A Not-So-Surprising Name Tops the Chart With Most Offsides in a Premier League Season

Players who often find themselves offside raise an interesting quandary – are they daring to find lethal positions on the shoulder of defenders, or is it simply a lack of awareness? Below we run through a collection of usual suspects with the most offsides in a Premier League season.

Most Offsides in a Premier League Season

5. Harry Kane (2017/18) – 42 Offsides

This list wouldn’t be complete without Harry Kane, who is synonymous with hanging on the shoulders of defenders, or equally  rushing round their blind spot to get to the ball first.

2017/18’s iteration of Harry Kane was arguably his most lethal in the Premier League, as he netted a career best of 30 goals in 37 appearances – a feat he would go on to repeat in his final season at Tottenham.

Europe’s top scorer that season did however find himself on the wrong side of opposition defences on many occasions – 42 times to be exact – although if this is the cost of scoring 30 goals in the most competitive league in the world, there is little to be upset about.

=3. Jermain Defoe (2015/16) & Marko Arnautovic (2017/18) – 43 Offsides

Given Jermain Defoe’s willingness to run in behind and use his notable speed, it comes as no surprise to see him rank joint-third – in fact, he also appears again in the top 15 – find the full top 25 at the end of this article.

Upon his return to the Premier League after a brief spell with Toronto FC, Defoe netted a respectable 15 goals in 2015/16 for Sunderland, although Mackems will likely remember that season simply by the sheer amount of time he was flagged for offside.

Meanwhile, Marko Arnautovic, whose colourful career has somehow landed him in a cushty role at Serie A champions Inter Milan, ranks alongside Defoe with 43 offsides.

The Austrian often cuts a desultory figure, slumbering around the pitch before suddenly bursting into life with flair and fervour. His spell at West Ham, unfortunately, resulted in little to shout about other than this offside-laden season in 2017/18, yielding 11 goals in the process.

2. Jamie Vardy (2017/18) – 44 Offsides

You’d be hard pushed to find a better example of a player whose preference lies in beating the offside trap.

Jamie Vardy – who scored last time out against Southampton at the time old age of 37 – is the archetypal pacy number nine, and his awareness of when to make a darting run has yielded over 100 goals after turning 30 years of age.

Such is the audaciousness of his style of play that he often finds himself a fraction offside; for context, Vardy features more than anybody in the top 25 (three times) with 2017/18 his highest total with 44.

1. Chris Wood (2018-19) – 53 Offsides

If you made it this far, you probably would have been banking on Chris Wood appearing at some point.

No doubt a potent threat when on form, the New Zealander has five 10+ goal Premier League seasons under his belt – most recently registering his highest tally yet with Nottingham Forest last season (14).

Unfortunately for Wood, he was the fulcrum for which Burnley looked to start the majority of their attacks across his five-year spell.

Lump it long to Wood, whose aerial prowess and strength in duels could spark an instant attack. This meant Wood often operated on the shoulder of defences, opening the door for offsides in abundance.

So much so that in 2018-19, Wood was flagged an astonishing 53 times for being offside. Burnley fans famously sang “Chris Wood, he’s always offside” upon his return to Turf Moor in May, although he would have the last laugh after actually being ruled onside and scoring twice, with Burnley already relegated.

Top 25 Offsides in a Single Premier League Campaign