The Top 10 – Panini English Premier League 2019/2020

One of my wildcard selections. Sean Longstaff goes under the radar at Newcastle but is a very effective player in the centre of the pitch. He is a good size and, also, he is a very balanced midfielder. He has a good passing range and, I think, has been important to Newcastle’s early success in the 2022/23 Premier League season. Still young, if he continues putting in good performances a bigger team may come knocking. Or maybe he can be a mainstay in a growing Newcastle team backed by oil money!

Tomori is a very athletic centre-half, and already has a Serie A title under his belt! Struggled for game time at Chelsea and secured a move to Italian giants, AC Milan. Fikayo played an important role in Milan’s title in the 2021/22 season. He was a regular at centre back featuring 31 times! In his younger years ,he got minutes in the lower leagues of England; this helped develop his game, with his breakout year coming under Lampard’s Derby County. Now at 24 he is a first choice for the Italian champions and looks set to have a big career ahead.

A much maligned figure at Manchester United, I think McTominay gets far too harsh criticism. He has got regular minutes under all Manchester United managers he has played for; he must be doing something right! Scott is your typical big and powerful box to box midfielder. He has had a fantastic start to the 2022/23 season under Eric ten Hag and could be set to become a mainstay for United’s future midfield. At the end of the season we will have a better idea of where he stands in ten Hag’s plans.

A player know for his temperamental attitude, theres no doubt Guendouzi is an immense talent. he began his Arsenal career and became an instant fan favourite under Emery. As Arsenal’s form began to decline, Mattéo’s naturally declined too. With the appointment of Arteta, Guendouzi’s attitude was deemed unacceptable and was forced out of the club, transferring to Marseille. After moving back to France, he has been fantastic and one of the best performers in the Ligue 1. His form has earned him a called-up to France’s World Cup squad. being the defending champions, naturally, France have stars all over the pitch, and Guendouzi is one of them!

Ramsdale has become one of Arsenal’s fan favourites and he is also in the conversation to be England’s number 1! From humble beginnings in the lower leagues of England, Ramsdale has risen to become one the the Premier League’s best goalkeepers. He had the interesting, and unflattering, statistic of being relegated from the Premier League in two consecutive seasons. Despite this Arsenal, showed interest, much to the dismay of the fans. But the fans aren’t always correct and Aaron has been a revelation! His distribution has been critical to Arteta’s system which, as of the time of writing, see’s Arsenal sitting pretty at the the top of the League.

Pedro Neto began his Wolves career like a house on fire! His speed and direct dribbling gave defenders nightmares. Under Nuno Espírito Santo Wolves played a counter attacking style which suited Neto to the ground. Many big clubs were keeping tabs on Pedro but, unfortunately, he was struck down by a season ending knee injury. He has recently recovered but has not found the previous form he showed prior to the injury. Wolves poor start to the season has to be taken into account for this. He may be in the tentative stage post injury where he is not sure what his body can handle. I think it’s too soon to be righting off Pedro. Given his talent, even post injury, I think he deserves the number 5 place; plenty of upside for this young man.

Probably the most technical current English player! Foden is a wonder kid and has been very impressive for Pep’s stacked Manchester City team. He has started to add goals into his game and looks set to become one of England’s legendary players. If this was his rookie sticker, this would be number 1 on the list!

Much like Tomori, Mount had his breakout season at Lampard’s Derby County. The following season he became a first team regular at Chelsea, also under Lampard. He hasn’t looked back since and has added a UEFA Champions League title to his belt! Mount is technical attacking midfielder with a strong eye for goal. Being a first team regular for Chelsea at 23 I am tipping Mount to have a very large career. If he stays at Chelsea, I can see him drawing comparisons to the man who gave Mason Mount a chance to shine, Frank Lampard!

Declan rice has developed into a superstar and at this point in time, he is probably the best player on this list. I would argue he is the second player on England’s team sheet, only behind Harry Kane. Deployed as a number 6, Rice controls the game and has been central to West Ham’s recent success. Not only does Rice control the game, but he also is prolific at winning the ball back. I think it won’t. belong before he moves on from West Ham. He is simply too good to stay there much longer.

Gabriel Martinelli is the best rookie sticker in Panini English Premier League 2019/20.

The Brazilian wonder kid, Martinelli, was an instant sensation at Arsenal. Similar to Pedro Neto, he was struck down by a season ending knee injury. He was slowly reintroduced to the team and now has made Arsenal’s left wing his own. Not only is Martinelli lighting quick and technical, his pressing is unrelenting! This has put him in good stead in Arteta’s books and has helped Arsenal to a fantastic start to the 2022/23 season, currently sitting on top on the World Cup Break! Martinelli’s great form has also earned himself a call up to the immensely talented Brazilian World Cup squad of 2022. As previously stated, Rice is probably the best player currently on this list, but I think Martinelli has the highest upside and is the best investment in this set. If he manages to add more goals to his game, I suspect we will be seeing him being among the world’s best in the coming years!