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The Premier League is home to some of world football’s top talents, a lot of whom dominate the headlines week after week - and rightly so - due to displays of individual brilliance and undeniable quality. However, for every name that routinely grabs the spotlight, there are some players that perhaps don’t receive the attention they deserve from the media or the fans.
We’re not saying that these players are slipping by completely unnoticed or that they don’t receive any praise at all, but that their performances this season deserve to be talked about a little bit more than they are right now. In an effort to add a bit of balance the debate, that’s the conversation we’re starting right now with the following list of the top five most underrated players in the 2019-20 Premier League season.
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5. Emiliano Buendia
Promoted to the Premier League as EFL Championship winners, Norwich City attracted a lot of attention at the start of the season due to the free-flowing, expansive style of football being played at Carrow Road. Much of the spotlight was (deservedly) on their Finnish marksman Teemu Pukki, who came into the Premier League on the back of a memorable goal-scoring run. The 'Pukki party' continued through the initial weeks of the campaign, while the performances of Todd Cantwell, Max Aarons, Jamal Lewis, and Ben Godfrey also caught the eye. Amidst all this, the top-notch attacking displays from Norwich’s Argentine attacker Emiliano Buendia have slipped by somewhat unnoticed.
The 23-year-old Buendia, who is equally adept at playing out on the wing or behind Pukki in the middle, has been at the heart of pretty much all of Norwich’s attacking moves. With seven assists to his name already, Buendia also leads the league in most successful through balls and ranks third in chances created. His performances have made him a favourite among Fantasy Premier League managers, and it shouldn’t be long before Premier League managers follow suit. In fact, with Norwich one of the favourites to go down, Buendia is one of the most likely candidates to be snapped up by a Premier League outfit as he is a player who definitely deserves to be playing at the highest level of English football.
4. Jordan Henderson
It’s hard to be considered underrated when you’re the captain of the defending European champions and the champions-elect of England UNLESS you’re the captain of a star-studded side like Liverpool. Jordan Henderson has had to deal with comparisons to Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard throughout his career at Anfield and has only recently started to live up to them. His tireless and incredibly consistent displays in midfield are often outshone by his side’s high-profile attackers or incredible full-backs, but he has never let his performances drop as a result.
Henderson may not offer the flair or skill of some of his teammates, but his impact on the current Liverpool team is clear for all to see. His incredible work rate is boosted by his eye for a pass and his undeniable leadership skills. In 26 matches in the league this season, Henderson has chipped in with three goals and five assists besides helping keep 14 clean sheets and surely deserves to be mentioned in the conversation for Player of the Season in May.
3. Jonny Evans
There was a lot of media attention on the center-back positions at Leicester City in the summer of 2019 following the departure of Harry Maguire for a world-record sum, with many wondering how the Foxes would cope in his absence. However, not only have the Foxes taken Maguire’s departure in their stride, they have even neglected to bring in a replacement, and Jonny Evans is one of the major reasons for that. While the likes of Jamie Vardy, James Maddison, Ricardo Pereira, and Ben Chilwell receive plaudits for their attacking displays, Evans continues to deliver consistently good performances week after week without receiving much, if any, recognition.
The 32-year-old has started every game for Leicester in the current campaign, helping keep nine clean sheets while also popping up with a goal and two assists. While the emergence of Caglar Soyuncu has gone some way to filling in the Maguire-shaped hole in the Foxes’ backline, Evans’ calming presence beside him has been almost completely overlooked. But then again, Evans has generally been overlooked and underrated pretty much throughout his career, and deserves a lot more recognition for his achievements.
2. John Fleck
Sheffield United are unquestionably the success story of the Premier League season thus far - touted as one of the favourites for relegation at the start of the season, they currently occupy the fifth spot in the table and have European football firmly in their sights. Manager Chris Wilder’s innovative approach to play with overlapping center-backs has brought defenders like Jack O’Connell and Chris Basham into the limelight, while midfielder John Lundstram is one of the finds of the season (and not just in the Fantasy Premier League). However, one of the most underrated parts of Sheffield’s unconventional setup is the Scottish midfielder John Fleck, who has been quietly effective in taking the Blades where they are today.
The ex-Rangers man is integral to the way Sheffield United play, contributing both offensively and defensively. While his partner in midfield Lundstram grabbed all the headlines for his goals at the start of the season, Fleck has chipped in with five of his own, with two assists to boot. The 28-year-old has also featured in seven clean sheets, highlighting his importance in the team. If the Blades are to secure European football for next season, much of it will be down to Fleck’s consistent displays in midfield, which deserve more recognition than they receive currently.
1. Raul Jimenez
Much has been made of the recent Portuguese influx in the Wolves setup - from the coach to the goalkeeper, midfielders, and attackers, there is a distinctly European flair in the way Wolves play football. And yet, for all the big-name Portuguese players in their lineup, there is a convincing case to be made that their most important player is actually their Mexican striker Raul Jimenez. Amidst the spectacular strikes from Ruben Neves, commanding displays in midfield from Joao Moutinho, and the terror that Adama Traore instils in opposition full-backs, Jimenez’s goal tally has been one of the main reasons for their success.
Despite being Wolves’ leading goal scorer since he joined from Benfica in 2018, Jimenez offers much more than goals, a facet of his playing style that is often overlooked. Regularly deployed upfront as a lone striker, the big Mexican does a phenomenal job of holding the ball up for the aforementioned Adama or Jota to make runs beyond him, or to set up Neves for one of his trademark long-range piledrivers. His industry is made even more impressive when you consider that Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo has used the fewest players of any team in the league, which means that Jimenez often has a humongous workload to get through.
While his incredible work rate alone means that he deserves more recognition, Jimenez has also notched up 24 goals and 16 assists in just over one and a half seasons in the league alone and has a strong claim to be considered alongside the likes of Harry Kane, Sergio Aguero, and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang as one of the elite strikers currently playing in the country.
