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For years, Leeds United watched as their academy talents would move on to clubs that could actually reach the top flight. Last summer, after missing out on promotion, they nearly lost Kalvin Phillips to Aston Villa. The creative midfielder has gone from a box-to-box engine room to the creative heartbeat of the Leeds side. A key reason for their promotion, there is every likelihood that this season will end up with Phillips gaining full international recognition.

Already a stalwart at Leeds, he has the passing range and the physicality to handle the top flight without any issues whatsoever.

What makes him so special?

What makes Phillips so interesting as a player is his transformative change in the last few years. Once a box-to-box player who scored a few goals, he’s been turned into one of the best defensive midfielders in the Championship. While a meagre return of 2 goals and 2 assists show a massive drop-off in his output in previous seasons, it’s his ball retention that makes him such an interesting player.

Phillips was among the best midfielders in the league, making an average of 1.8 key passes per game. On top of that, he’s retained a passing accuracy of over 81% across the reason – very impressive given how attack-minded Leeds are.

Having even played at central defence for a game for Leeds, he’s shown himself to be an excellent reader of the game, a great ball-winner, and a fine tackler. He’s also known for having excellent passing and for opening up the game for Leeds. When he isn’t in the team, they miss his ability to start attacks, spread the play to the wide areas, and take shots from distance to open up the play.

In short, he’s a game-changer for a club that looks to be as ambitious as any promoted side in recent history.

When you see a young Brazilian midfielder signing for a club in the English Championship, naturally eyebrows will be raised. So when West Bromwich Albion brought in tricky and creative Brazilian midfielder Matheus Pereira last year, there were some obvious questions to be asked. How good can he be if he ends up in the English second tier?

After a year of destroying defences in the league, it’s safe to say that Pereira is very good. In fact, he could be one of the true surprises of the 2020-21 Premier League campaign if West Brom can keep on attacking.

What makes him so special?

It’s hard to pinpoint one thing in particular, but it’s easy to say that Pereira is the livewire in the Baggies team. The Brazilian laid on a whopping 16 assists last year whilst producing 8 goals in the league. It’s a fantastic return for a player playing his first year in the English game.

Having enjoyed terrorising defences with his aggressive style and his tremendous artillery of tricks, flicks, passes and dribbles, it’s fair to say that there is ample excitement around the youngster. Always seen as a precocious talent, he is now making good on the kind of praise that has come his way regularly over the last few years.

Pereira has one major issue, though; he might struggle with the physicality of the top flight. Though strong enough for the second tier, there are some concerns that he might go to ground a bit too easy in the Premier League. So long as he can handle the physicality, though, there is absolutely no doubting Pereira when it comes to his technical talent or his feet. Without doubt, he’s one of the most interesting attacking talents coming into the 20-21 Premier League season.

As part of the large Portuguese contingent over at Wolverhampton Wanderers, Pedro Neto looks a deeply precocious talent. The 20-year-old signed from Lazio and has already started to get a fair amount of games, albeit mostly from the bench. He regularly plays across the forward line, though, having played both on the left and right. He’s even made some big impressions up front, having set up goals and scored goals as the teams nominal central striker.

While he’s got a lot of work to do physically, it’s fair to say that the tactical and technical ingredients are there.

What makes him so special?

For Neto, the one thing that stands out is his maturity. If you didn’t know he was a 20-year-old making some of his first senior football appearances this season, you would never have guessed. While he gives away too many fouls and can lack tactical discipline, his ability to pick out passes when on the ball and to win fouls in key areas for his team is a great asset in one so young.

He’s a strong player, too, and does a good job of holding onto the ball for his team. Add in his ability to link up with his teammates and both create and score goals, and he looks a deeply interesting prospect for the Midlands side.

His strongest asset, though, is his deep crossing and his distance shooting. An excellent striker of the ball, Neto knows how to hit a strike cleanly and keep it on target from the moment it leaves his foot. He’s got excellent technical prowess; at 20, too, his tactical skills are not as bad as you might see with other talents.

Despite his lack of gametime at this level, he looks far less raw than fans might have expected – for Wolves fans, he’s arguably the most exciting prospect at the club.

While Norwich City might be set for an immediate return to the Football League, their Argentina midfield diamond Emiliano Buendia isn’t likely to go back down with them. The 23-year-old has quickly established himself as a creative force in the league, standing out like a sore thumb.

In games where the Canaries seem to have very much went down the coal mine, Buendia has shone brightest. Alongside Todd Cantwell and Max Aarons, Buendia has the best chance of sticking around the top flight for a long time to come.

What makes Emiliano Buendia stand out?

You name it, and Buendia can do it. The Norwich midfielder is one of the best combination players in the top flight at the moment. He wins the ball, he lays it off with intelligence, and he can pass equally well long and short.

He’s great at holding off the opposition and then moving forward with the ball. Decision making? It’s excellent. He often picks the right pass, shot, or dribble. His defensive contribution is among the most impressive in the league, too. For a player who does so much to create in midfield, he does so much work in defence and forward positions. Really, he’s one of the most complete young midfielders in the Premier League as it stands.

What does Emiliano Buendia need to work on?

Despite his age and top flight experience, there are precious few parts of Buendia’s game that needs work. He wins the ball back a lot from the opposition, and he likes to get stuck in. He also wins a lot of set pieces, and tends to be great at putting dead balls in from corners and free kicks.

His delivery accurate, his tackling sound, his passing crisp and his finishing decent enough. For a player at his age and experience, Buendia really does come close to having it all.

Rangy and powerful, Wilfred Ndidi is the latest in a long line of talents from Belgium to thrive in the Premier League. The Nigerian international honed his game in the middle of the park for Genk. In a short space of time, he’s gone from a potential superstar to a coveted piece of the jigsaw for most top clubs in the land.

If Ndidi is to keep progressing as he is, then it would be no surprise at all to see him at the top clubs.

What makes Wilfred Ndidi stand out?

Everything – he’s one of the most complete midfielders in the Premier League. Outside of goals (see below), he’s a tremendous talent. He manages to help win the ball back quickly and then spring it forward. He’s outstanding in the air, playing a fine role at set pieces and games when the Foxes are under the cosh.

The midfielder is one of the most talented players mentally. Rarely anything less than a 7.5/10, he has a good game almost every week. His concentration is something that is so impressive for a young midfielder. If you never knew he was under 24, you would assume that Ndidi is a 30-plus years old international captain.

His vast experience and reading of the game ensures that, for many, he’s among the best players in the country.

What does Wilfred Ndidi need to work on?

Really, it would be hard to point out a major weakness. One could say that Ndidi is not a good goalscorer, but defensive midfielders who score goals are very rare indeed. His poor goal scoring record aside, Ndidi has managed to carve out a position for himself as one of the most consistent players in the UK.

He’s become a household name due to the solidity of his game, and how reliable he is. Goals are purely secondary.