5 breakout players of the season

The 2018-19 season is practically over with only the Champions League final left to be played at the time of writing. The top 5 leagues have been won by the same clubs that won it last year which is the first time something like this has happened.

While Real Madrid struggled throughout the season, Barcelona bottled it in the end and Bayern won the double despite performing below-par. But there have been fairy-tale campaigns for clubs like Ajax and Tottenham who punched above their weight despite their financial limitations.

In all this chaos there were players who enjoyed a breakout 2018-19 campaign. A breakout season doesn't have to be the first season in which the player breaks into the first team. It is generally the first season in which a player goes from being under the radar to be the star player of the team.

Today we look at 5 players who enjoyed a breakout campaign this season and will be on the books of big clubs next season.

#5 Aaron Wan-Bissaka

Wan Bissaka is a converted right back who is a real threat going forward

When the PFA team of the year was announced, there was a section of fans and media that preferred Wan-Bissaka at right back in place of Alexander-Arnold, such has been the rise in the performances of England U-21 this season.

Wan-Bissaka, in the youth ranks, started as a winger only to be converted into a right-back after making it to the first team. Yet to be capped by the English national side, the defender has excellent ball control. On average, he engages in 7.27 offensive duels per game, beating his man 56.3% of the time.

Overall, Wan-Bissaka is a huge asset in the final third. His pace, trickery, and close control make him a real threat in one v ones. He is comfortable taking the ball infield, before making intelligent passes in central areas. This is partly due to him being employed as a winger in the youth setup.

Reports suggest that Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has made Wan-Bissaka his number one target at right-back while Manchester City and Tottenham have also been keeping track of the player. Wherever the player ends, he surely has a bright future ahead of him.

#4 Luka Jovic

Jovic goals were crucial in Frankfurt's run in Europe this season

With 17 goals and 5 assists in 32 Bundesliga games, Jovic is currently the hottest prospect in the footballing world right now. The Serbian striker made a name for himself after scoring an incredible 5 goals against Fortuna Dusseldorf and becoming the youngest player to do so in the German League.

When Kovic, the then Eintracht Frankfurt coach took over at Bayern Munich at the start of the season, the much more attack-minded Hutter came in. He liberated Jovic, gave him a free hand to roam around and express himself, and made him a preferred option alongside Rebic and the French target man Sebastien Haller.

A strong dribbler, the 21-year-old Serbian is able to take on defenders and create chances for himself and others, making at least 1 key pass per game. Jović is able to get a large amount of power behind his shots, something which makes it incredibly difficult for a goalkeeper to save.

Real Madrid were in pole position to sign Jovic but pulled out of the deal as Frankfurt increased its asking price for the Serbian, as per the Spanish reports. But given the riches the clubs have nowadays, it's not long before Jovic moves to a big club.

#3 Nicolas Pepe

Pepe is the next big name to come out of Ligue 1

Rewind three years and Pepe was playing in the third tier of French football, for recently relegated side US Orleans after being loaned out from parent club Angers. After a successful season with US Orleans, Angers integrated him in their first team who was then, at the end of that season sold to Marco Bielsa's Lille.

The Argentine used him in the middle, where he struggled, rather than his preferred right wing and after Bielsa's departure, Pepe returned to the right flank full time. The first thing you’ll notice when watching Pépé in action is his directness. Every move he makes when in possession is forward-thinking. The second is excellent close control which, when coupled with his pace, makes him a defender’s nightmare.

However, there is far more to his game than just penetrative dribbling and this season Pépé has become one of the best in France at threatening the opposition goal. Whether he is fashioning shooting opportunities or being the finisher of chances created by teammates, his total scoring attempts per 90 of 4.62 is the third highest figure in Ligue 1.

With a number of clubs fighting for his signature, Pepe should choose Premiere League which loves direct football and has seen a number of pacy strikers like Owen, Henry, Anelka, etc enjoy a successful career on the island.

#2 Frenkie De Jong

De Jong won the Johan Cruyff award aka - Dutch Footballer of the Year this season

A season ago, very few people outside Dutch football knew about De Jong. But when the next season starts, he will be plying his trades for FC Barcelona and sharing the pitch alongside Leo Messi.

A product of Willem II, De Jong played as a make-shift center back in his first season but moved to his preferred midfield position under Erik Ten Hag. His strongest trait, to many people's surprise, is dribbling and bringing the ball out from the back. When we take a look at his overall career dribbling stats, it is incredibly high at 87.1 % (3.64 per game).

Frenkie wins more than half of his duels with 53 % (19.82 per game) overall and the highest going as far as 85 %. But what makes De Jong special is his ability to break the lines. With just one pass, he bypasses 5-6 of the opposition players.

In the second leg against Juventus, when Dybala (who man-marked him in the first 45 minutes, and totally nullified his passing threat) was taken off for Kean, Juventus struggled to control the game because Kean failed to mark the Dutch who with his array of passing destabilized Juventus's backline. Such is his ability to control the game and its pace.

With Arthur already being considered the heir to Xavi and Riqui Puig game so reminiscent to Iniesta, De Jong can easily sit at the base of the midfield and form a midfield trio which would dominate the game for the next decade or so for Barcelona for sure.

#1 Jadon Sancho

Sancho has been nicknamed as the English Neymar by the British press

When Sancho left Manchester City for Dortmund for £8 million in 2017, it was a risky movement considering not many English youngsters had left the island at such a young age to find success abroad. But 2 seasons later, it looks like a move made in heaven.

Dortmund coach Lucien Favre has been described as an efficient manager with an ability to overperform expected goals in part a feature of compact organization and getting men behind the ball. This has helped Sancho the most with the teenager assisting as many expected goals in open play per 90 as anyone else in the Bundesliga.

Favre has mostly used Sancho as one of the three wide midfielders in his structured 4-2-3-1 formation. Sancho mostly plays on the right side of the three advanced midfielders and the youngster likes to express himself more on the ball and this makes him to always try and do something with the ball, taking defenders on 1 v 1 situations and trying to run with the ball into space.

Sancho is currently defying logic with his form, but it is very possible that he will see frustrations in the future. A player such as Raheem Sterling spent several years unable to perform as he did at age 19 before having a sudden leap in production under Pep Guardiola.

Dips in the form are common during the early stages in a player's career. Improvement is not linear. Hence Sancho should not look for a big money move back to his homeland and rather stick with Dortmund and become the player he has been forecasted to be.