Top 10 World Cup Stars Set to Shine in the Premier League
The World Cup is over, the medals handed out, the songs already fading. Now comes the part Premier League managers really care about: who brings that World Cup glow back to England and bends an entire season around their form?
Here are 10 players who lit up the summer and look primed to do the same from August to May.
10. Pedro Porro – Spurs’ rampaging World Cup winner
Pedro Porro returns to Tottenham with a World Cup winner’s medal and a sense of clarity about his game. Spain trusted him at right back and he repaid that faith, defending diligently and surging forward with purpose.
At Spurs, Roberto De Zerbi looks an ideal fit for his strengths. Porro thrives when he’s allowed to attack space, arrive late in the box, and whip in early balls. Now he has a manager who wants his full backs to be weapons, not passengers. Goals, assists, chaos down the right. Porro finally has the system to match his ambition.
9. Elliot Anderson – City’s new heartbeat
Elliot Anderson has taken the leap. From Nottingham Forest to Manchester City, from promising talent to potential midfield metronome under Enzo Maresca.
His World Cup for England underlined why City moved quickly. He hunted the ball relentlessly, read danger early, and stitched moves together as England finished third. Anderson doesn’t just tidy up; he dictates, sets the rhythm, and drags teammates into better positions. Maresca wants control and intensity in the middle of the pitch. Anderson offers both. He won’t just fit in at City. He’ll try to run the show.
8. Martin Odegaard – Arsenal’s creator with a point to prove
Last season bruised Martin Odegaard. Injuries, dips in form, and the feeling that Arsenal were moving at full speed while he was stuck in second gear.
The World Cup changed that. Norway’s magical run had Odegaard at the centre of almost everything, threading passes, finding pockets, and carrying his country deep into the tournament. Now he comes back to north London with energy restored and competition sharpened. Arsenal have landed Bruno Guimaraes, and suddenly Odegaard’s place is no longer a given.
That might be exactly what he needs. A refreshed, slightly irritated Odegaard, fighting for his spot, is a dangerous prospect for Premier League defences.
7. Florian Wirtz – Liverpool’s new No. 10 ready to explode
Germany went home early, and with them went much of the spotlight. But Florian Wirtz didn’t shrink on the biggest stage. He showed flashes of the vision and intelligence that first turned heads in the Bundesliga.
Now, after an eye-catching preseason with Liverpool, he looks ready to kick on in his second Premier League campaign. Andoni Iraola plans to use him as a No. 10, the man between the lines in a high-pressing, high-tempo system. That suits Wirtz perfectly. The more he receives the ball in the final third, the more he can slide forwards in, shoot from the edge, and turn half-chances into goals.
Liverpool want their attack to feel unpredictable again. Wirtz is built for that.
6. Youri Tielemans – United’s big-moment midfielder
Youri Tielemans has always had a taste for the dramatic. At the World Cup, he drove Belgium into the last eight with big moments in midfield, stepping up when the pressure tightened.
That form helped deliver his dream move from Aston Villa to Manchester United. It’s a club that demands personality and resilience, and Tielemans has both. He covers ground, does the ugly work without complaint, and still finds time to appear on the edge of the box with a game-changing strike.
United need players who embrace the noise and expectation. Tielemans looks like one who will thrive in it.
5. Bukayo Saka – Arsenal’s main man, again
Bukayo Saka played the World Cup with the handbrake half on, his minutes carefully managed through injury. England felt that in the semifinal against Argentina, when he couldn’t start.
Even so, his impact was unmistakable. An assist against Mexico. A hat trick in the third-place play-off against France. Sharp cameos off the bench that reminded everyone just how ruthless he can be when the ball drops in the box or the full back squares him up one-on-one.
Back at Arsenal, nothing changes: Saka is still the focal point of their attack. The one defenders double up on. The one teammates look for when the game tightens. If he stays fit, he’ll again carry a title challenge on his shoulders.
4. Lisandro Martinez – United’s defensive enforcer
Manchester United looked a different side whenever Lisandro Martinez was missing last season. The World Cup underlined why.
Argentina’s run to the final owed plenty to his aggression, timing, and leadership at centre back. When he had to come off in the final with a minor injury, the drop-off was obvious. Martinez doesn’t just defend; he sets the tone. He snaps into tackles, squeezes the line high, and refuses to let games drift.
United’s “comeback” as a serious force needs a defensive leader. Martinez is that figure. If he stays on the pitch, he’ll marshal their back line with the same intensity he showed for his country.
3. Bruno Guimaraes – Arsenal’s $101 million statement
Four assists for Brazil at the World Cup. Only Michael Olise finished with more. That alone tells you how influential Bruno Guimaraes was for his country.
His move from Newcastle United to Arsenal feels like a transfer that can tilt a title race. Arsenal have not only added quality; they’ve added edge. Guimaraes tackles, presses, shouts, leads. He injects hunger into every midfield he joins.
The $101 million fee is a statement. Arsenal are all-in on this squad, and Guimaraes arrives as both a creator and a standard-setter. Opponents will feel him before they even see him on the ball.
2. Declan Rice – The engine of club and country
When Declan Rice isn’t fully fit, Arsenal and England both lose something fundamental. The aggression in the press drops. The tempo slackens. The structure frays.
He still produced a strong World Cup, even while managing illness and injury at various stages. That resilience is why his managers lean on him so heavily. Rice screens the defence, wins duels, and still finds time to drive forward and set the rhythm with the ball.
If Arsenal want back-to-back titles, they need Rice at full tilt. His form and fitness will shape their season more than any tactical tweak.
1. Erling Haaland – The inevitable storm
Of course Erling Haaland sits at the top of this list. How could he not?
Seven goals at the World Cup. A quarterfinal run with Norway that turned him into an even bigger global phenomenon. Goals on the pitch, noise off it, and a sense that he’s still not at his ceiling.
Now he returns to Manchester City under Enzo Maresca, a coach whose approach should suit him perfectly. City will look to spring quickly, break into space, and feed Haaland early. Give him runners around him and grass to attack, and the outcome feels familiar.
Another 30-goal Premier League season is looming. The only real question is how many records he decides to chase this time.
