Premier League 2021-22 review: young players of the season

These days, it’s a bad day to be a left-back when Arsenal come to town. Whether you view the Gunners’ season as a failure or one of improvement, there is no doubt that this has been the one where Saka, despite his tender age, has become the club’s talisman. There are few players in the league, perhaps the world, with the Ealing-born winger’s poise and balance, and the beauty of his dribbling off the right flank is that he is just as happy to drive to the byline on his right foot as he is keen to cut inside on his left. Saka is intelligent on the pitch, eloquent off it, and Arsenal are lucky to have someone so fiercely loyal to the club. What is frightening is how much better he could become, especially if Arsenal invest in a proper striker and a right-back capable of overlapping and creating more space for Saka.

The only non-Englishman to feature here, Kulusevski has qualified for this list despite arriving from Juventus only in January. Since then, he’s racked up as many assists (eight) as Kevin De Bruyne has managed all season, and alongside Spurs’ other mid-season addition, Rodrigo Bentancur, has been a key reason why the club made a late dash for the top four. Rather than blistering pace or a dazzling array of skills, what stands out with Kulusevski is tactical nous and excellent decision making – choosing the right pass under pressure – which Antonio Conte values deeply. Tottenham are expected to make his loan permanent this summer for €30m, which feels cheap for a player who quickly became a fan favourite, supporters showing their love for the Swede with a chant based upon Abba’s Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!

This is Foden’s third consecutive inclusion on this list, which goes some way to explaining how consistently