Every Premier League club’s revelation of the season features Calafiori and The New Mbappe | OneFootball

We could (quite fairly) be accused of erring on the side of negativity here at Football365. We revel in the rubbish and are often guilty of failing to bask in the brilliance we see on a regular basis in the Premier League.

We’ve selected the most overrated players, the very worst player at each club and enjoy calling out big-money signings for an entirely reasonable struggle to adapt to the rigours of the Premier League.

But sometimes it’s nice to be nice, and so here are the revelations of the season, the players who have surprised us with their excellence – one per club.

Arsenal: Riccardo Calafiori

He must have been cursing his misfortune upon his arrival last season when Myles Lewis-Skelly enjoyed one of the most stratospheric rises to prominence in recent memory, to such a degree that Calafiori was linked with an exit in the summer, 12 months on from his arrival for £42m.

But he’s made the left-back position in his own in the Premier League this term, combining near faultless defensive displays with no small amount of attacking threat. Being a big lad certainly hasn’t hurt him in his successful usurping of the academy star.

Aston Villa: Morgan Rogers

An honourable mention for the Lazarus of the West Midlands, Matty Cash, who we thought was finished but has played nearly every minute under Unai Emery this term, scoring in the victories over Manchester City and Arsenal. But the new level Rogers has found this season gives him the edge; his knuckleball deserves its own section.

Jude Bellingham or Rogers for England? Could genuinely be a toss-up.

Morgan Rogers’ graded by football analysis experts Gradient Sports

Bournemouth: Junior Kroupi

Seven Premier League goals in 646 minutes for the teenager, who’s got the best minutes per goal rate (92.3) of any player in the top flight this season, with Erling Haaland (95) second. The ‘New Kylian Mbappe’ tag doesn’t seem quite so silly now.

Brentford: Igor Thiago

Sixteen goals is at least 14 more goals than we expected from the £30m summer signing who scored 18 in what must actually be The Best League In The World for Club Brugge in 2023/24.

Brighton: Jan Paul van Hecke

His ability to thread passes through opposition teams is arguably unmatched in the Premier League and he also loves a battle with a centre-forward, as Haaland found out earlier this month. Quite weird that there’s not more interest in his service from the Big Six vultures. Surely only a matter of time.

Burnley: Jaidon Anthony

Eight goals in the Championship last season, Anthony’s already got five in the Premier League, including home and away against Manchester United and at the Etihad vs Manchester City.

Chelsea: Reece James

Him being fit is a revelation in itself but the way in which he’s developed as a central midfielder has also been remarkable. That move from right-back – which we questioned like many others – may end up being Enzo Maresca’s most crucial and enduring Chelsea legacy. His performance against Arsenal in that role was extraordinary.

Crystal Palace: Daichi Kamada

His level has dropped along with the rest of his teammates of late, but the 29-year-old put in several hugely impressive all-round displays when it was still worth getting up in the morning at Crystal Palace.

Everton: James Garner

Few would have predicted Garner as Xavi Simons’ answer to a question about which Premier League player has surprised him most – “technical with the ball, he’s really, really good” – or that midway through the season we would be seeing a (bit of a) clamour for him to be called up by Thomas Tuchel for England amid questions as to whether Manchester United should re-sign him as an answer to the midfield conundrum.

Fulham: Harry Wilson

Surely the biggest Premier League revelation of all with his eight goals and five assists for Fulham. And he so very nearly made a deadline-day move to Leeds – a private jet was pre-emptively booked before talks broke down.

Leeds: Dominic Calvert-Lewin

Nine Premier League goals, eight of which have come in a run of nine games after Daniel Farke changed formation to stick another striker up top with him. The England clamour is real.

Liverpool: Hugo Ekitike

Slim picking it’s fair to say but 12 goals in all competitions is a decent return for a striker most of us assumed wouldn’t get much of a look in this season.

Manchester City: Jeremy Doku

We assumed he was destined to be one of those ten-a-penny wingers who get close to the top by being very, very quick but not quite having it in the top two inches, but he’s developed his game to the point where he doesn’t just look like he could and should make the difference but actually does.

Manchester United: Casemiro

There’s life in the old dog yet as this particular old dog is evidently desperate to represent his country at the World Cup, before seeing out his days lying balls-up on the sofa, only rising from his slumber for meals and to curl the occasional one out in the back garden, probably in Saudi Arabia.

Newcastle: Lewis Miley

Eddie Howe described Kieran Trippier’s “spontaneous” decision to hand Miley the armband for the final few minutes of their clash with PSV on Wednesday as “poignant” and also quite possibly a sign of what’s to come, dubbing the 19-year-old a “potential future captain of the football club”.

There was a time – maybe even only a few weeks ago – when an injury to Bruno Guimaraes would have been an utter disaster for Newcastle. But the outstanding versatility and quality shown by Miley this season makes his absence feel manageable at the very least.

Nottingham Forest: Elliot Anderson

You pal down the pub claiming they always knew Anderson would emerge as the answer to that age-old England problem is almost certainly telling porky pies. His Transfermarkt valuation has nearly doubled from £28m to £52m this season and that’s likely around half of what Manchester City will pay for his services after he conducts England to World Cup glory in the summer.

Sunderland: Dan Ballard

There are few things we like more than a Premier League giant selling an academy star to a lower-league team before they return to the top flight to rub the mistake in their face. It’s a shame for us vengeance seekers that Ballard’s boyhood club Arsenal might be the only Premier League side he wouldn’t start for based on his outstanding form this season.

Tottenham: Richarlison

He does next-to-nothing to help his side keep hold of the ball or get up the pitch, which is entirely as expected, but has also scored seven Premier League goals when we assumed he would be fortunate to score any as a bit-part player before escaping in January.

West Ham: Mateus Fernandes

We liked what we saw of him for Southampton last season, but it takes quite some mental fortitude not to crumble in this West Ham team, playing in that stadium, in front of those fans. Two relegations in two seasons won’t feel great, but Real Madrid interest in triggering his not-so-secret £20m release clause will.

Wolves: Mateus Mane

The only positive Wolves can take away from this season and the fans will if anything not want him to display too much more of his burgeoning talent for the rest of the campaign, lest he be pinched by a club set to still be playing Premier League football next term.