Premier League – The Next Big Thing
Every year in the premier league we are caught unaware when the next big thing bursts into life before our eyes and it’s usually from an unexpected source well worth taking a punt on with Paddy Power Sports betting. In the last few seasons we have seen Marcus Rashford, Dele Ali, Hector Bellerin, Harry Kane and Alex Iwobi come from the youth team into the senior set ups at their clubs so we decided to have a look and predict the next big thing for the 2017/2018 season:
Donyell Malen – Arsenal
When Italian supremo agent Mino Raiola is already fighting your corner you should expect some big things. Being touted as a “great talent” by his former Ajax coach Wim Jonk is big praise and he’s already broken into the U23’s team at 17 years old and scored 4 goals for them. With him being 18 years of age he may get a chance to feature in cup competitions for the Gunners next year.
Jonathan Leko – West Bromwich Albion
Despite being just 17 years old, Jonathan Leko has already made inroads to the WBA first team. He made his debut for the club in 2015 as a 16 year old and has since made 11 first team appearances. This gradual transition from the youth teams to the senior team may well prove to the best route to take and pay dividends in the future for West Bromwich Albion as Jonathan Leko is a very highly rated attacker who will cause defending teams problems next year.
Reece Oxford – West Ham United
Reece Oxford name was at the tip of every football fans tongues after his impressive performance against Arsenal on his Premier League debut. In the process he became the second youngest starter in Premier League history. He played 79 minutes of the match only losing possession once. He’s since been loaned out to Reading FC to continue his development. Don’t be surprised to see him bossing West Ham’s back line next season.
Tammy Abraham – Chelsea
Tammy Abraham is a part of Chelsea’s embarrassment of youth team riches. He was a part of their all-conquering FA Youth Cup team that gradually been loaned out all over Europe. Tammy was seen as a little while away from the first team so a loan move to Bristol City in the Championship was arranged. He’s since shown Chelsea what they’ve been missing, scoring 22 goals in 40 games for a Bristol City team that’s been flirting with relegation all season. Expect him to be included in Chelsea’s first team plans next season.
Joshua Onomah – Tottenham
Following on with a similar theme, Joshua Onomah has been drip fed first team opportunities at Spurs to help acclimatize him to the Premier League. Since making his debut in 2015 he has gone on to make 12 appearances for Spurs. A versatile tricky attacking player Onomah possesses all the talent required to make it to the top. It remains to be seen whether he will be unleashed upon Premier League defenses on a more regular basis next year.