This article first appeared in the Sep/Oct 2016 issue of WGM.
With so much talk during the summer about the battle between Europe’s top managers in the Premier League this season, WGM takes a look at the rising stars that will also be looking to make their mark in 2016 and beyond.
RAHEEM STERLING – MANCHESTER CITY
You may wonder how Raheem Sterling, a player who has become a household name since his impressive 2013/14 season with Liverpool, can still be considered a young player to watch. The reason is simple – many have since written him off following a disastrous showing with Manchester City over the past 12 months. Touted as the game’s latest wunderkind at the Reds thanks to his dazzling dancing on the ball and lightning speed, Sterling’s monstrous price tag when Manchester City paid £49 million to lure him became a huge burden for the youngster. From most prized youngster to most over-rated in the space of a few months, Sterling’s struggles continued into England’s Euro 2016 campaign … but the early signs are promising under new City manager Pep Guardiola.
Guardiola wasted no time in convincing Sterling of his first-team position and providing encouragement even when he was on national team duty in France over the summer. In return, Sterling has been quick to smash any lingering doubts over how influential he can be – cracking in three goals and playing a role in a number of others during City’s fast start to the new year. Guardiola is renowned for his attacking play on the flanks and we are super confident that Sterling will fulfil his potential and become one of the game’s top wingers in the mold of Arjen Robben and Franck Ribéry before him. And let’s not forget that, despite his ups and downs, Sterling is still just 21 years old!
LEROY SANÉ – MANCHESTER CITY
Manchester City splashed out £45 million this season on a 20-year-old player who barely registered any game time in the Euro 2016 finals. What is it about Leroy Sané that convinced Guardiola to make him his first marquee signing?
Sané, who grew up in a sports-mad family with a father who played professional football and a mother who won an Olympic medal in rhythmic gymnastics, showed his pedigree from a very young age. Similar in style to Raheem Sterling, Sané can dribble, pass and finish with aplomb. He contributed nine goals from 42 appearances for Schalke 04 last season – a huge number of games for a 20-year-old.
That statistic alone shows how important Sané is. Although Guardiola chose to ease him into the squad in the early fixtures, we expect to see him wreaking havoc with his lethal runs as the season progresses.
BRENDAN GALLOWAY – EVERTON
The last Everton defender to make a big money move was John Stones, who was one of the many transfers to Manchester City over the recent summer. Another Toffees player, Brendan Galloway, has a lot in common with Stones – both were relative no-names when purchased from lower league teams, both are versatile in their abilities and both can play either full back or centre back, although Galloway is left-footed.
Born in 1996, Galloway was lured to Everton from MK Dons in 2014 and quickly established himself in the first team at the tender age of 18. Last season he made 21 appearances for the Toffees with his personality and character often praised by former manager Roberto Martinez. But Galloway also has great pace and is a quality defender in one on one situations as well as being comfortable on the ball.
Stones and Galloway are like reflections copying one another in a mirror. However, Everton fans will have to wait a while to see his best due to the return of Leighton Baines, of the best left defenders in the league, which has seen Galloway loaned out to West Brom.
New manager Ronald Koeman clearly doesn’t want to waste Galloway’s talent on the bench and that means Everton’s temporary loss is West Brom’s gain.
ANDREAS CHRISTENSEN – CHELSEA
You will have to watch Germany’s Bundesliga to follow the progress of Andreas Christensen, who has been loaned to Borussia Mönchengladbach on a two-year deal. But the expectation is that he will soon return to Stamford Bridge to take over the defensive leader’s role from John Terry. This summer, Chelsea rejected the German side’s £18 million offer to keep the defender, showing just how important the Blues consider him to their future plans.
Christensen attracted interest from all across Europe when he was just 15-years-old and playing for Brøndby IF but it was Chelsea that won the race in 2012. Like Terry, his composure on the ball is something seen only in the very best defenders. Last season, his pass accuracy rate was a phenomenal 87 percent – higher than Borussia Dortmund’s highly rated ball-playing defender Mats Hummels at 85 percent – while his ability to hit both long balls forward as well as shorter passes across the back makes him a useful asset. He was voted Player of the Year at Borussia Mönchengladbach by the fans last season ahead of captain Granit Xhaka – a fair indication of his talent!
GABRIEL JESUS – MANCHESTER CITY
Here is another Premier League player currently playing abroad and another on his way to Manchester City. Gabriel Jesus will join the club in January 2017 and a look at his goal-scoring record explains why there is so much excitement surrounding the young Brazilian’s arrival. The 19-year-old scored an incredible 37 goals in 22 matches during the 2014 Under-17 Campeonato Paulista, an edition of the state Under-17s championship. He has already been dubbed “Palmeiras’ Neymar” and City fought off ferocious competition from other leading European clubs such as Barcelona and Chelsea to win his signature.
