Premier League Set Piece Audit: Who Owns What in 2025/26

Declan Rice leads the Premier League in direct free kick attempts with 25. He has scored zero. That is not unusual — direct free kick conversion rates sit well below 10% at the elite level — but the volume without return is worth logging, particularly when Arsenal's delivery from dead balls is otherwise efficient.

Free Kick Picture

The broader free kick data tells one story above all others: nobody is scoring them. Across the division, high-volume takers — Rice (25), Bruno Fernandes (24), James Garner (18), Dominik Szoboszlai (15) — are all at 0% conversion. This is less alarming than it looks. Direct free kick conversion in the Premier League typically runs 3-6% across a season; at this sample size, zero goals from any single taker is statistically unremarkable. Flag it again after 40+ attempts with no output.

The more interesting outlier is Anton Stach at Leeds, who has attempted 13 free kicks — high volume for a promoted club — suggesting Leeds are leaning on him as a primary dead ball option. Whether that reflects genuine quality or a thin squad hierarchy is worth watching as the season develops.

Penalty Takers

The penalty data is thin. Only three players have taken more than one spot kick, and two of them — Enzo Fernández and Ismaïla Sarr — are at 100% from two attempts each. Two attempts is a sample, not a pattern. The confirmed hierarchy context matters more here: Cole Palmer remains Chelsea's designated taker despite Fernández covering; Erling Haaland owns the City spot; Mohamed Salah leads at Liverpool. Dominic Calvert-Lewin's 66.7% return from three attempts at Leeds is slightly soft, but the additional context flags Iliman Ndiaye as Everton's designated taker — not Calvert-Lewin, who has moved clubs. Check current squad assignment before reading anything into that number.

Corner Delivery

Phil Foden leads the division with 66 corners taken, ahead of Reece James (50), Rice (49), and Bukayo Saka (47). Man City's volume is notable — Rayan Cherki adds another 25, giving City a dual-delivery system. None of this is surprising given City's possession share, but corner count at this level rarely correlates with conversion rate. The teams to watch for corner-to-shot efficiency are those with confirmed aerial threats and organised second-ball runners, not simply those taking the most.

Watch for: whether Stach retains free kick duties at Leeds if they face a relegation squeeze and rotate personnel; whether Palmer returns to penalty duties at Chelsea following Fernández's early-season coverage; and whether City's corner volume translates into any threat once Haaland's aerial presence is properly tracked against zonal defending setups.