Premier League Gossip: Underrated players who will make a difference this coming season - Part 1
The English Premier League is well known for players like Wayne Rooney, Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard – players who have the ability to turn a match in their favor within no time. Everyone is well aware of the fact that these players can make a solid impact on the game and are guaranteed to give it their best shot throughout the season.
So it’s important to have match winners in the team, but at times it is players who manage to rise up to the challenge that really make the difference. However, under-the-radar players are the biggest threat of them all. This is mainly because no one is quite sure how capable they are. And when they do produce moments of magic, it hits every one off-guard. Here is a look at some players who aren’t as well known if compared to the Rooney’s and Drogba’s of EPL football, but could and most probably would make the real difference for their teams this coming term.
Marouane Chamakh
At a club like Arsenal, hardly any of the players can be dubbed as under-the-radar stars. However, the main stars that everyone knows about are Cesc Fabregas, Andrei Arshavin and Robin Van Persie. Everyone expects those three players to be the difference makers if Arsenal is to launch a title winning challenge.
As a result, Marouane Chamakh may just have become the biggest weapon that no one is aware of for Arsenal. It appears as though the Moroccan-born striker might just be the perfect fit to Arsene Wenger’s squad.
Chamakh was reported to have said, "I am not what you would call a very selfish striker".
Along with his unselfish style of play, his technical ability has also earned him the praise from his Arsenal colleagues. According to Arsenal’s right-back Bacary Sagna, his fan following is building in the team. He said, "I will trust him with the ball because he can keep it quite easily, and it will give us a chance to come and support him"
Sagna’s words also represent the biggest benefit that Chamakh would bring to the squad. Chamakh will bring with him a physical presence in front of the goal that has been lacking for quite a while for Arsenal. The ability of having a strong striker upfront to hold the ball and win headers could prove to be very crucial to the squad. Chamakh could prove to be the best signing that Arsene Wenger has made at the club since that of Arsenal goal scoring record holder Thierry Henry.
Ben Foster
Joe Hart remained in the most talked about goalkeepers in the English Premier League. However, he is not the only young English keeper that has been winning praise from the football world.
Manchester United’s keeper Ben Foster is another keeper who has maintained his presence amongst his peers in England. In 2005, Foster was sent to Watford to help him gain some experience. Watford’s manager at that time, Aidy Boothroyd was reported to have said, "He is a better goalkeeper than Edwin Van Der Sar. He is going to be the best goalkeeper in the world."
Foster helped Watford get promoted in that season. In fact, Foster was such a tremendous force at the club that he was recalled on a loan spell in the following season. Foster became Watford’s player of the season. Soon after he returned to Manchester United, he had one of the best moments of his life in the 2009 League Cup final with United in which he put on a tremendous display in the penalty shootout and helped United win the shootout with a score of four to one.
Foster is currently looking to rejuvenate his career by going out on a loan again and it would be absurd to count him out as a contender for the English goal keeping position.
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