JAMES WADE has doubled down on his belief that Nathan Aspinall and Chris Dobey aren’t deserving of their spots in the Premier League.
Aspinall, who had an injury-riddled 2024, was included in the line-up courtesy of one of the four wildcards.
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And Dobey also returned to the competition following his debut in 2023 debut.
The pair’s inclusions perplexed Wade, who suggested Aspinall had only been included because of his crowd-livening entrances to The Killers’ ‘Mr Brightside’.
The 41-year-old said: “I think two players that got in were probably because they are part of something that’s bigger than darts.”
And the former world No.2 is refusing to soften his stance, telling talkSPORT: “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.
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“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.”
Wade is a firm believer that the PDC’s Order of Merit should “really count” when it comes to deciding the Premier League line-up.
He said: “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.
“Johnny 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.
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“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?”
The Darts Premier League will resume action on April 3, with leader Luke Littler taking on Dobey. Aspinall, meanwhile, will face rock-bottom Stephen Bunting.
