Sonny Bradley

Bradley leads with his voice as much as his body, shifting team mates into position before a cross even goes in rather than relying on his own recovery speed. He captained a promotion chasing side for years before this move, and that experience of directing a defensive unit is obvious in how rarely his own back line looks disorganised. Younger defenders alongside him benefit from constant instruction that most centre backs only start giving once their legs have slowed.

The tension with any leader this vocal is whether the organising ever becomes a substitute for his own individual battles rather than a complement to them. Fans want a captain who talks and still wins his own header, not one who shouts because he can no longer win it cleanly. Bradley has answered that question convincingly enough to keep earning the armband wherever he goes.