Spotlight

Premier League: Gruda, Diallo und co. – Diese Spieler könnten in der Rückrunde durchstarten

14. Januar 2025 | Spotlight | BY Till Gabriel

New faces are shaking up the Premier League again this season. Some players are expected to make a big breakthrough in the second half of the season.

Gruda is slowly arriving in the Premier League

In the Premier League, the dazzling stars usually dominate the headlines. But behind the big names there are a number of highly talented players. Whether it’s a top talent on the verge of becoming a key player or a supposed bad buy who still makes it big: we’ll introduce you to the players who are on the verge of their big breakthrough in the second half of the season.



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Omari Hutchinson (Ipswich Town)

Clean ball control, a quick hook, a clean finish into the far corner. With his goal to make it 2-0 against Chelsea, Omari Hutchinson gave a taste of his great qualities. The 21-year-old made it to the Premier League via a detour at Ipswich Town and, after a little time getting used to it, is finding his feet more and more in the elite league.

The Englishman with Jamaican roots comes from Arsenal’s academy and was in the Gunners‘ matchday squad several times as a teenager. However, he only played for the U21s. In the summer of 2022, the versatile attacking player moved to city rivals Chelsea. He made his Premier League debut with the Blues, but did not make more than brief appearances.

In 2023, Hutchinson took a step back and was loaned to Ipswich Town in the second division. With ten goals and six assists, he played a key role in the Tractor Boys‘ sensational rise and is also a fixture in the top flight. At the start of the season, the U21 international, who has already played two test matches for the Jamaican senior team, had to pay tribute to the higher level.

Meanwhile, the highly talented player regularly impresses as a creative fixture in the outsider’s offense, and his interaction with goalgetter Liam Delap in particular is one reason why Ipswich can still hope to stay in the league.

Brajan Gruda (Brighton & Hove Albion)

It was foreseeable that Brajan Gruda would leave 1. FSV Mainz 05 after his strong first professional season. However, when Brighton & Hove Albion was chosen, many were surprised and expressed doubts as to whether the Premier League was the right rung on the career ladder for the DFB youngster.

The 20-year-old had a difficult start. As his transfer only took place on August 14, Gruda missed the entire preparation and was injured for the first three games. He finally made his debut on matchday seven, playing three minutes against Tottenham. Since then, coach Fabian Hürzeler has been steadily increasing the talent’s workload and has recently put the winger in the starting eleven four times in a row.

The U21 international has not yet scored a point in the league, but his style of play is a perfect fit for the Seagulls‘ offensive system. In any case, the south coast club has proven itself to be an excellent springboard for young professionals on several occasions in the recent past.

Amad Diallo (Manchester United)

Manchester United is experiencing a season to forget, and even highlights like the 2-1 win against Manchester City or the FA Cup win against Arsenal cannot hide that. A young player who had to wait a long time for his breakthrough has used the crisis to make himself indispensable: Amad Diallo .

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 15: Amad Diallo of Manchester United scores his team’s second goal during the Premier League match between Manchester City FC and Manchester United FC at Etihad Stadium on December 15, 2024 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)

The 22-year-old is a regular under new coach Ruben Amorim and has three goals and six assists this season. The Ivorian impresses with his tremendous speed with the ball at his feet, drive towards goal and his qualities in 1v1 situations. Diallo moved from Atalanta to the Red Devils in 2020, and after loans to Rangers and Sunderland, he returned in 2023.

„In training he looks like Lionel Messi! You can’t stop him,“ Papu Gomez, who once played alongside the young Diallo in Bergamo, once praised him. Under Erik ten Hag, however, he continued to play only sporadically. He is now on the verge of becoming a key player.

Myles Lewis-Skelly (Arsenal)

Arsenal FC stumbled around the turn of the year . A mixture of bad luck with injuries, a lack of luck in the game and a toothless offense are currently creating a lot of headwind for Mikel Arteta’s team. One bright spot are the two top talents Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly. While Nwaneri is currently out injured, left-back Lewis-Skelly could become one of the winners of the second half of the season.

Hardly able to separate himself from the ball: Arsenal discovery Myles Lewis-Skelly. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

The 18-year-old has been in the starting eleven in six of the last nine competitive matches and made a much more stable impression than the constantly injured new signing Riccardo Calafiori. „MLS“ is a trained midfielder and knows how to use these skills at left back. The homegrown player is almost impossible to separate from the ball and likes to move into the center of the attack. If the young defender continues to establish himself in the Gunners‘ starting lineup, national coach Thomas Tuchel will also take notice. The left-back position has been a problem area for the Three Lions for years.

Mikkel Damsgaard (Brentford)

Almost four years ago , Mikkel Damsgaard ’s star seemed to be on the rise. At the European Championship, which was postponed to 2021 instead of 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Dane was one of the shooting stars and sensationally made it to the semi-finals with his team. But after the tournament, the talent was out for a long time with thigh problems and missed a large part of the season at Sampdoria. At Brentford FC, the left winger wanted to get back into the swing of things, but he never really found his feet.

In his first two years on the island, Damsgaard made 49 appearances in the Premier League, but was mostly a substitute and did not score a single goal. The 24-year-old was already labelled a bad buy, but in the current season he is preparing to live up to his great potential.

The international has firmly established himself in Thomas Frank’s starting eleven, with two goals and seven assists testifying to his influence on the Bees‘ game. And yet the technically skilled free kick specialist is far from finished. If he continues to improve his performance in the second half of the season, the top clubs will be lining up in the summer.

(Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)


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