Xavier Simons

Simons has the frame and the engine to dominate the middle of a busy midfield battle. He covers ground box to box and puts himself about physically in a way few midfielders his age manage so naturally. He came through Chelsea's academy and made his senior debut there, but genuine first team football only arrived once he left. First on loan and then permanently, he found clubs willing to trust him with regular minutes.

What still needs answering is whether that early Chelsea pedigree turns into real influence on games rather than simply energy and physical presence. He represented England at every youth level through the Under 20s and played at a World Cup, so the technical foundation is clearly there. Watch whether he starts dictating matches rather than just running them, because that shift from busy to influential usually separates a squad midfielder from a guaranteed starter.