Agree with everything, especially the bolded part. One of the reasons why I probably rate him higher is that I had him on my eye week in, week out. The fact he put some great performances against us and was genuinely the one player in that Chelsea team who made me uncomfortable going into the match certainly adds to that. On top of that, EPL as a league realistically has more weight, in the last decade or more, than some others. It pretty much took the place of what was Serie A in the end of 80's and throughout the 90's. As a side note, it looks like it's strength will only grow in the future as a result of crazy money that is been involved and which other leagues just can't follow to such extent. It's probably just peaking with the likes of Newcastle joining the race and all the teams in the middle being loaded as well.
And for me, there is something likeable about the guy which I can't say about many other players of EPL rival. David Silva, De Bruyne, Kante and Thiago Silva would also be in that company (likable/respectable - despite playing for the opposition).