Fierce competition for places in the Premier League has left several star players on the sidelines during the early months of the 2026/27 campaign. Football365 has compiled the strongest starting lineup of top-flight players who have accumulated fewer than 140 minutes of league action this season.
Goalkeeper and Defense
Liverpool goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili gets the nod with zero minutes in the Premier League or Champions League. As Football365 reports, he is arguably the best back-up in the league, and with Alisson Becker prone to injuries, Mamardashvili’s opportunity should arrive before Christmas. In defense, Arsenal midfielder Martin Zubimendi features out of position at right-back. Zubimendi lost his starting spot to Myles Lewis-Skelly last season and fell further down the pecking order following the summer arrival of Bruno Guimaraes, leaving him with only 94 minutes so far.
Tottenham’s summer signing Tosin Adarabioyo joins the backline after initially managing just five minutes before starting in Roberto De Zerbi’s side’s first win against Coventry, lifting his season tally to 76 minutes. Sunderland’s Omar Alderete partners him in central defense, having recorded two errors leading to goals in just 82 minutes of action. Manchester City’s Rico Lewis rounds out the defense at left-back, where competition from Matheus Nunes, Abdukodir Khusanov, Josko Gvardiol, and Nico O’Reilly has limited him to 56 Premier League minutes.
Midfield and Attack
In defensive midfield, Manchester City’s 19-year-old Ayyoub Bouaddi has notched 125 minutes following a summer where City spent £300 million on three central midfielders, with Elliot Anderson and Enzo Fernandez holding down regular spots. Further forward, Arsenal’s Eberechi Eze has managed 130 minutes. Football365 notes that barring his five goals across two north London derbies against Tottenham, Eze’s overall output since joining the club has been bitterly disappointing as he struggles to recapture his Crystal Palace form. Arsenal teammate Mikel Merino completes the midfield, having made seven substitute appearances totaling 111 minutes as an impact sub under Mikel Arteta.
In the attacking third, Chelsea Brazilian wonderkid Estevao has totaled 29 league minutes across five substitute appearances, failing to crack a starting XI led by Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers. Aston Villa loanee Alejandro Garnacho has played just 31 minutes out of a possible 630, facing the prospect that Villa will not exercise the £40 million buy option in his loan deal from Manchester United. Finally, Arsenal striker Viktor Gyokeres leads the line, waiting for his first league start of the campaign while playing back-up to Kai Havertz, bringing his total playing time to 84 minutes.
