Football often offers the chance for those in the shadows to take centre stage and become stars with many such instances taking place this season around Europe.
Previously resigned to playing a back-up role, these individuals have become idolised and are now driving their respective club’s to new heights.
As Arsene Wenger often says, “having to find solutions internally is a blessing” (via the Express) when looking to address an area in your squad and as managers are always on the lookout for a new star externally, the player they’ve needed may have been right under their nose the whole time.
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Here are five players who have surprised the world this season.
1. Harry Kane
There is nothing better than when a product of your academy comes through the ranks to become the star of the show. Kane is the main man at Spurs and one of the player’s of the season in the Premier League. Going out repeatedly on loan, the arrival of Mauricio Pochettino was a match made in heaven for Kane with the manager’s reputation of focussing on academy products. Spurs fans were relieved to know that Kane has committed his long-term future to the club.
2. Francis Coquelin
The French midfielder was out on loan at Charlton earlier on in the season such was his status in the Arsenal squad and with his contract expiring in the summer, Coquelin’s future looked to be away from the club. However, an injury crisis brought the midfielder back and since he started at West Ham on Boxing Day, Coquelin hasn’t looked back.
3. Alexandre Lacazette
With the likes of Edison Cavani, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Dimitar Berbatov all plying their trade in France, Lacazatte being the outstanding forward in terms of goals is no mean feat. The Frenchman has scored 23 goals in 25 appearances this season and will be one of the in demand players come the summer.
4. Jose Fonte
Southampton selling arguably their best defender in Dejan Lovren to Liverpool was perceived externally as a damaging blow for the club and one they might not recover from. With only 10 games to go till the end of the season, the Saints have only conceded 20 goals which is largely down to captain and defensive leader Fonte. His partnership with Lovren caught many people’s attention, but is seems as though Rodgers may have signed the wrong defender.
5. Kevin de Bruyne
Jose Mourinho has this week been insisted that Chelsea have learnt from their mistake when selling players after they were forced to re-sign Nemanja Matic, but another player may come back to haunt him. De Bruyne was moved on six months after Mourinho’s arrival and the forward has been a revelation at Wolfsburg this season. According to Squawka, the Belgian has assisted 15 goals this season in the Bundesliga as well as scoring eight himself, pretty decent numbers for a £15m player.