When we think about the Premier League greats of the 10s, it’s often the same names getting mentioned: Eden Hazard, Yaya Touré, Sergio Aguero etc. However, there are a lot more players that had great moments throughout this century. In this blog, we’ll list 5 players that have been massively underrated this entire decade and possibly still are.
5. Danny Ings
When Liverpool bought Danny Ings in the summer of 2015, many people were sceptical. Especially after they saw him perform for three seasons, without a lot of success. In these three seasons, Ings only managed to score three goals. Because of this many people automatically write him off, however Ings is a brilliant striker – just not the right fit for Liverpool. At both Burnley and Southampton, Ings showed the great striker he is, the highlight being him scoring 22 goals in the last season of the decade. Danny Ings might not be the best striker the Premier League has ever seen, however he can give a good goalkeeper a good fight, which he showed in several seasons this century.
4. Georginio Wijnaldum
Liverpool have had both their ups and downs in the 10s. It all turned around when Klopp got his hand on Liverpool, bringing in interesting transfers such as Salah, Mané and Firmino. Those are the three transfers everyone immediately thinks about, however a signing Klopp made that might have been just as impactful, was the signing of Georginio Wijnaldum. Wijnaldum has been a consistent midfielder throughout the entire decade, being able to play both defensive and attacking. Klopp often spoke highly about Wijnaldum, saying he was the first name in his starting line-up for every game.
3. Kasper Schmeichel
The most famous Premier League moment of the 10s of course was Leicester City winning the Premier League in 2016. When you ask people about this season, names likes Vardy, Mahrez and Kanté immediately get mentioned, however Schmeichel often gets left out. The son of the famous goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel played a big role in this championship, keeping 15 clean sheets throughout the season. Ever since, Schmeichel has stepped up as the captain of the team, as he’s led to Leicester City to multiple successful stories.
2. Mousa Dembélé
Another massively underrated player who’s blessed the Premier League for several years, is Mousa Dembélé. The Tottenham Hotspur midfielder often gets viewed as the toughest player his teammates ever had to train with, and as one of the most complete players to ever bless the game. Dembélé truly had it all: a great physique, combined with a lot of technical skill too. Dembélé didn’t really shine a lot, as he was often the player to start an attack instead of being the one finishing them. However, he’s a player that could truly walk into any starting side in the world.
1. Santi Cazorla
Ask any player that he’s played with who the best player is they got to play with, and they’ll all give you the same answer: Santi Cazorla. The Spaniard is probably the most two-footed player to ever bless the Premier League, taking penalties, free kicks and corner kicks with both his left and right foot, truly not knowing which one is better. Santi Cazorla didn’t only have a great kick, he had a dribbling that’s nearly comparable to Messi’s and a pass like Xavi. Santi Cazorla has been very unlucky with injuries throughout his entire career, but could’ve truly been one of the best players to ever bless the Premier League if it wasn’t for this.
More statistics?
Are you interested in more underrated players, or do you want to dive deeper into the statistics of the players listed? Take a look at one of the applications ran by a Premier League API by Sportmonks. These applications have the best possible database to base their statistics on. Also, many people rely on statistics when using bookie software. Find out for yourself!
