For me Matt le Tissier takes the cake, managing to score 25 goals from midfield in the 1993/94 season for a Southampton team that finished 18th. Other strong contenders:
- Luis Suarez 13/14, honestly maybe the best individual season a player’s ever had in the league. 31 goals and 11 assists in 33 games in a Liverpool team that was largely Europa League level aside from Gerrard and Sturridge.
- Kevin Phillips 99/00, scoring 30 goals and winning the European Golden Shoe for newly promoted Sunderland.
Who’ve you got?
Paul McGrath. First EPL season he was the best defender in the league, despite having knees so fucked he couldn’t train between games or run in them, and was in constant pain. Villa got second that year I think. Then he played like 4 more seasons. Madman.