The top 10 chance creators in Europe’s five major leagues in 2024-25: Raphinha, Saka, Palmer…

Players from Barcelona, Arsenal, Tottenham, and Fulham feature among the most creative players across Europe’s major leagues in the 2024-25 season so far.

Having a player able to consistently create chances for their team-mates can be worth its weight in gold – and some of the superstar names in this top 10 prove this particular stat is a mark of quality.

Here are the 10 players who have registered the most ‘key passes’ (the final pass before a team-mate shoots at goal) in Europe’s five major leagues – La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga, Premier League and Ligue 1 – in 2024-25. Where two players are tied, we’ve put them in order of the superior per-minute ratio.

10. Bukayo Saka – 28

No Premier League player has produced more assists than Arsenal’s starboy so far as seven of his 28 key passes have ended up as assists.

The Gunners have some ground to make up if they want to get back into the title race, but with Saka playing like he is right now, you’d expect Mikel Arteta’s side to pick up plenty of points between now and the end of the season.

9. Cole Palmer – 29

Currently averaging a goal contribution every 79.6 minutes in the Premier League, it should come as no surprise that Palmer makes the cut for this list.

The Chelsea star has been in formidable form this season and is currently averaging 2.6 chances created per game.

8. Dejan Kulusevski – 30

Unbelievably, eight of Kulusevski’s 30 chances created in the Premier League so far this season came in Tottenham’s 3-0 win at Old Trafford. Christian Eriksen is the only player on record to have ever created more chances for Spurs in a league game.

7. Andreas Pereira – 30

Marco Silva’s Fulham continue to punch above their weight, deservedly sitting in the top half of the Premier League table, with Pereira the latest one-time Manchester United player to thrive away from Old Trafford in the post-Fergie era.

The Brazilian is yet to provide an assist in the Premier League this season but he plays a key role in midfield for the Cottagers and is among the first names on Silva’s teamsheet.

READ NEXT: The 10 players with the most goals & assists in Europe in 2024-25: Kane, Palmer, Yamal…

TRY A QUIZ: Can you name every player with 50+ Premier League assists?

6. Luis Milla – 31

Not a household name and by no means a glamorous player, Milla’s inclusion ahead of names like Palmer and Grimaldo is an eyebrow-raiser – given he plays as a defensive midfielder for Jose Bordalas’ robust Getafe side. Think Spain’s answer to Sam Allardyce and you’d be somewhere close.

But while this list is otherwise full of tricky wingers and technical playmaker wizards, it makes a nice change of pace to see an otherwise unheralded midfielder who plays deeper. Atletico Madrid have been linked of late and you could see why Diego Simeone would be a fan.

5. Kevin Stoger – 33

The Austrian averages a key pass every 17.5 minutes in the Bundesliga so far in 2024-25, which is comfortably the most prolific rate of any player that features in this top 10.

Stoger, 31, actually topped this chart last season, which was some going given he was turning out for relative minnows Bochum. That output earned him a move to Borussia Monchengladbach in the summer and he hasn’t let up despite the change in environment.

One of the most underrated players in all of European football right now?

4. Alex Grimaldo – 35

Grimaldo has been thriving under Xabi Alonso as the attacking wing-back now regularly ranks among the most creative players in Europe.

In the Bundesliga alone last season he racked up 13 assists for Bayer Leverkusen and his creative instincts have been just as sharp this time around.

He’s already created 35 chances for his teammates during 2024-25, making him the most creative player in the Bundesliga so far this season.

READ: The top 10 dribblers in Europe’s five major leagues in 2024-25: Yamal, Mbappe, Wirtz….

3. Junya Ito – 36

The Japanese winger has made a flying start to the new season as he’s currently outperforming everyone else in Ligue 1 when it comes to chance creation.

During 2024-25, the Reims star has been averaging a goal contribution every 160 minutes and he’s arguably playing the best football of his career to date.

2. Alex Baena – 37

Marcelino’s Villarreal have made a flying start to the 2024-25 campaign, with ex-Newcastle man Ayoze Perez – with seven goals – and left winger Alex Baena particularly decent.

Given his impressive form, it’s no wonder that Barcelona, Arsenal and Newcastle are reportedly chasing the 23-year-old Spain international’s signature.

1. Raphinha – 44

After moving from Leeds United in the summer of 2022, Brazil international Raphinha was by no means bad in his first couple of years at Barcelona but nor was he a revelation.

But in the early months of the 2024-25 campaign, he’s producing arguably the very best football of his career for Hansi Flick’s newly-reinvigorated Barca.

There had been whisperings of a move away in the summer but he’s immediately made himself an indispensable leading man of this project.

Raphinha was named La Liga’s Player of the Month for August and hasn’t let up since, having notched seven goals and six assists in the league.