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Having been linked with most of the top clubs in Europe for many years, Norwegian prodigy Sander Berge very much looks part of a golden generation for his country. Alongside Erling Haaland and Kristoffer Ajer, the Norwegians look to be well-set for a core to their national side for a decade at least. For Sheffield United, then, landing Berge in January was a major coup – and expect him to go from strength to strength this year as his team takes an extra step-up.

What makes him so special?

Berge is a midfielder who can do a bit of everything. Though we have to say that for someone of his size he could do a lot more defensively, it’s something that will improve working with Chris Wilder. Despite lacking some aerial prowess, too, he’s a player who is still acclimatising to a very different play style and formation: one might argue that United might be one of the hardest teams to play for given the unicity of their system.

However, despite not being a great tackler (yet), Berge makes up for it with astounding creativity in most other parts of his game. He’s a fantastic ball player, and can come out with the ball and knit play. Add in the fact that he can often win fouls for United – great at set-pieces – with his surging runs and his natural power, and he looks a real asset for his team.

He’s a great passer, too, and his finishing is surprisingly adept – especially from range. Expect to see Berge becoming more confident and taking control of games on a regular basis next year as he acclimatises properly to the English game.

In what could have been a hellish first half-season, Berge has left most fans in no doubt about just how high his ceiling is.

Play like women and not like neymar..

Though Jarrod Bowen signed for West Ham United in January, the 2020-21 Premier League season looks like it could be his moment. The young Englishman was prolific in the second tier, scoring a very impressive 16 goals in just 29 games for Hull. At 23, he’s made his move to the top-flight and with a goal and 4 assists in a half-season for a troubled Hammers team, Bowen has the world at his feet next year.

Improvement is expected, especially if West Ham make the kind of smart moves in the transfer market that David Moyes is renowned for.

What makes him so special?

For Bowen, the thing that makes him stand out quite so much is his ability to both cross and shoot. Today, many wide players are either good goal scorers or decent providers; Bowen does a happy mixture of both.

Solid on the right-hand side as well as through the middle or even as an attacking player, Bowen has plenty of goals in him wherever he is deployed. He’s scored consistently in the Championship and looks to have the fluency and the confidence in his game to keep scoring at the highest level of English football.

While he can be quite bad for giving the ball away on regulation passes, his creative passing when it comes to chance creation is very impressive indeed. So, too, are his set-pieces. Add in a player who has no problem working hard for his team as well as offering a threat on the break, and he’s the perfect solution for a Moyes team.

If they can find a forward to link with Bowen and Michael Antonio next year, we could be looking at one of the most surprisingly fun attacks in the league – and Bowen plays a big role in that.

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.