Premier League 2018-19: 8 hidden gems to look out for

It’s nearly that time of the year again. You know, that time of the year when the English Premier League – arguably the most exciting league in European football – gets ready to get underway once more.

Ahead of the 2018/2019 campaign, many fans are salivating at the prospect of seeing some of the beautiful game’s biggest-name players performing for a global audience. Names such as Kevin De Bruyne, Mo Salah, Paul Pogba, Harry Kane, Eden Hazard, and, err, Cenk Tosun are amongst the many top-tier superstars that fans are hopeful of seeing big things from this season. But maybe there will be some other names who fly under the radar a little and end the season as one of the Premier League’s surprise packages.

While there are always those true superstar names that you can rely on to perform season after season, there are just as many unheralded heroes who surprisingly outshine some of those with greater reputations. And that’s what we’re going to explore here.

You see, here we have eight names who could well prove to be the hidden gems of the 2018/2019 Premier League season.

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#8 Erik Durm

Huddersfield Town Unveil New Signing

Many an eyebrow was raised when German full-back Erik Durm made the move from Borussia Dortmund to David Wagner’s Huddersfield. For those who follow the Bundesliga, you’ll be aware that the 26-year-old didn’t have the best of campaigns in 2017/2018 – but he could well be back on track as he gets to grips with the English Premier League in this upcoming season.

Last season, Durm had numerous injury setbacks and didn’t play a single game for Dortmund. Back in 2014, though, the exciting full-back was part of the Germany team that won the World Cup in Brazil. With seven international caps to his name, injuries have provided Durm with plentiful setbacks over the past few years.

Huddersfield manager David Wagner was in charge of Borussia Dortmund’s second team during Durm’s younger years, and if anyone can get this one-time prospect back to his best, it’s Wagner. Added to that, the manager himself has publicly discussed how Durm “passed our medical with flying colours.”

A former striker, Durm loves to get involved in the attacking side of the game, not to mention he has an eye for goal. If David Wagner can get him firing on all cylinders, Huddersfield will have a fantastic player on their hands.

#7 Angus Gunn

Southampton Pre-Season Training Session

For a few years now, some have been tipping Angus Gunn as a prospect to keep your eye on. Having been at Manchester City since 2011, the now-22-year-old looks as if he’s finally going to get his shot at being a Premier League #1 – albeit away from The Etihad.

Having kept fifteen clean sheets in 44 league appearances on loan at Norwich City – the same club where his father Bryan made a name for himself as a goalkeeper – last season, Gunn has made the move to Southampton this summer.

At a cost of just over £10 million – rising to £13.5 million with add-ons – the 6’5” ‘keeper will be salivating at the prospect of first-team Premier League football. And with Fraser Forster and Alex McCarthy both struggling to hold on to the goalkeeping spot last season for Saints, it looks as if Gunn is destined to start the season between the posts for Mark Hughes’ Southampton. Now it’s down to the hotly-touted stopper to prove that he can live up to his vast potential.

#6 Ricardo Pereira

Ricardo Pereira (left)

In Ricardo Pereira, Leicester City may have pulled off one of the coups of the summer.

A winger-turned-full-back, Pereira comes off the back of a brilliant season for Porto in which Azuis e Brancos romped to the Liga Nos title ahead of longtime rivals Benfica and Sporting Lisbon.

Claude Puel decided that his performances for Porto were enough to splash just shy of £20 million on the former Nice loanee, and the Leicester City fans should have a lot to look forward to with the energetic Pereira now in their ranks.

The key strength of Pereira is his pace and dynamism up and down the right side, with his early years as a winger giving him the ability to go past a man and to pick a pass in addition to looking after his defensive duties.

At 24 years of age and with five international appearances for Portugal under his belt, Ricardo Pereira is only going to improve over the next few years, and fans of The Foxes should be excited as the 2018/2019 campaign gets ready to kick off in a matter of weeks.

#5 Martin Dubravka

Slovakian goalkeeper Martin Dubravka made quite the impression on the St James’ faithful during the second half of last season. Having joined Newcastle on the final day of the January transfer window in a last-minute loan deal, Dubravka made a huge mark by keeping a clean sheet against Manchester United on his debut. That match would end 1-0 to the Geordies, and the 29-year-old stopper put in a Man of the Match performance.

By the time the season came to a close, Dubravka had kept four clean sheets in 12 games – but those clean sheets were dwarfed by the sheer athleticism and shot-stopping ability he showcased in those matches, in particular with a stunning penalty save against Watford.

Over the summer, the 29-year-old Slovakian has made his move to St James' Park a permanent one, signing for £3.6 million from Sparta Prague. Now with some solid Premier League experience under his belt, Martin Dubravka could prove to be one of the standout ‘keepers in the division throughout the 2018/2019 campaign.

#4 Tahith Chong

Tahith Chong

For those within Old Trafford, they know that they’ve got a huge talent on their hands in Tahith Chong.

The young Dutchman joined the Red Devils from Feyenoord in 2016, and since then he’s regularly impressed as he’s progressed through the ranks at Manchester United. Having starred in the FA Youth Cup and for the Under-23s, the exciting right winger is one of the best in the world at his age.

At just 18, Chong is still a little slight of frame, but his electric attacking presence is one that could unsettle even the most experienced of defences. Already, in pre-season, Jose Mourinho has given the winger a chance to impress – and many of the United faithful are looking at Chong as a potential answer to their right-sided conundrum going forward.

With Alexis Sanchez pretty much nailed-on to start on the left of Mourinho’s attack, both Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford have looked uncomfortable when pushed to the right side. Then there’s Juan Mata, whose future at Old Trafford seems a little uncertain right now.

Gareth Bale has been mooted with a possible move to United, but it remains to be seen whether Real Madrid would be prepared to offload one of their other huge names, following the Ronaldo sale to Juventus. If not, it may well be that Tahith Chong could get a chance to prove himself in the Manchester United first team sooner rather than later.

#3 James Maddison

Right now, it looks as if the future could well be extremely bright for the England national team – and one of the key youngsters who could emerge for the Three Lions over the next few years is James Maddison.

Having impressed at Norwich City for the past couple of seasons, Maddison made the move to Leicester City this summer. And if the creative midfielder can quickly adapt to manager Claude Puel’s style and approach, he could prove to be one of the biggest hits of the 2018/2019 season.

With Leicester now left with a huge Riyad Mahrez-shaped hole to fill this season, Maddison’s fourteen goals and eight assists in the last campaign suggest that the 21-year-old could be an inspired choice to replace the Algerian. Key to The Foxes style of play is finding ways to slip the rapid Jamie Vardy in behind defences, and that’s where Maddison could prove to be a pivotal piece of the Leicester City jigsaw this season

#2 Ryan Sessegnon

While some of you may be well-versed with the Championship, there are plenty of others who pay little-to-no attention to the second tier of English football. And if you fall into that latter group, you seriously need to keep your eye out for Fulham’s Ryan Sessegnon.

Having started the 2017-2018 campaign at left-back, Sessegnon would go on to nab a ridiculous sixteen goals and eight assists as Fulham clinched promotion via the playoffs. And even more jaw-dropping is that the youngster only turned 18 this past May!

To say Sessegnon is one of the hottest prospects in European football would be a huge understatement, and it’s no surprise that major names such as Manchester United, Paris St-Germain, and Tottenham Hotspur are amongst those to have shown interest in the England U-21 player.

It’s only a matter of time before Ryan Sessegnon makes his first appearance for the England senior side, and he’ll surely be an absolutely vital part of Fulham’s mission to stay in the Premier League this season.

#1 Ruben Neves

One of the most shocking transfers of last season was seeing the hotly-touted Ruben Neves head from FC Porto to Championship side Wolverhampton Wanderers. After all, this is a talent who had previously been linked with the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool, and Arsenal.

The classy Portuguese midfielder – still only 21 years of age – stood out as the very best midfielder in the Championship as Wolves romped to the title with a whopping 99 points on the board. This coming, of course, as part of an ongoing relationship with super-agent Jorge Mendes that has seen Wolves make some truly shocking signings over the past year or so.

By the time the 2017/2018 season had come to an end, Neves had scored six goals from midfield, including some absolutely mesmerising strikes. And now, the technically-gifted youngster will have his chance to show his abilities in the Premier League. Which, let’s face it, he arguably would have been doing last season, were it not for Mendes’ involvement with Wolves.