10 players who had their breakthrough season in 2014/15

It is very difficult for any aspiring young footballer to make it big in the football due to the immense competition for places these days. Most managers are becoming increasingly reluctant to give young and relatively inexperienced players a chance to perform as a defeat following such a decision could put their role in jeopardy.This is one of the reasons why many promising young players are sent out on loan by their parent clubs in a quest to give them ample playing time and also with the hope of these players returning as quality players who can make a difference to the first team of the parent club. On the other hand, some clubs cannot afford the luxury of buying players at will or have managers who give importance to young players and tend to slowly give chances to promising youngsters in the hope that these players will enjoy a breakthrough season.Here is a list of 10 such promising players who enjoyed their breakthrough season in 2014/15.

#1 Harry Kane - Tottenham Hotspur

Age: 21

Position: Striker

Harry Kane has been one of the biggest headline makers this season because of what has been an amazing season with his boyhood club. The Englishman started the current season on the bench as manager Mauricio Pochettino preferred the more experienced Emmanuel Adebayor and Roberto Soldado over the 21-year-old, but the failure of the senior players in front of goal and Kane’s brilliant performances in cup games eventually warranted a starting role in the league games as well.

Kane repaid his manager’s faith in full and with interest as he found the back of the net in only his second league start of the season. He was able to find the back of the net consistently from there on and created a lot of headlines on New Year’s Day when his brace powered Spurs to a 5-3 win over table toppers Chelsea.

He has so far scored 30 goals this season with 20 of them coming in league games and he is just two goals short of breaking the record of most league goals scored by a Spurs player in the Premier League era, which is currently held by none other than Gareth Bale.

The 21-year-old has been awarded the PFA Young Player of the year award for his performance, was nominated for the PFA Player of the Year and is also part of the PFA Team of the Year. The biggest reward for him though has to be the chance to represent England and scoring in just 79 seconds on his debut.

Kane has been described as an old fashioned traditional centre forward. His hold up play, movement off the ball, poaching ability, placement of shots and power in the air make him a striker with very few weakness, something which former Spurs player Danny Murphy also acknowledged.

30 - Harry Kane is the first player since @GaryLineker in 1991-92 to score 30+ goals in a single season for Tottenham. Hero.

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) April 19, 2015

#2 Denis Cheryshev - Villarreal (on loan from Real Madrid)

Age: 24

Position: Winger

When a player has his breakthrough season at the age of 24, he is indeed considered a late bloomer, but what is even more surprising is that a club like Real Madrid have had the patience to help the Russian achieve his true potential while he is still a player of the club. Cheryshev was given a chance to impress last season when he was sent on loan to Sevilla, but he couldn’t get enough game time there and returned to Real Madrid. This season, Real loaned him out to Villarreal and he has come out with flying colours after getting a chance to prove his worth.

The Russian has played 32 times for Villarreal this season and has found the back of the net seven times and has provided 10 assists as well. His assists tally is currently the joint sixth highest in the league along with the likes of Karim Benzema and Koke.

His contributions at club level didn’t go unnoticed as Fabio Capello called up Cheryshev to the Russian national team after snubbing him from the final cut for the World Cup. Interestingly, Cheryshev was the only player in the squad who didn’t play domestic football in Russia and considering his good form it is unlikely to ply his trade in Russia anytime soon.

It remains to be seen if Real Madrid will give Cheryshev a chance with their first team next season or cash in on him when his market value is still high.

#3 Jose Gaya - Valencia

Age: 19

Position: Left Back

Jose Gaya is the third quality left back to have emerged from Valencia’s famous youth setup in the recent years following Jordi Alba and Juan Bernat before him. Alba and Bernat have moved to Barcelona and Bayern Munich respectively and if Gaya can keep up his great progress he too will be on course to replicating the success of his predecessors.

Gaya made his first team debut for Valencia in the 2012/13 season but had to wait for the current season to get regular chances after Bernat left for Bayern Munich in the summer transfer window of 2014. The Spaniard is an attack minded full back and is given the freedom to do so at Valencia as Javi Fuego drops deeper to protect the defence. When in possession, he often reminds us of a winger and he makes brilliant overlapping runs with the wingers on his side to provide a greater attacking threat.

His attacking instinct, pace and his crossing ability with his left foot make him an ideal wing back, but don’t get the wrong idea as he is equally adept in defence and shows incredible tenacity to win the ball back and uses his pace to chase down opposition wingers.

His steady progress has already caught the eye of many clubs including that of Real Madrid. Valencia will face a daunting task to keep yet another promising left back at the club.

#4 Karim Bellarabi - Bayer Leverkusen

Age: 25

Position: Winger

Karim Bellarabi spent the previous season on loan at Eintracht Braunschweig and endured an average season where he could only manage 20 starts, 3 goals and 4 assists for a team that was relegated at the end of the season. Despite the kind of season he enjoyed on loan, Leverkusen’s manager Roger Schmidt saw great potential in Bellarabi and retained him with the club for the current season and it turned out to be a masterstroke.

Bellarabi is enjoying a dream season and he has spearheaded Leverkusen’s attack this season. The German has found the back of the net 11 times and has also managed to set up his teammates 8 times. His good form at club level also prompted Joachim Low to call him up to the senior team and Bellarabi went on to make his debut as a starter against Poland.

The 25-year-old is a versatile player who can play as a winger or as a second striker, but his preferred position is as a right sided winger. He is blessed with quick feet and a great touch which he uses effectively to bamboozle opposition defenders and get past them. Bellarabi’s gameplay reminds many of a young Theo Walcott as they are both very quick, but is often let down by their passing in the final third or their finishing, but Bellarabi surely has more tricks up his sleeve than Walcott possesses.

#5 Oliver Torres - Porto (on loan from Atletico Madrid)

Age: 20

Position: Central Midfield

Oliver Torres is a player who came through the ranks of Atletico Madrid who are famed for nurturing another Torres into a world class player. He was given his first taste of first team action back in 2012 when he came on as a substitute in place of Adrian Lopez. However, he was still very inexperienced to start regularly for Atletico Madrid and was therefore loaned out to Villarreal for the second half of the previous season.

Prior to the start of the current season, Atletico loaned Oliver out to Portuguese giants FC Porto. Despite his tender age and having to adapt to a new league, Oliver didn’t find it difficult to be a regular starter for Porto. He has so far made 34 appearances for Porto and made his contributions to his side with six goals to his name.

He is gifted with brilliant vision and the 20-year-old is capable of finding a teammate with 40-yard passes more often than not. He also possesses a brilliant first touch which he uses effectively to take the ball away from opposition player and catch them by surprise. With the right guidance Oliver Torres has the potential to break into Spain’s senior team.

#6 Nabil Fekir - Olympique Lyonnais

Age: 21

Position: Attacking Midfield

While Lyon’s striker Alexandre Lacazette has been making headlines by scoring plenty of goals, his teammate Nabil Fekir has played a big part in helping Lacazette score and has gone about his job silently and effectively. Fekir is currently the fifth highest goalscorer in Ligue 1 with 12 goals to his name from midfield and is also third in the league’s assist charts with seven to his name. Overall, the 21-year-old has scored 14 goals this season and provided 9 assists.

His contribution to Lyon’s brilliant season was rewarded by France’s manager Didier Deschamps and Nabil made his international debut against Brazil in a friendly game. Although Nabil prefers to play as an attacking midfielder, his versatility is one of his key traits.

He is capable of playing in a number of attacking roles and it is his ability to play with either foot that helps to play on either wing. Nabil is also technically gifted and has immense work rate to go with that. The Frenchman’s brilliant breakthrough season has turned a few heads in his direction and Arsenal is reportedly linked with the player.

#7 Jose Gimenez - Atletico Madrid

Age: 20

Position: Centre Back

When Uruguay named a 19-year-old centre back who had played just two domestic games in the whole season in their final shortlist for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, it raised several eyebrows. Even then nobody would have expected him to play in Brazil, but the teenage sensation made his tournament debut against England in a crucial group stage game in place of an injured Diego Lugano and helped his side to a victory. He was then given another start in the last group stage game against Italy and he helped Uruguay keep a clean sheet and progress to the knockout stage.

In the current season, Gimenez has had more opportunities to show his true potential and has given a welcome headache for Diego Simeone to choose between the established centre backs Godin and Miranda or the hugely talented Jose Gimenez. He is very strong for a player of his age, but he simply doesn’t rely on his brute strength to defend as his reading of the game and tackling reminds us of his club and international teammate Diego Godin.

The Uruguayan is already pushing really hard for an undisputed starting role at the international level and at this rate it won’t be long before he starts in defence ahead of Godin or Miranda.

#8 Hector Bellerin - Arsenal

Age: 20

Position: Right Back

Bellerin follows in the footsteps of another Spaniard who joined Arsenal at a very young age from the fabled La Masia of Barcelona, but Arsenal fans will be hoping that this love story doesn’t end in the same way. The Spaniard made his debut for Arsenal back in 2013 as a very late substitute for Mikel Arteta and then spent the latter half of the previous season on loan at Watford where he caught some eyes with an incredible sprint on the counter and then assisted a goal.

Earlier this season, injuries to Mathieu Debuchy and Calum Chambers forced Arsene Wenger to play Bellerin in a high profile game against Borussia Dortmund. Although Arsenal were on the losing side on the night, Bellerin’s performance did receive some rave reviews.

Bellerin received more chances because of injuries to other players and he improved very quickly with more playing time and quickly established himself in the XI despite the return of Debuchy from injury. The game which helped his confidence the most was probably an away win against Manchester City in which he helped his side keep a clean sheet and neutralized all immediate threats down his side.

His strongest asset is his incredible speed; he even broke the 40-metre sprint record set by Theo Walcott at Arsenal. Also what is relatively unknown is that Bellerin started footballing lessons as winger at Barcelona before turning into a full back at London. Even though he has successfully converted into a winger, his attacking instincts haven’t died as he is a threat going forward and possess good shooting ability which he displayed with goals against Aston Villa and Liverpool.

#9 Emre Can - Liverpool

Age: 21

Position: Central Midfield/Centre Back

Emre Can is another gem to have come through the academy of Bayern Munich and all that this gem needs is a little more polishing. He made his senior debut while at Bayern Munich during their treble winning season and was later sold to Bayer Leverkusen with an option to buy back the player as the Bavarians hoped that more game time would help the youngster.

The German enjoyed a good season at Leverkusen, but the incredible competition in the Bayer Leverkusen midfield restricted his playing time and he was deployed as a full back on several occasions. During the 2014 summer transfer window, Liverpool snapped up the promising youngster for a relatively cheap amount and he immediately won over the hearts of Liverpool supporters with some good performances in pre-season games.

Can was not used much in the earlier parts of the season, but a switch in Liverpool’s formation to a three at the back system gave him a chance to impress as Brendan Rodgers played him as one of the centre backs in the formation. The position was not new to him as he had played there for the German U21 side. His ability on the ball helped Liverpool bring the ball out of defence and play it forward. Liverpool’s good run of form in the second half of the season also coincides with Can’s brilliant performances.

The 21-year-old’s versatility is his main strength, but many see his long term position in midfield itself. Can is also a very strong player with speed which actually looks uncharacteristic for someone with his build. German coach Joachim Low has already been impressed with Can’s performance and has stated that he has a good future with Germany, something which we might see with the U21 Euro in the summer.

#10 Denis Suarez - Sevilla (on loan from Barcelona)

Age: 21

Position: Attacking Midfield

Barcelona are usually victims of other clubs snapping up their promising youngsters, but in 2013 they snapped up Denis Suarez, from Manchester City. The young Spaniard spent the last season playing for Barcelona’s B team and in the 2014 summer transfer window he moved to Sevilla on loan as a part of the deal that brought Ivan Rakitic to Barcelona.

Suarez has played 48 games this season and scored six goals of which one was a very important goal against HNK Rijeka in the final group stage game of the Europa League as it sent Sevilla through to the next round at the expense of the Croatian side.

Although Suarez primarily plays as an attacking midfielder, he is also capable of playing down the flanks as well, preferably on the left-hand side as he likes to cut in and use his stronger right foot. His gameplay has drawn comparisons with another Spaniard, David Silva, as young Denis possess very good vision and awareness of what is around him. In addition to this, the youngster is also quite good from dead ball situations.

Suarez has certainly impressed Unai Emery and Sevilla fans, but he may not yet have a place in the Barcelona first team and he is rumoured to be staying at Sevilla for another season on loan.