Having endured rather than enjoyed a debut year in England, Sebastien Haller has plenty to prove. The £40m plus signing from Eintracht Frankfurt for West Ham United was seen as a spectacular coup. The player, who has been essential in the Eagles making such a run in the UEFA Europa League and impressing in the Bundesliga, was a highly coveted forward.

However, a rather drastic first season in England produced just seven goals and one assist across all domestic competition. Having only made 24 starts, too, it’s fair to say that Haller has plenty to do to change things around. He wouldn’t be the first forward to struggle in year one in England, though!

What makes him so special?

An outstanding all-around player, as you might expect his physique and athleticism means that Haller can hold opponents off and lay in his teammates. He’s also a hard worker, helping back defensively to keep his team less stuck in. Though this can mean being too far back to be a solid counter target, Haller is a top quality modern striker.

He’s a good forward who can keep the ball held up, who can get involved in both receiving and delivering fouls, and has no problem getting ‘stuck in’. His main problem stems from a stylistic issue; he’s playing in a very different team, system, and philosophy as he was used to dealing with in Germany and Holland before that.

However, it would be hard to deny that Haller has all the attributes to go to the next level as a player. He’s reaching his prime years, and has had a year to acclimatise to the English game. If David Moyes can get some more hard-working players to buzz around him, Haller could soon be linking-up with teammates as he had with so much quality at Frankfurt.

Having come from the Scottish top-flight to the English Championship, nay-sayers had John McGinn written off as ‘another SPFL flop’. Given the league has played a home to the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Andy Robertson, Kieran Tierney, and Moussa Dembele in recent years, though, it might be time for English fans to stop turning their noses up at the Scottish game.

Aston Villa fans have learned this the hard way. Having seen McGinn as squad filler on his arrival in the second tier, McGinn was their star face as he led the club back to the Premier League, scoring the goal to send them up in some style. Now acclimatised to the top flight, McGinn has every opportunity to step up even further.

What makes him so special?

Limitless energy and an ability to compete with people far bigger than his size. You often see McGinn happy to fly into challenges with players who would, on paper at least, brush him aside. A solid dribbler who can move through the middle of the pitch with ease, too, he’s got the engine and the technique to keep the ball moving either with a horizontal pass or a move through the middle of the park.

He gets the ball moving through the air, too, and is happy to hit diagonals to full-backs and wingers. A midfielder with solid vision and great work ethic, he could be one of the standout midfielders in the top-flight if he can stay fit this year to come. An excellent player who can both win fouls and win tackles, he’s a player who can really add an extra dimension to the Villa midfield.

Another season like last year, though, and we could see the Scot on the move again. He’s shown that he’s far more than a bench warmer in the top-flight; can he go on to establish himself in the eyes of even bigger clubs?

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.

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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.