Every Premier League club’s surprise star of the season, featuring Eriksen, Elanga and…
We’re into ‘of the season’ territory folks. Before we get to the POTYs and YPOTYs, we’re starting with the Football365 SPOTYs, the surprise players of the year.
We’re not talking your Mohamed Salahs or Kevin De Bruynes, for whom accolades will undoubtedly follow, but those who have taken the Premier League by storm when we were expecting little more than a shower. We say they’ve taken the league by storm, but we’ve done one per club, so it’s all relative. More on the great Pierre Lees-Melou to come…
Arsenal: Martin Odegaard
We knew he was good, but not quite this good. Joining the club permanently in a £34m deal at the start of the season after an impressive, if inconsistent, loan spell last term, one of Mikel Arteta’s leaders has become the creator-in-chief at the heart of Arsenal’s midfield. This season, only Mohamed Salah (58) and Bruno Fernandes (73) have created more chances than Odegaard’s 52 from open play.
Martin Ødegaard created 6 chances today against Leicester. His total of 49 chances created this season is the most by an #Arsenal player in a Premier League season since Mesut Özil (84) & Alexis Sánchez (51) in 2017-18. pic.twitter.com/mkOr3VykZA
— Harvey Downes (@HarveyDownes92) March 13, 2022
Aston Villa: Jacob Ramsey
Six Premier League starts and no goals last season, 27 starts and six goals this term. Narrative dictates that Ramsey owes his rise to box-to-box midfield manager Steven Gerrard, but he’s arguably more indebted to Dean Smith, who made him a key part of his team before his sacking. He’s scored some brilliant goals this season and is one of a new generation of English midfielders – along with Jude Bellingham – who can dribble past opposition players as well as pass through them.
Brentford:
