Five midfielders who have announced themselves to the world this season
It is that time of year, where we can look back on the thrills and spills that have unfolded across Europe, and pick out the star performers and those who have failed to live up to the billing.
Pre-season drums up plenty of hype, with expectation heaped on the shoulders of plenty of embryonic talents. But who has turned a blind eye to that pressure, and gone on to draw attention from the watching world? Here are five midfielders who have really shone in 2015/16.
Also read: 5 most underrated midfielders in Europe at the moment
#1 Dele Alli
What a season for the England international. What stands Alli apart from his peers is that he doesn’t really have a weakness. He can fulfil the archetypal box-to-box midfielder having reaped the rewards of Mauricio Pochettino’s intense training regime, whilst still exhibiting the creative guile to unlock sides.
The 21-year-old needs three more goals from Spurs’ remaining two games to become only the third midfielder to score 20 league goals in a Premier League season. Quite remarkable for a man who was plying his trade in the third tier of English football three years ago.
No goal is the same. His two brilliant headers against Chelsea, his stunning long-range strike against Watford or his sweeping finish to punish Manchester City - Alli’s locker is crammed full of finishes.
"Maybe one day he plays as a goalkeeper, full-back or centre-back," Pochettino said earlier this season. "Dele Alli can always surprise you. He has an unbelievable personality and character. Anything is possible for him.”
Anything really is possible for this level-headed metronome. Overtures from Real Madrid and Bayern Munich may be hard to ignore, but wherever he ends up, the sky is the limit for this phenomenon.