44. Christian Benteke
It’s rare for such an unknown young player to become an instant hit in the Premier League, but the giant Belgian striker managed to do just that when he arrived from Gent for the bargain basement fee of just £7 million.
He impressed so much last season that he had been targeted by the likes of Borussia Dortmund, Atletico Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur after bagging 19 goals in the league for Villa – smashing the record set by Dwight Yorke in the 1990s.
Powerful, deceptively quick and with an almost telepathic understanding with fellow Villa forward Andreas Weimann, he has been unplayable at times with the understanding best highlighted by the goal scored during the side’s 3-1 triumph at Anfield in December.
Paul Lambert managed to convince him to stay this season in what must be one of the biggest coups of the summer and he will now look to carry on from where he left off in order to get the jump on compatriot Romelu Lukaku in the national team pecking order.
Inducted into the CaughtOffside 50 because of his good form and outrageous potential to become one of the best strikers in the world, though at 22, he still has a long way to go.
ASTON VILLA
Games: 39
Goals: 23
Assists: 7
BELGIUM
Games: 10
Goals: 6
Assists: 1