While most of the media talk at the minute is about the expensive signings that could possibly be heading to the Premier League for 2017/18 – names like James Rodriguez, Bernardo Silva, Kylian Mbappe, and so on – one group of players seems to be largely ignored. They’re the group of players that definitely *are* heading to the Premier League – players coming up from the Championship, either via one of the promoted sides, or players from larger clubs who spent last season on loan in England’s second tier.
Last season saw Brighton & Hove Albion, Newcastle United and Huddersfield Town promoted and all three sides have some players who should slot right into the Premier League. Others clearly won’t, and in the dog-eat-dog world of the top tier, it’s time to sink or swim. Some players, however, I expect to shoot to fame in 2017-18, following the path taken by the likes of Kevin Phillips over a decade ago. Here are five of them.
#5 Aaron Mooy
Australian midfielder Mooy spent 2016-17 on loan at Huddersfield Town from Manchester City and proved to be a major hit – not only did he appear in 45 of Huddersfield’s 46 league games, he was also named Man of the Match in the play-off final against Reading that saw the Terriers promoted to the Premier League and coolly dispatched his penalty in the decisive shootout. The Aussie was also voted Player of the Season by Huddersfield fans – showing how well he’s been received at the Kirklees Stadium.
Forming a formidable midfield partnership with Jonathan Hogg and operating from a deep, defensive role, the 26-year-old is calm and comfortable on the ball and his distribution was consistently fantastic last season, as was his ability to win the ball from the opposition. The Australian also chipped in with four goals and seven assists, showing the depth in his game too.
While he’s not likely to become part of Pep Guardiola’s plans at Manchester City anytime soon, Huddersfield boss David Wagner would reportedly love to sign him on a permanent basis and so it seems ever-more likely that we’ll see Mooy in the Premier League next season – he’d have no shortage of suitors should the Terriers fail to secure his services. And based on his 2016-17 form, there’s no reason to believe he can’t develop into a Premier League star too
#4 Izzy Brown
Another of Chelsea’s youth stars, attacking midfielder Brown spent all of 2016/17 in the Championship, initially playing 20 games on loan for the eventually-relegated side Rotherham United. While he didn’t always succeed there, it was his second loan move – to Huddersfield Town that showed the potential that the England youngster has to become a true Premier League star in 2017-18.
Brown made 15 appearances for Huddersfield in the Championship and instantly endeared himself to the Terriers’ fans with his exciting dribble-heavy style, as well as his goalscoring prowess – he hit four goals in the league in this short period of time and starred as Huddersfield surged into fifth place and were eventually promoted via the play-offs.
While he didn’t have his most memorable game in the play-off final (Brown missed an easy chance by firing off target early on), his form for Huddersfield certainly suggests that he could easily slot into the Premier League and become a star player there.
Whether that is for Chelsea (remember, Jose Mourinho said he’d be a future England international) or more likely for Huddersfield on another season-long loan remains up in the air, but with improvements fully expected at just 20 years old, I fully expect him to hit the ground running in the Premier League in 2017-18..
#3 Dwight Gayle
If Newcastle indeed sew up the signing of Tammy Abraham, then he could well form a formidable striking partnership with Dwight Gayle, who also hit 23 goals last season as the Magpies won the Championship to climb back up into the Premier League. It was Gayle’s first season back in the Championship since he played there with Peterborough in 2012-13, and he certainly made the most of the opportunity following a tricky time at Crystal Palace.
While Gayle did score some goals in the Premier League with Palace – 10 in 2014-15 for instance – he was never truly given an extended run in the first team there and 2015-16, in particular, was frustrating for him, as he only made 16 league appearances. Injuries hampered his time at Selhurst Park and while he’s spent some time on the shelf at Newcastle too, only playing 32 of the 46 league games, it just makes his goals-to-games ratio even more impressive in a way.
Whether Gayle can score regularly in the Premier League is a question mark, but he seems to have all the attributes to succeed – he’s pacey, gets himself into the right positions and he appears to have a natural knack for finishing too. And under Rafael Benitez at 27 years old – likely the peak of his career – this is his chance to prove his doubters wrong.
#2 Anthony Knockaert
French winger Knockaert – who had an earlier stint in England with Leicester City – signed with Brighton & Hove Albion in January 2016, and his impressive performances throughout 2016-17 played a large part in allowing the Seagulls to finish second in the Championship and gain promotion to the Premier League. Knockaert was, in fact, so good that he was named the Championship Player of the Year in April.
Both a consistent and flashy player who possesses the ability to play on both the left and right sides, Knockaert contributed 15 goals and eight assists last season, and by appearing in 45 of Brighton’s 46 league games, he also showed the sort of durability needed for a hard season in the Premier League, facing off against much tougher defences than those in the Championship.
While there are some questions around his ability to play at the very top level, I don’t think he has too much to worry about judging on last season’s form – while he was on the periphery at Leicester under Nigel Pearson and wasn’t really given an opportunity, he’s probably Brighton’s key player and can be expected to play a large role in attempting to keep them in the Premier League.
Given how good he looked in 2017-18, it should definitely be fun to see him try.
#1 Tammy Abraham
Just one of Chelsea’s many impressive youth players, Tammy Abraham spent 2016-17 in the Championship, on a season-long loan at Bristol City. While the Robins struggled throughout the season, eventually finishing 17th – just three points above the relegation zone – Abraham certainly didn’t as he hit 23 goals in the league and 26 overall in 48 appearances. It was arguably his goals that allowed Bristol to retain Championship status.
Abraham’s finishing is second-to-none and while many of his 26 goals for Bristol weren’t exactly aesthetically pleasing, he always seems to be in the right position to put the ball in the back of the net, and is capable of highly skilled finishes too – look at his goal against Blackburn Rovers for instance, an incredibly casual flicked finish worthy of the world’s best strikers.
Last week’s reports suggested that Abraham is about to join Newcastle on a season-long loan, with Chelsea supposedly looking to ensure that the England u21 star will be guaranteed game time. With Newcastle crying out for another dangerous striker to go along with the also prolific Dwight Gayle, Abraham can be expected to gain precious playing time in the Premier League and I see no reason why he can’t succeed massively.
15 goals could be a target for him and with his clear talent, it’s one I could see him reaching.
