The Premier League is one of the most popular football leagues globally, known for its competitive nature, top-tier managers, and talented players. This season, it has been especially competitive, with clubs outside the traditional Top 6 performing exceptionally well, resulting in a more dynamic and unpredictable league table so far.
Let’s take a look at the players who have surprisingly performed beyond expectations and taken the Premier League by storm –
Jhon Durán (Aston Villa)
The Aston Villa forward has been one of the standout players in the Premier League so far. He has mostly been deployed as a substitute by Unai Emery but he has come off the bench and impacted the game, contributing with vital goals and assists.
Jhon Durán joined Aston Villa in January 2023 from Major League Soccer (MLS) club Chicago Fire. Durán didn’t make instant impact but Aston Villa did exceptionally well to end the season in the Top 4, qualifying for the Champions League after several decades.
However, this season so far, Durán has surprised one and all with impressive cameos off the bench. He has scored 11 goals in all competitions having played 24 games this season. His ability and awareness in the six-yard box is an indication that he is an intelligent centre-forward who is only going to improve. In addition to his finishing, he can also score from long-range efforts as he has showed a couple of times this season.
An exceptional signing for Aston Villa as he has proved with decisive goals against West Ham United, Leicester City and Everton in the league. He has a massive contribution in keeping an inconsistent Villans in the top half of the league table and also in the Top eight of the Champions League table.
Liam Delap (Ipswich Town)
Liam Delap has been really impressive even though Ipswich are still struggling in the league. He has started all games for Ipswich Town so far this season, contributing with goals and assists.
Delap joined Ipswich in July, 2024 from Manchester City on a permanent 5-year deal. Life at Portman Road didn’t start too badly from an individual perspective as he has announced himself in top flight with six goals and an assist.
Delap is coming across as a strong centre-forward who has pace, can run down the channels and provide assists along with a great shot conversion ratio. If the Tractor Boys have any chance to survive in the Premier League, the U-21 England striker has to continue his goal scoring form.
He is certainly proving to be a bargain for Ipswich Town and already attracting interest from a lot of top clubs looking for a striker option.
Ryan Gravenberch (Liverpool)
Ryan Gravenberch has made the No. 6 defensive midfield role his own in the Liverpool side this season. He has simply been sensational for the league leaders so far.
Gravenberch joined Liverpool in the 2023 summer transfer window from Bayern Munich with former manager Jürgen Klopp having to reinvent the midfield after players leaving last summer. Gravenberch didn’t find many starts in the 2023/24 season, playing only 26 league games under Klopp, mostly limited to appearances off the bench.
This season though, Gravenberch has been the mainstay of the Liverpool midfield, playing a key role in protecting Liverpool’s defence alongside the two centre-backs, while also contributing to their strong defensive record. In the most recent match against Fulham, he even stepped in as a centre-back while the team was down to 10 men, delivering an excellent performance that helped secure a draw.
Under new manager Arne Slot, the Dutchman has transformed into a completely different force this season. His impressive performances have been a key factor in Liverpool’s position at the top of both the Premier League and the Champions League.
Raúl Jiménez (Fulham)
Raúl Jiménez is enjoying life at Craven Cottage so far this season – a major contributor to Fulham’s strong position in the league.
Jiménez had enjoyed two seasons of stellar performances with Wolverhampton Wanderers until the 2020/21 season when he suffered a severe head injury that kept him out of football for a long duration. His comeback to Wolves ended up being ordinary as he couldn’t find his goalscoring touch eventually leading to his move away from the Old Gold. Fulham came calling in the summer of 2023. Jiménez has repaid Marco Silva’s faith this season with six goals and two assists so far this season. He has been a massive threat in the six-yard box for the opposition defenders.
The Mexican forward seemed to have found his lost touch in front of goal and has been influential for Marco Silva’s side. His return to goal scoring form has been one of the most wholesome stories of the season so far.
Nicolas Jackson (Chelsea FC)
Nicolas Jackson is having a dream season under new coach Enzo Maresca this year and his immense contributions in front of goal has catapulted Chelsea to second place in the league table after a visibly slow start.
Jackson joined Chelsea from Villareal in the summer of 2023. However, he had a decent start to life at Stamford Bridge while the Blues huffed and puffed, missing out on CL places for a second consecutive season. However, this season he has been off and running from the start, scoring nine goals and getting 3 assists. He has looked very dangerous in front of goal for this very entertaining young Chelsea side under Maresca.
Jackson has been one of the most improved players this season and with Chelsea in a strong position in the league, his form can prove to be a decisive factor in the title race going into the business end of the season.
Mikkel Damsgaard (Brentford FC)
Mikkel Damsgaard has been another player who is quietly having a superb season for the Bees.
Damsgaard joined Brentford in the summer of 2022 from Italian Serie A club Sampdoria. However, last two seasons he had underwhelming performances but coming into this season, Damsgaard has been brilliant for the Bees. He currently has six assists and a goal for Brentford. In addition, he is a very dangerous option on set-pieces.
Damsgaard has been vital for the Bees in the middle of the park alongside the firing front men Yoane Wissa and Bryan Mbuemo who have been quite exceptional as well.
Antonee Robinson (Fulham FC)
Antonee Robinson is having a stellar season for the Cottagers, quiet easily the best left-back in the league right now.
Though Robinson has been with Fulham since 2020 since he moved from Wigan Athletic, He hasn’t been able to have this kind of an impact on the team since the 2021-22 season when he helped Fulham achieve top-flight promotion. For context, Robinson had a total of six assists the entire season last year while he is already at six assists in 16 games so far. His ability both in defence and attack makes him a top class modern day full-back.
Vital contribution in attack and defence has led to Fulham enjoying a great position in the league table and the Cottagers are no pushovers even against the big clubs.
Amad Diallo (Manchester United)
The young Ivorian right winger, Amad Diallo has profusely impressed with his energetic performances so far this season even though Manchester United has failed to find consistency.
Diallo joined Manchester United in 2020 from Atalanta and mostly made substitute appearances for the Red Devils playing mostly with the U23’s squad initially and then going on loan moves to other clubs in 22/23. It was last season, that he started to get a few opportunities under Erik Ten Hag and had a break through season. He rose to popularity when he scored the winning goal against rivals Liverpool in the FA Cup Quarter finals last year – a tournament they went on to win. This season so far, he has impressed right from pre-season and proving to be too hot to handle for opposition defences. So far, he has appeared in 23 games in all competitions and scored 4 goals and added six assists to his name.
Diallo is certainly a high-quality player who would get better with more game time. Ruben Amorim might have just found an excellent creator on the wings who is starting to turn provider for the United forwards – Joshua Zirkzee and Rasmus Højlund.
Dwight McNeil (Everton)
Dwight McNeil has been Everton’s shining light in the pitch dark this season. The Merseyside Blues had endured a tough 2023/24 season barely managing to scrape through relegation and could have been in the bottom three already this season if not for the brilliance of Dwight McNeil.
McNeil joined Everton ahead of the 2022/23 season from Burnley. He has almost single-handedly kept Everton above relegation places this season, scoring four goals and providing three assists in the 15 games he has played in all competitions. He scored a brace against Crystal Palace in a 2-1 win giving the Toffees their first win of the season in late September this season.
McNeil’s form has been vital for Everton to maintain safety from the drop zone but other players need to gear up as well if they want to remain afloat in the league.
Nikola Milenkovi? (Nottingham Forest)
Nottingham Forest has been the surprise package of the Premier League this season and a lot of it can be attributed to their defence. Nikola Milenkovi? alongside Murillo has been absolutely sensational in that Forest backline.
Milenkovi? joined Forest in July, 2024 from Fiorentina and hasn’t found life difficult in the English top-flight. The Serbian centre-back is a strong defender good on both aerial and ground duels. Not just sound defensively, the centre-back is also a threat on set pieces as he proved against Manchester United when Forest came away with all three points at Old Trafford. It’s not just Chris Wood in the front line but also the new addition in defence by Nuno Espírito Santo that has paid huge dividends for Forest who now sit comfortably in fourth position in the Premier League table.
Milenkovi? alongside that Forest backline has conceded 19 goals which is the third best after Liverpool and Arsenal and same as Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspurs. It would indeed be a stellar first season for the Serbian defender if Nottingham Forest find themselves in European places come May next year.
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