Stephen Welsh

Welsh spent his entire development inside Celtic's academy, a club whose first team philosophy demands defenders comfortable receiving the ball under pressure rather than simply clearing their lines. A loan spell away sharpened that education further, testing him in a title race environment before Swansea signed him as a free agent. He treats a passing lane the way some defenders treat a striker's run, watching it constantly, which makes him a natural fit for a team trying to build attacks from deep rather than launch them long.

The concern with any defender schooled this way is what happens against opponents who do not let him play at his own tempo. The Championship contains sides built entirely around pressing high and forcing mistakes from exactly the kind of composed centre back Welsh is. Watch how he copes in matches where the simple, safe option keeps getting taken away from him.