This is just a fluff post about players I like to watch or are talented, I've avoided ones who have had significant time in the premier league, so the likes of Buendia or Sarr I've omitted, and the same goes for players who are on loan (Elliott, Guehi etc). There'll be a video for each player to give a rough idea of their style of play, and yes, the music accompanying the clips will be awful, as well as a few sentences to give a brief background and idea of how they play the game. This of course is not a comprehensive list and I'll add more when I'm less lazy, feel free to add your own as long as it's not some donkey Cardiff player.
Michael Olise
Michael Olise is a 19 year old who currently plays for Reading after being released from Chelsea at 15. He plays for the French youth teams but is eligible for England and Nigeria as well. Like a lot of young talent these days he's pretty flexible positionally, and is comfortable centrally and out wide. He's left footed and is a very elegant dribbler, he'll often drop a shoulder and just glide past a player. He's very calm on the ball and is happy to receive it even while being shadowed. As well as being great at carrying the ball he's a very good passer, he's creative with it, has a surprisingly expansive range and takes there set pieces. There were rumours that he has an 8m release clause though this was shot down by the manager, if true though it'd be good value for someone who is young and homegrown. I always like a player who will show for the ball and Olise is that kind of player, he'll often drift around the pitch looking for pockets of space, and he has both the dribbling ability and passing range to make use of these situations. He's linked up well with Lucas Joao who is often the focal point of the Reading attack and it's often fun to watch.
This was his 89th minute winner against QPR last month
This is a 4 minute compilation that mainly focuses on his dribbling
Adam Armstrong
Armstrong is a 23 year old `who plays for Blackburn as a striker. He has actually had some premier league game time, back in the 13/14 and 14/15 seasons for Newcastle (where he was born and came through the academy) which says a lot about how highly they rated him, as he was 17 when he made his debut. Sadly it didn't quite work out for him at Newcastle and after a few loan spells he joined the Rovers for 1.75m. In another thread I touted him as a possible replacement for Vardy, and that's a rough outline of the player he is. He's all about goals, this season he's scored 16 in 22 . He started the season in blistering form but has since tapered off a little. While he's technically tidy and has the low center of gravity that comes with his stature, his game is all about breaking the offside trap and getting shots off. In this sense he can be a little frustrating to watch, and like many goalscorers he can be selfish with his decision making. I actually had a quick check of whoscored to see how his shots per game compared to other strikers in the championship, and I wasn't surprised to see that he had the top spot by a significant margin. He's one of those players who seems to rapidly improve every season and step up a level, and I think he could be a decent acquisition for a premier league club this summer. One thing that makes me a little hesitant is that he often relies on his pace to blitz past the championship defenders, and one of the big differences between championship football and premier league football is that in the top division the defenders are often very fast themselves and space can be hard to come by. He's fairly short for a striker (5"8) and may struggle physically in the top league. I think he is capable of taking a step up though and is good fun to watch when he flies past a defender, he may have to work on becoming a little more well rounded in the style of Ollie Watkins to go to the next level. The Blackburn front trio of Elliot, Armstrong and Brereton is a young talented one and they seem to have a good connection.
A beauty he scored against Cardiff last season
A compilation of goals scored this season
Ivan Toney
Another easy choice to add, Toney alongside Armstrong is joint top of the goalscorers list with 16 goals. He began his career at Northampton Town and made his debut at 16. It wasn't long before Newcastle bought him in, and other than a couple cameos he mostly spent his time out on loan, before eventually joining Peterborough in league one permanently. After a couple seasons where apparently he shone, Brentford purchased him this summer as a replacement for Ollie Watkins. He's been brilliant for them and after Buendia has arguably been the best player this season. Like Armstrong his goals have tapered off a little but even when not scoring he offers a lot to the team with his work rate and tenacity, he's quite happy to get stuck in and for a striker is quite selfless in his play and will often bring others into the game with clever passing. I googled his height and was surprised to see that he is only 5"10, he's one of those players who plays taller than that. He's a handful in the air and is a danger from set pieces, he's also comfortable fighting it out with defenders when dealing with long balls and is great at being that pressure valve for his own defenders when they punt it up field. I thought that Brentford may have struggled when Watkins was sold but they did well to replace him with Toney and it's impressive how quickly he's adapted to the step up. While Rico Henry and Josh Dasilva have played well for the Bees this season, Toney is their undisputed star player and has been a real leader for them.
Nothing fancy here just basic between the post goals, this was his 8 goals in 6 games in October to get him POTM
Connor Roberts
I thought I'd balance it out after posting a few attackers so I went with wing back Connor Roberts. The Swansea defense in general has been utterly fantastic, conceding 13 goals in 24 league games, giving them the best defensive record in the championship. Freddie Woodman in goal on loan from Newcastle and Marc Guehi in central defense on loan from Chelsea have been brilliant, as has 20 year old Cabango and Ryan Bennet in the center.
Roberts is a 25 year old who came through the academy (he played several years with my brother who played on the left) and has actually made a couple of premier league appearances, the season Swansea went down
. Roberts is the type of player that supporters of the club they play for love, he's a very hardworking, dedicated professional who will always put in a shift. Wingbacks as a rule have to cover a massive amount of ground and the engine Roberts possesses allows him to constantly bomb down the wing to add width to the side. In recent seasons he's managed to add a real attacking influence to his game and is now a real threat in the final third with his passing and crossing. He's not the most technical when it comes to carrying the ball and relies more on making attacking runs and distributing the ball in a creative manner. Roberts has played the full 90 in every league game this season and often grows as the game goes on, his stamina allowing him to continue making attacking runs late on in the game as the opposition begins to tire. The system that Cooper employs allows Roberts more freedom in terms of his attacking movement, and allows him more opportunity to affect the game in the final third than he would as a right back, but he's also defensively intelligent and is quite adept at shutting down his flank.
A short clip of him scoring against Ireland
Ben Pearson
Ben Pearson will be well known to all of yous on here, as he came through the Manchester United academy. I thought he'd made a cup appearance for United but when I checked it looks like he hadn't, although he was highly regarded and I remember hearing about him on here while he was still a youngster. Pearson is currently 26 and plays for Preston North End, although his contract is running out this summer and there's talks of him joining Celtic. Pearson has consistently been excellent for PNE for several years now, working hard at the base of midfield to break up attacks and shield the defense, while also being consistent with his ball retention and distribution. He's also kind of a cnut on the pitch, is fairly dirty and constantly arguing with the refs. A player who if he plays for your side is loved but is despised by everyone else. I've always enjoyed watching him though as despite his diminutive stature he's very adept at winning the ball and is always a presence on the pitch. He's also quite nippy and covers ground well. I've always thought he could step up, and if the move to Celtic doesn't happen I wouldn't be surprised if some lower prem clubs come calling.
His first professional goal, scored for Barnsley while on loan from Manchester United
4min compilation of his passing and tackling
Michael Olise
Michael Olise is a 19 year old who currently plays for Reading after being released from Chelsea at 15. He plays for the French youth teams but is eligible for England and Nigeria as well. Like a lot of young talent these days he's pretty flexible positionally, and is comfortable centrally and out wide. He's left footed and is a very elegant dribbler, he'll often drop a shoulder and just glide past a player. He's very calm on the ball and is happy to receive it even while being shadowed. As well as being great at carrying the ball he's a very good passer, he's creative with it, has a surprisingly expansive range and takes there set pieces. There were rumours that he has an 8m release clause though this was shot down by the manager, if true though it'd be good value for someone who is young and homegrown. I always like a player who will show for the ball and Olise is that kind of player, he'll often drift around the pitch looking for pockets of space, and he has both the dribbling ability and passing range to make use of these situations. He's linked up well with Lucas Joao who is often the focal point of the Reading attack and it's often fun to watch.
This was his 89th minute winner against QPR last month
This is a 4 minute compilation that mainly focuses on his dribbling
Adam Armstrong
Armstrong is a 23 year old `who plays for Blackburn as a striker. He has actually had some premier league game time, back in the 13/14 and 14/15 seasons for Newcastle (where he was born and came through the academy) which says a lot about how highly they rated him, as he was 17 when he made his debut. Sadly it didn't quite work out for him at Newcastle and after a few loan spells he joined the Rovers for 1.75m. In another thread I touted him as a possible replacement for Vardy, and that's a rough outline of the player he is. He's all about goals, this season he's scored 16 in 22 . He started the season in blistering form but has since tapered off a little. While he's technically tidy and has the low center of gravity that comes with his stature, his game is all about breaking the offside trap and getting shots off. In this sense he can be a little frustrating to watch, and like many goalscorers he can be selfish with his decision making. I actually had a quick check of whoscored to see how his shots per game compared to other strikers in the championship, and I wasn't surprised to see that he had the top spot by a significant margin. He's one of those players who seems to rapidly improve every season and step up a level, and I think he could be a decent acquisition for a premier league club this summer. One thing that makes me a little hesitant is that he often relies on his pace to blitz past the championship defenders, and one of the big differences between championship football and premier league football is that in the top division the defenders are often very fast themselves and space can be hard to come by. He's fairly short for a striker (5"8) and may struggle physically in the top league. I think he is capable of taking a step up though and is good fun to watch when he flies past a defender, he may have to work on becoming a little more well rounded in the style of Ollie Watkins to go to the next level. The Blackburn front trio of Elliot, Armstrong and Brereton is a young talented one and they seem to have a good connection.
A beauty he scored against Cardiff last season
A compilation of goals scored this season
Ivan Toney
Another easy choice to add, Toney alongside Armstrong is joint top of the goalscorers list with 16 goals. He began his career at Northampton Town and made his debut at 16. It wasn't long before Newcastle bought him in, and other than a couple cameos he mostly spent his time out on loan, before eventually joining Peterborough in league one permanently. After a couple seasons where apparently he shone, Brentford purchased him this summer as a replacement for Ollie Watkins. He's been brilliant for them and after Buendia has arguably been the best player this season. Like Armstrong his goals have tapered off a little but even when not scoring he offers a lot to the team with his work rate and tenacity, he's quite happy to get stuck in and for a striker is quite selfless in his play and will often bring others into the game with clever passing. I googled his height and was surprised to see that he is only 5"10, he's one of those players who plays taller than that. He's a handful in the air and is a danger from set pieces, he's also comfortable fighting it out with defenders when dealing with long balls and is great at being that pressure valve for his own defenders when they punt it up field. I thought that Brentford may have struggled when Watkins was sold but they did well to replace him with Toney and it's impressive how quickly he's adapted to the step up. While Rico Henry and Josh Dasilva have played well for the Bees this season, Toney is their undisputed star player and has been a real leader for them.
Nothing fancy here just basic between the post goals, this was his 8 goals in 6 games in October to get him POTM
Connor Roberts
I thought I'd balance it out after posting a few attackers so I went with wing back Connor Roberts. The Swansea defense in general has been utterly fantastic, conceding 13 goals in 24 league games, giving them the best defensive record in the championship. Freddie Woodman in goal on loan from Newcastle and Marc Guehi in central defense on loan from Chelsea have been brilliant, as has 20 year old Cabango and Ryan Bennet in the center.
Roberts is a 25 year old who came through the academy (he played several years with my brother who played on the left) and has actually made a couple of premier league appearances, the season Swansea went down
. Roberts is the type of player that supporters of the club they play for love, he's a very hardworking, dedicated professional who will always put in a shift. Wingbacks as a rule have to cover a massive amount of ground and the engine Roberts possesses allows him to constantly bomb down the wing to add width to the side. In recent seasons he's managed to add a real attacking influence to his game and is now a real threat in the final third with his passing and crossing. He's not the most technical when it comes to carrying the ball and relies more on making attacking runs and distributing the ball in a creative manner. Roberts has played the full 90 in every league game this season and often grows as the game goes on, his stamina allowing him to continue making attacking runs late on in the game as the opposition begins to tire. The system that Cooper employs allows Roberts more freedom in terms of his attacking movement, and allows him more opportunity to affect the game in the final third than he would as a right back, but he's also defensively intelligent and is quite adept at shutting down his flank. A short clip of him scoring against Ireland
Ben Pearson
Ben Pearson will be well known to all of yous on here, as he came through the Manchester United academy. I thought he'd made a cup appearance for United but when I checked it looks like he hadn't, although he was highly regarded and I remember hearing about him on here while he was still a youngster. Pearson is currently 26 and plays for Preston North End, although his contract is running out this summer and there's talks of him joining Celtic. Pearson has consistently been excellent for PNE for several years now, working hard at the base of midfield to break up attacks and shield the defense, while also being consistent with his ball retention and distribution. He's also kind of a cnut on the pitch, is fairly dirty and constantly arguing with the refs. A player who if he plays for your side is loved but is despised by everyone else. I've always enjoyed watching him though as despite his diminutive stature he's very adept at winning the ball and is always a presence on the pitch. He's also quite nippy and covers ground well. I've always thought he could step up, and if the move to Celtic doesn't happen I wouldn't be surprised if some lower prem clubs come calling.
His first professional goal, scored for Barnsley while on loan from Manchester United
4min compilation of his passing and tackling
