played into an area where a player has a good chance to score, but they either have a slightly tighter angle than ideal or need to move the ball to create space for a good shot.
Chance created — opportunities where the shooter has a great chance to score, normally in a central area of the box or in a 1v1. This is a much higher quality of chance than what you typically see in match stats and media outlets.
Chances and Dangerous Positions created through passes and crosses. All data is correct as of 2nd March 2026 (GW28).
Arsenal
| Player | Chances Created (Chance + Half Chance) | Dangerous Positions Created | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|
| Declan Rice | 30 | 141 | 5 |
| Bukayo Saka | 21 | 143 | 4 |
| Martin Odegaard | 11 | 72 | 5 |
Rice leads the way for Arsenal and has created the third most chances in the league so far this season, mostly through his set-piece crossing. He's created 18 of his 30 chances from those situations, boasting an 86.3 set-piece crossing grade to complement his league-leading 92.1 overall crossing grade. Interestingly, he has the same number of assists as Odegaard despite creating nearly three times as many chances. Nine of Odegaard's chances have come from passes, which are generally easier to convert given there tends to be less pressure on the shooter compared to a set-piece delivery.
Aston Villa
| Player | Chances Created (Chance + Half Chance) | Dangerous Positions Created | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matty Cash | 12 | 85 | 2 |
| Morgan Rogers | 11 | 134 | 4 |
| Lucas Digne | 9 | 52 | 4 |
Cash and Rogers have created a similar number of chances through very different methods. Most of Cash's come from crosses, while Rogers relies primarily on passes. Cash has a surprisingly average crossing grade of 74.1, though that still ranks 11th among full-backs. Rogers grades well as a passer at 78.5, ranking 15th at his position, but his most striking stat is that 14.7% of all his passes are played into a dangerous position — the highest rate of any midfielder in the league.
Brentford
| Player | Chances Created (Chance + Half Chance) | Dangerous Positions Created | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mikkel Damsgaard | 18 | 105 | 5 |
| Mathias Jensen | 13 | 80 | 1 |
| Michael Kayode | 12 | 94 | 0 |
Kayode is a perfect example of a player not getting the end result he deserves. He's created 12 chances, joint fourth most among full-backs, yet none have led to an assist despite striker Igor Thiago carrying an impressive 88.2 shooting grade. A large share of his dangerous positions have come from his incredibly long throws, which Brentford have made a regular weapon whenever they reach the final third.
Brighton
| Player | Chances Created (Chance + Half Chance) | Dangerous Positions Created | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yankuba Minteh | 12 | 105 | 5 |
| Maxim De Cuyper | 11 | 80 | 1 |
| Georginio Rutter | 9 | 94 | 0 |
Rutter is a rare example of a selfless striker, creating the second most chances in the league from that position. He has spent around half the season playing in the hole behind Danny Welbeck, which goes some way to explaining his creativity.
Bournemouth
| Player | Chances Created (Chance + Half Chance) | Dangerous Positions Created | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|
| David Brooks | 16 | 59 | 3 |
| Marcos Senesi | 14 | 78 | 4 |
| Marcus Tavernier | 12 | 80 | 4 |
Brooks has struggled to nail down a consistent starting place but ranks fourth for chances created per 90 minutes, trailing only Bruno Fernandes, James Ward-Prowse and Ryan Cherki. No other centre-back has created as many chances as Senesi this season, with Marc Guehi the closest regular starter at 8.
Bournemouth look like a clinical side compared to most. They have three players with 10+ chances created and none with 100+ dangerous positions, and there's a solid assists return on the chances created for each of their top contributors.
Burnley
| Player | Chances Created (Chance + Half Chance) | Dangerous Positions Created | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jaidon Anthony | 11 | 51 | 1 |
| Marcus Edwards | 8 | 37 | 3 |
| Lucas Pires | 7 | 31 | 0 |
Burnley have created only 43 chances this season from passes and crosses, and these three account for over half of them. That concentration is unlikely to produce consistent results, particularly given Edwards and Pires have only featured in recent months.
Chelsea
| Player | Chances Created (Chance + Half Chance) | Dangerous Positions Created | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pedro Neto | 17 | 112 | 3 |
| Enzo Fernandez | 15 | 108 | 1 |
| Reece James | 11 | 70 | 5 |
James has an excellent assists-to-chances-created rate of 45%. Not all of those assists will have come directly from his 11 chances created (some may have originated from dangerous positions), but all 11 of those chances came from crosses. He holds an 82.4 crossing grade, the second best among full-backs behind only Brighton's Maxim De Cuyper.
Crystal Palace
| Player | Chances Created (Chance + Half Chance) | Dangerous Positions Created | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yeremy Pino | 17 | 100 | 1 |
| Adam Wharton | 16 | 111 | 3 |
| Tyrick Mitchell | 13 | 55 | 1 |
Pino is another player not getting the recognition his output deserves. With an almost 50/50 split between chances from crosses and passes, he's a threat from multiple angles. Wharton, meanwhile, continues to be the reliable, tidy presence in midfield that Palace need. He holds our seventh best passing grade this season at 89.8.
Everton
| Player | Chances Created (Chance + Half Chance) | Dangerous Positions Created | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|
| James Garner | 21 | 99 | 4 |
| Iliman Ndiaye | 16 | 56 | 2 |
| Jack Grealish | 14 | 81 | 6 |
After a few years of flirting with the bottom five, it's good to see Everton back in the top half of the table. Garner has been exceptional at times this season, with his dangerous inswinging crosses from both set-pieces and open play producing a 90.7 crossing grade. Grealish will be a significant loss if he misses the rest of the season, given what he contributed across just 20 games.
Fulham
| Player | Chances Created (Chance + Half Chance) | Dangerous Positions Created | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alex Iwobi | 14 | 97 | 3 |
| Harry Wilson | 14 | 86 | 6 |
| Samuel Chukwueze | 10 | 48 | 4 |
Chukwueze is another player near the top of the league for chances created per 90, with his 10 chances coming in just 735 minutes. He has started only six times and missed a month with Nigeria at AFCON, but he looks set to be an increasingly important option for Fulham in the second half of the season. Worth noting too: unlike most teams, Fulham don't have a single player whose chances are dominated by crossing. All three of their top contributors have a fairly even split between passes and crosses.
Leeds
| Player | Chances Created (Chance + Half Chance) | Dangerous Positions Created | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anton Stach | 23 | 91 | 3 |
| Sean Longstaff | 14 | 39 | 2 |
| Brenden Aaronson | 10 | 48 | 3 |
Stach has been impressive, creating the fifth most chances in the league and the only player in the top 10 currently playing for a bottom-half club. Longstaff has done most of his work in limited time, missing a couple of months with a calf injury and not starting a league game since returning at the end of January. Both carry impressive crossing grades of 86.3 and 82.2 respectively.
Liverpool
| Player | Chances Created (Chance + Half Chance) | Dangerous Positions Created | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dominik Szoboszlai | 31 | 151 | 3 |
| Mohamed Salah | 23 | 131 | 7 |
| Cody Gakpo | 15 | 115 | 3 |
Szoboszlai has been Liverpool's standout player during their struggles this season, finally looking like the player they hoped for when he joined three years ago. His 31 chances created are the second most in the league, yet he has only 3 assists to show for it. Hugo Ekitike has been excellent and Aleksander Isak had started to kick on after a poor start before his unfortunate broken leg, but it feels like another thing that just hasn't clicked for Liverpool this year. Even in a disappointing season, Salah continues to make things tick: 17.4% of his passes are played into a dangerous position, the second highest rate in the league.
Manchester City
| Player | Chances Created (Chance + Half Chance) | Dangerous Positions Created | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rayan Cherki | 24 | 112 | 7 |
| Phil Foden | 19 | 93 | 3 |
| Jeremy Doku | 15 | 101 | 4 |
Cherki is another player who hasn't nailed down a starting spot but has been highly productive when given the chance. No other player has created more chances from passes alone, with 15 to his name. His 92.8 overall passing grade is complemented by an 89.0 grade on through balls and 93.6 when passing under pressure. He is well clear of his nearest challenger at 1.6 chances created per 90 minutes.
Manchester United
| Player | Chances Created (Chance + Half Chance) | Dangerous Positions Created | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bruno Fernandes | 32 | 159 | 12 |
| Bryan Mbuemo | 17 | 85 | 3 |
| Casemiro | 15 | 47 | 2 |
Earlier this season I wrote a piece about the Premier League's most consistent players, and Fernandes came out as our most consistent passer over the five seasons we've been grading the Premier League. His 97.2 passing grade puts him on pace for a third consecutive season with an elite 90+ grade.
Newcastle United
| Player | Chances Created (Chance + Half Chance) | Dangerous Positions Created | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bruno Guimaraes | 14 | 122 | 4 |
| Anthony Gordon | 12 | 67 | 3 |
| Jacob Murphy | 11 | 70 | 1 |
Guimaraes is a player we've consistently expected to see near the top of our grades, particularly for passing. He was our number one passer last season with a 97.3 grade and ranked fifth in our top 50 Premier League players. He's still producing at that level, with a 93.4 passing grade this season that trails only Fernandes.
Nottingham Forest
| Player | Chances Created (Chance + Half Chance) | Dangerous Positions Created | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elliot Anderson | 13 | 92 | 2 |
| Neco Williams | 11 | 45 | 1 |
| Morgan Gibbs-White | 10 | 89 | 2 |
Anderson's red-hot start to the season has cooled slightly, but the former Newcastle man remains a crucial player for Forest. He has created 11 of his 13 chances from crosses but carries a surprisingly low crossing grade of 63.6, slightly below his 73.5 from last season. If he can sharpen that area of his game and deliver more consistently dangerous balls into the box, it will only enhance his already growing reputation.
Sunderland
| Player | Chances Created (Chance + Half Chance) | Dangerous Positions Created | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enzo Le Fee | 15 | 74 | 4 |
| Nordi Mukiele | 12 | 70 | 3 |
| Granit Xhaka | 9 | 68 | 5 |
Le Fee has been solid in his step up from the Championship, recording 7 grades of 70+, while Xhaka has made an excellent return to the Premier League after two years away. Both were key contributors as Sunderland found themselves in the top four after the opening ten games.
Tottenham
| Player | Chances Created (Chance + Half Chance) | Dangerous Positions Created | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mohammed Kudus | 15 | 72 | 5 |
| Pedro Porro | 13 | 101 | 2 |
| Xavi Simons | 10 | 68 | 4 |
Kudus holds an 80.0 open play crossing grade, the seventh best among wingers this season, and that's where all but one of his chances have come from. Porro's crossing grade has dropped from an excellent 88.5 last season to an average 72.8, though he has still created 10 chances from wide this year.
West Ham
| Player | Chances Created (Chance + Half Chance) | Dangerous Positions Created | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lucas Paqueta | 13 | 64 | 1 |
| Jarrod Bowen | 12 | 78 | 4 |
| El Hadji Malick Diouf | 7 | 33 | 5 |
Paqueta remains West Ham's most creative player, and while his departure wasn't purely football-motivated, losing him is a significant blow for a side still fighting relegation, even if their form has started to improve. Bowen continues to carry the team in many respects. Elsewhere, the discarded James Ward-Prowse now has the second most chances created per 90 in the league, delivering for fellow strugglers Burnley.
Wolves
| Player | Chances Created (Chance + Half Chance) | Dangerous Positions Created | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hugo Bueno | 11 | 74 | 1 |
| Mateus Mane | 5 | 36 | 1 |
| David Moller Wolfe | 4 | 15 | 2 |
Every other team in the league besides Burnley, one place above them, has at least two players who have created 10+ chances. For a side sitting rock bottom, that is a damning picture. Barring a rapid and significant turnaround, they look destined for the Championship next season. Bueno has performed well in recent weeks, but many of their players will be fortunate to attract interest from clubs who remain in the Premier League.
