Emi Martinez (Goalkeeper, Aston Villa)
Arsenal’s loss has been Villa’s gain. A big gain. Martinez (pictured above) is having an excellent campaign and is reportedly on Man Utd’s radar.
Ezri Konsa (Defender, Aston Villa)
Konsa is qualified to play international football for Portugal, Angola, Congo and England. The 23-year-old centre-back has yet to commit to any of that quartet, but England would be foolish not to make an attempt to woo him.
Matt Targett (Defender, Aston Villa)
Targett is another Villa defender who can be proud of his season, and like Konsa, he can’t be that far from Gareth Southgate’s thoughts. The full-back is one of the league’s most improved players.
Aaron Cresswell (Defender, West Ham)
A bit of a theme here. Another English defender who plays in claret and blue and who is having arguably his best ever season.
Vladimir Coufal (Defender, West Ham)
West Ham fans adore Coufal (pictured above), whose warrior spirit is right up their (Green) street. Coufal’s consistency this season has been outstanding. The little Czech is a contender for best right-back of the year.
Ola Aina (Defender, Fulham)
Aina keeps improving and really caught the eye in Fulham’s 1-0 win at Anfield a couple of weeks ago. The Cottagers have an option to buy the 24-year-old Nigeria international from parent club Torino, and if they stay up, they really should make the deal permament.
Youri Tielemans (Midfielder, Leicester)
Brendan Rodgers called the Belgian a “fabulous player” recently, and he’s not wrong; if you don’t watch Leicester closely, you may not realise how talented he is; he’s easily good enough to play for a Champions League club – although of course Leicester could be playing in that competition next season.
Leandro Trossard (Midfielder, Brighton)
Trossard (pictured above) is another gifted Belgian player who tends to go under the radar. He’s a lovely player to watch and has really come into his own in recent weeks.
Jarrod Bowen (Midfielder/forward, West Ham)
The 24-year-old winger has been one of West Ham’s most solid performers this season, whether playing on the right wing or up front. Like many of the names on this list, he’s not spectacular but he is a valuable team man.
Mateo Kovacic (Midfielder, Chelsea)
Lots of Chelsea players have flourished under Thomas Tuchel, including Kovacic. The 26-year-old Croatian has never caught my eye until this year – I can see now why Chelsea bought him from Real Madrid; his ability to control the midfield area is exceptional.