WADE QUESTIONS ASPINALL AND DOBEY PREMIER LEAGUE SPOTS

By Aaron Nijjar  

JAMES WADE stands by his belief that Nathan Aspinall and Chris Dobey did not merit a spot in the Premier League. 

Dobey returned to this year’s Premier League line-up after making his debut in 2023.  

‘The Asp’ secured one of four wildcard spots despite enduring an injury-plagued 2024 season.  

World Grand Prix champion Mike De Decker and then world number six Dave Chisnall have been especially vocal about Aspinall’s inclusion, with ‘Chizzy’ claiming Aspinall was largely picked because of his energetic walk-on to The Killers’ ‘Mr Brightside’. 

10-time major winner Wade echoed a similar stance at this year’s UK Open stating: “I think two players that got in were probably because they are part of something that’s bigger than darts.” 

World No. 11 Wade speaking on talkSPORT Breakfast, addressed his comments at Minehead and doubled down on his stance, but conceded Aspinall has always performed well when it comes to the Premier League. 

He said: “It wasn’t a criticism. It was an opinion. There’s a couple of reasons why one of them got in and that would be Nathan (Aspinall).  

“Nathan’s never, ever had a bad Premier League. He’s always produced good darts. He’s always been there or thereabouts.  

“I think there’s only one time where he’s not finished inside the top four. 

“Do I think he should have been in this year? No, I don’t. But I know why they put him in. He’s reliable and he’s good at what he does. The crowd do like him. 

“I think probably there’s another player that should have gone in his place and the same again for Chris Dobey. I think there could have been other players. 

“There were other options apart from those two.”  

Aspinall sits sixth and Dobey seventh out of eight players in the Premier League standings after eight nights of action. 

After successive quarter-final defeats, Aspinall rebounded with two runners-up finishes as well as a semi-final berth before succumbing to two-straight quarter-final losses on Night Six and Night Seven.  

The Stockport ace followed this up with a 6-5 victory over Michael van Gerwen last night (Thursday) before losing to world number one Luke Humphries in the last four at Newcastle on Night Eight.  

Two-time major winner Aspinall is in fine form as he clinched his maiden PDC European title at the European Darts Trophy in Germany last Sunday. 

The 33-year-old triumphed 8-4 against Ryan Joyce and fought back tears in his post-match interview having also pocketed a cool £30,000 for winning the tournament. 

Similar performances from Aspinall throughout 2025 would also create an iron-clad claim for him to retain his place in the Premier League, especially if it boosts his ranking in the PDC Order of Merit. 

If that transpires, it means Wade wouldn’t have much of an argument given he believes “your rankings should really count” when it comes to deciding the Premier League line-up. 

Wade added: “I think there’s a reason why someone’s ranked inside the top eight or the top ten.  

“I think rankings should be looked at a little bit more than they are. 

“It does get looked at as a business because it is. You’ve got other players that aren’t as popular. Let’s put it that way. 

“Jonny Clayton should have been in it, in my opinion. Is he as popular as Nathan? Probably not. But he’s up there in the rankings. 

“It’s not criticism, it’s an opinion. We saw it with other players over the years that have been constantly re-invited back to the event. They haven’t even done the business when they’ve been in it and they’re also not doing the business in the other tournaments. 

“Is that right or is that wrong? I guess from a business point of view, it’s the right decision because they’re there to sell tickets and they’re there to make the PDC money. 

“But is it on fair merit all the time?” 

Image by Taylor Lanning.