Ousmane Diakité

Diakité plays with a physicality that immediately separates him from most Championship holding midfielders, winning a striking share of his individual battles on the ground and in the air alike. He shields a back four by getting tight to opponents and refusing to be shrugged off the ball. He then stays composed enough in possession to keep the move going rather than simply hacking the ball clear under pressure.

That combination of aggression and control is rare enough that it has already earned him comparisons to a genuine West Brom cult hero from a previous era. A serious knee injury earlier in his career is the obvious shadow over that physical style. Midfielders who win the ball through repeated contact put more strain on their bodies than most other positions on the pitch demand.