The Everton, Liverpool and Swansea City players who deserve more recognition in 2016/17.
Everton’s Idrissa Gueye and James McCarthy celebrate after the game
As the 2017 PFA Player of the Year award draws closer we thought it was the right time for some of the Premier League’s unsung heroes to receive some praise.
While the likes of Chelsea duo Eden Hazard and N’Golo Kante are sure to be the outstanding picks for the best midfielder this season, here are three that are perhaps warranting more recognition.
Idrissa Gueye
There were few positives for Aston Villa in 2015/16 as they finished rock bottom of the table with just 17 points.
However, the battling form of Gueye was one of them, doing enough in a struggling team to convince Everton to trigger a release clause for the 27-year-old.
Since then the Senegal international has become an integral part of Ronald Koeman’s side and has been one of the most effective defensive midfielders in the division.
Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp celebrates with Liverpool’s Adam Lallana
Adam Lallana
One of the main criticisms aimed at Lallana since his £25m transfer to Liverpool in 2014 was a lack of end product, but Jurgen Klopp’s tactics have busted that theory.
The England international has seven goals and seven assists in the league so far this term and as part of a three-man central midfield his creativity has flourished.
There are certainly still problems to be addressed at Anfield in the Klopp era, but the form of Lallana has been one of the German’s major success stories.
Swansea City’s Gylfi Sigurdsson in action
Gylfi Sigurdsson
How Sigurdsson has not been snapped up by one of the division’s supposed ‘big boys’ remains a myth, his difficult spell at Tottenham Hotspur still apparently hanging like a shadow.
No player has bettered the 27-year-old’s 11 league assists this season, despite playing in a Swansea City team flirting with relegation.
Not only that but Sigurdsson has eight goals as well. It has become a given that the playmaker will consistently perform, but it should not be forgotten just how rare that is.
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