5 Premier League players whose value has greatly increased this season

We are 11 games into the 2018/19 Premier League season, and the table is beginning to take shape. The best league in the world has lived up to its reputation, and we have had a thrilling start to the season.

An unprecedented three teams have made it past ten games unbeaten. Manchester City lead the way as they look to retain the title, with Liverpool and Chelsea, who have improved greatly under Maurizio Sarri, in close pursuit.

Behind them, Arsenal have been one of league’s more impressive sides, winning seven games on the trot after losing their opening two, and are adapting well to life under Unai Emery. They are just a point behind North London rivals Tottenham, who have also started well.

At the other end of the season it has been a tough start for Fulham and Cardiff City, both of whom have won only once in the league all season, and have just five points on the board. It has been a similar story for Huddersfield Town and Newcastle United, who have also won just the solitary game, and have picked up six points.

Obviously, the usual suspects have been the star performers. Eden Hazard has been sensational for Chelsea, and has been by far and away the best plyer in the league so far this season. Sergio Aguero and Raheem Sterling have also been consistently strong performers for Manchester City.

There have been some lesser known players who have shone this season as well, along with a few who have found top form again after a tough year last time out. These are the five players whose value has greatly increased in the opening few months of the season.

#1 David Brooks (Bournemouth)

Brooks already has three Premier League goals to his name

Brooks has enjoyed quite the rise over the past couple of years, from struggling to get a start with Sheffield United in League One, to becoming one of the Premier League’s most exciting young talents. The 21-year-old rose to prominence at the 2017 Toulon tournament, winning best player, and following in the footsteps of the likes of Alan Shearer and Thierry Henry.

He made the £11 million move to Bournemouth in the summer and is already beginning to look like a bit of a bargain. Brooks fits the style of an Eddie Howe team perfectly. He is clever, a good passer of the ball, and able to find gaps between opposition lines. He already has three Premier League goals to his name and seems to be growing in confidence every game.

#2 Ross Barkley (Chelsea)

Barkley finally looks to be fulfilling his potential

It has been a tough few years for Ross Barkley. He was the boy wonder at Everton, where many saw him as the next big thing in English football. Things didn’t quite go to plan though, and a combination of injuries and a struggle for form saw him almost fall off the radar. There was a chance that his move to Chelsea was his last opportunity to make the grade at a top club.

After six months at the club where he struggled once again with injury, he was finally given an opportunity in the Chelsea side under Maurizio Sarri this season. He has made the most of that chance and has been excellent in the Blues midfield. He has scored three goals, and provided three assists, offering Chelsea some much-needed threat from the three men in midfield. He now looks fitter, stronger, and like the real deal.

#3 Matteo Guendouzi (Arsenal)

Guendouzi was an unknown quantity when he joined Arsenal

A few months ago, very few Arsenal fans would have been aware of Matteo Guendouzi. Fast forward to now, and the young Frenchman is an important of this Arsenal side. It is a bit of a surprise to see the 19-year-old playing so regularly for Arsenal. He cost the Gunners £7 million from Ligue 2 side Lorient this summer, and he wasn’t even a constant in their side last season.

He undoubtedly has quality. He is an accomplished passer of the ball and is certainly someone who fits the style of play Unai Emery has tried to put across to his players at the Emirates. It is clear that there are still improvements to be made in his game, and because of that he is unlikely to be included week-in-week-out in the Arsenal team, but his reputation has certainly been greatly enhanced in the opening weeks of the season.

#4 Aaron Wan-Bissaka (Crystal Palace)

Wan-Bissaka has really made his mark in the Palace side

Wan-Bissaka is another man who many people would have been unaware of this time last year, even some Crystal Palace fans. However, injuries meant that the right-back was thrown in at the deep end in the second half of last season, and he has been excellent ever since. Even in what has been a difficult start to the season for Palace, Wan-Bissaka has been a standout performer.

It has been a remarkable rise for the 20-year-old, who started last season as the third choice right back, with both Timothy Fosu-Mensah and Martin Kelly both ahead of him in the pecking order. However, he took his chance, and now is one of the best young full backs in the league. He was rightly named Palace’s Player of the Month for August and will continue to be a vital player in their battle for survival.

#5 Will Hughes (Watford)

Hughes has been a big part of Watford's impressive start

While Wan-Bissaka is someone who’s emerged from almost nowhere, Hughes is a man who has been talked about for a long time. The English midfielder was highly-rated while at Derby, with regular reports linking him with a move to one of the Premier League’s big six. His later years at Derby were sadly hampered by injury, which perhaps robbed him of that move to a big club.

He made the move to Watford in 2017, but once again saw appearances in his first season limited by injuries. He has however been a constant in the Watford side at the start of this season and has played a big part in their successful start to the campaign. He will have been disappointed to not be included in Gareth Southgate’s England squad yet, but he can’t be too far away.

Send us news tips at [email protected]