5 young players who have stagnated this season | Premier League 2020-21

#3 Grady Diangana (West Brom)

Can Grady Diangana reach his potential under Sam Allardyce at West Brom?

When West Brom were promoted from the EFL Championship into the Premier League last summer, the general consensus was that they would probably struggle.

However, many observers felt that in Matheus Pereira and Grady Diangana, they had two outstanding attackers who could give them a good chance of survival.

While that’s been true for Pereira – who has five goals and three assists to his name – the same cannot be said for Diangana, who ended the 2019-20 campaign with eight goals and six assists.

Considering the outcry West Ham United fans made when the attacker was sold to West Brom in the summer, it’s hard not to be disappointed in his output during the 2020-21 campaign.

Diangana did start well enough, scoring his first Premier League goal in his second game – a 5-2 loss to Everton. But he’s failed to find the net since and also hasn’t registered a single assist.

And more worryingly, Diangana has barely been involved since new manager Sam Allardyce arrived at the club in late December.

Sure, a hamstring injury has kept him out of a handful of games, but with ‘Big Sam’ looking to play a more defensive game, it could be tricky for him to get back into the starting XI anyway.

Diangana still has time to turn things around. But considering he’s at a struggling side under a defensive boss, it seems unlikely that he’ll do so this season. Sadly, this talented player has clearly stagnated during the 2020-21 Premier League campaign.

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#4 Dwight McNeil (Burnley)

Dwight McNeil has struggled to make an impact in the current season.

While they seem to be arresting their slump now, Burnley have been one of the Premier League’s surprise strugglers this season.

They currently sit in 16th place in the table, and while they’re eight points away from the drop zone, only bottom side Sheffield United have scored less goals than the 13 produced by Sean Dyche’s team.

Part of their struggles this season could be put down to the apparent stagnation of winger Dwight McNeil. The 21-year-old – who burst onto the scene in the 2018-19 Premier League campaign – has simply not had the same impact this time around.

The statistics appear to back up McNeil’s stagnation, too. Last season saw him play every single Premier League game for Burnley, and he scored twice while registering six assists – the most of any player in Sean Dyche’s squad.

This season in the Premier League, though, McNeil has scored just once – a fluke goal against Aston Villa – and registered two assists, despite appearing in 18 of the Clarets’ 20 matches.

The likely explanation is that due to Burnley’s lack of attacking talent, he’s simply been burned out over the past couple of seasons and is in dire need of a rest.

However, it seems unlikely that he’ll be given that opportunity any time soon. And so fans of the Clarets will hope he can somehow recapture the magic that once had him on the periphery of an England call-up.

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#5 Reiss Nelson (Arsenal)

Can Reiss Nelson force himself back into Mikel Arteta's plans at Arsenal?

Ever since Mikel Arteta became Arsenal’s manager in December 2019, young academy products have been given plenty of opportunities to shine.

Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe, in particular, have proven to be capable of making a massive impact in the Premier League. Strong showings from Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Joseph Willock have earned them loan moves to West Brom and Newcastle respectively.

However, one Gunners youngster who has unfortunately seemed to stagnate is winger Reiss Nelson.

The 21-year-old had a successful season on loan at Hoffenheim in the 2018-19 campaign, scoring seven Bundesliga goals. And while his return to the Emirates last season wasn’t quite as successful, he did impress in his performances after the Premier League’s restart in the summer.

This season though, Nelson has only appeared in two Premier League games, amassing a total of just 70 minutes on the pitch.

He has appeared in four Europa League matches – scoring one goal – but simply hasn’t shown enough to force his way into Arteta’s starting XI.

With the recent Premier League transfer window now closed, what happens from here to the England U-21 international is anyone’s guess. With a potential move away from Arsenal now out of the question, Nelson will need to impress Arteta and make his way back into his plans – or risk stagnating further.