Signed from Brentford for a club record fee, Aston Villa were seen to be taking a big risk on Ollie Watkins. Despite his physical and technical quality, he was seen as a striker who might struggle to make that next step up into the Premier League. After a debut season that has gone well enough to earn an England call-up, it would be pretty safe to assume that Watkins is now well and truly part of the first-team starting line-up at Villa.
So much so that he could already be on the move in the summer.
What makes Ollie Watkins worth watching?
Most strikers who work as hard as Watkins and compete so well tend to lack goals. His work off the ball and his desire to get teammates involved often sees him derided as a workhorse who lacks finishing quality. However, this could not be any further from the truth; the striker works hard but is a threat in the air and with both feet.
He is a natural finisher who simply has many other assets to bring to the table, ensuring he offers the work rate and finishing prowess expected of an England striker.
Things to improve for Ollie Watkins
Where he could improve would be making better decisions on the break. Villa are a primarily counter attacking team, and Watkins has a habit of straying offside on the break. Several notable attacks have broken down at key moments because Watkins has been too keen to get in behind. Despite having natural pace and power, he often tends to go a little too early.
Therefore, a change in his timing of his runs would almost guarantee that Watkins could become an asset for almost any team in England. His rate of improvement is incredible, and shows no signs of slowing down.
England Breakthrough
Having been selected for the Euros 20024 England team, Watkins frustrations were clear. Having been given very little time on the pitch, his opportunity to make an impact came vs Netherland in the semi finals on 10th July, and it was one he didn’t hang around in taking, scoring a stunner of a goal to put England into the Euros final for the second time in a row. Will we go one better this time?
Formerly seen as the next Belgian wonderkid to come through at Anderlecht, Youri Tielemans find it hard to adapt when moving to France. His time with AS Monaco was a relative disappointment, but he has thrived since arriving in England at Leicester City. Now one of the most in-demand central midfielders in the world, Tielemans could be the perfect addition to any first-team in the world.
However, for now, he has become a crucial part in Leicester pushing for UEFA Champions League qualification across consecutive seasons.
What makes Youri Tielemans worth watching?
Capable of scoring in the box and from afar, as well as a keen range of passing, Tielemans is a modern midfielder. He can carry the ball through midfield, drop into spaces, and find teammates with ease. He has a strong passing vision and can easily move the ball with both feet. He is also durable, starting all but one of the 29 Premier League games he could have been involved in so far.
He also scores regularly, with 10 goals across all competitions marking a huge return for a central midfielder. Add in a desire to work back the way, too, and Tielemans is a pretty complete 23-year-old.
Things to improve for Youri Tielemans
While his physicality could definitely improve, he is not shy of getting involved in a tackle. He also has a habit of winning fouls – one way that Leicester could improve this, though, is to win fouls in more dangerous areas. Tielemans has the balance and the ability to draw fouls; improving where fouls are won could be a huge improvement for the youngster.
However, with so much to his game already, the real main missing part is genuine strength and physicality. Given development time, though, that could easily change in the seasons to come.
When 199cm Danish central defender Jannik Vestergaard arrived in England, he was seen as a player with rising potential. Despite ups and downs across his time in England, the 28-year-old has slowly but surely established himself as a key player for Southampton.
His impressive height and experience makes him a leader at the back, while he offers a level of leadership that Southampton miss without his presence. Although definitely on the slower end of the scale, his positioning and aggression makes up for any lack of natural pace.
What makes Jannik Vestergaard worth watching?
One thing that makes Vestergaard a player of interest is his ability in the air in both boxes. In 20+ starts this year, he has also contributed three goals whilst regularly winning in excess of three aerial duels per game. Not many strikers in England can get the better of him in a one-on-one duel aerially.
Add in his excellent ability to win the ball with head and feet, and he is a classic defender who can easily keep his team in games. When Southampton are facing a backs-to-the-walls performance, the rest of the team look the Dane.
Things to improve for Jannik Vestergaard
The one thing that hurts Vestergaard’s game above anything else is pace, and that cannot really be solved. His incredible size and power naturally makes him less likely to be quick. And while he could be better technically, too, these are quibbles to have for a destroyer central defender who has built his game on positioning and match understanding.
In fact, the primary thing that could improve was also listed as a strength; Verstergaard could score even more goals. Given the number of set pieces he dominates, Southampton could feel justified in expecting an even better goals return over the years.
Otherwise known as Rodri, Manchester City has likely found a long-term replacement for Fernandinho. The Spanish midfielder made his name in La Liga before returning to academy team Atletico Madrid. A single season under Diego Simeone, though, was enough to convince Pep Guardiola that he was the ideal midfield anchor to buy.
With some of the best passing and physical attributes for any midfielder in the country, he certainly is living up to his high reputation after what could be seen as a slow start to his time in England.
What makes Rodrigo Hernandez worth watching?
Rodri has already played close to 50 games this year for City, and has picked up just five bookings in all competitions. He is a clean tackler, a wonderful passer of the ball, and is capable of playing in central or defensive midfield without issue. He also tends to be strong in the air, capable of sweeping up passes over the top and also adding another bit of grit from set-pieces.
City were porous defensively in his first year, but Rodri has done a fine job of helping to return Guardiola’s City to being a defensive juggernaut.
Things to improve for Rodrigo Hernandez
Put simply – goals and fouls. While he is never in the City team to be a creator, he could use the massive amount of space he is often found with better. From improving his goalscoring either from set-pieces from distance to becoming a touch more ambitious with his movement, Rodri has very little to add to his game.
Most of the changes needed are minor refinements. For example, he tends to commit a lot of fouls that could have been avoided. If he can cut down on the foul count, Rodri could become the best holding midfield player in English football.