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Climbing The Ladder: Players Who Rose From Mid-Table To Top Six Success
Blogs

Climbing The Ladder: Players Who Rose From Mid-Table To Top Six Success

Climbing The Ladder: Players Who Rose From Mid-Table To Top Six Success

Football is all about winning trophies, and every player wants to move to the winning clubs. Often the ‘top six’. In the modern landscape of football, teams in the middle of the Premier League are forced to sell their assets to the top clubs – players getting their opportunities to win and succeed at the top.

Milos Kerkez and Rayan Ait Nouri (Rayan Ait Nouri's move to City was touched on in this, article here!) are seemingly set to become the next players to take this move. However, several talents have chosen to take the leap to play for the ‘top six’ in recent years, with some achieving more than others.

But who are those players that have succeeded at the top?

Jack Grealish

In the present day, many would say that Manchester City overpaid for Jack Grealish. Paying £100m to Aston Villa for what seemed to be the best creative midfielder in the Premier League to play alongside Kevin De Bruyne.

In his final season at Villa, Grealish was their talisman, scoring six goals and assisting 10 in 26 Premier League games. The Englishman’s maverick-like playstyle was the main attraction that brought him to the Etihad. However, as a top-class manager, Pep Guardiola is known for tooling down his talents to fit the system.

Within his first year in Manchester, Grealish scored six goals and assisted four in 39 games. An impressive return, but not quite what Guardiola’s side would’ve hoped for, following a price tag of £100m. Nevertheless, the 29-year-old lifted the Premier League title during his debut season at the club.

Already a somewhat success in his first year, in his second season, Grealish added to his trophy cabinet in phenomenal style. The winger played a huge part in the treble as Guardiola’s side brought three trophies back to Manchester.

The Champions League, Premier League, and FA Cup. Man City were at the top of the iceberg and in 2023, Grealish was a key part of that, recording five goals and an impressive 11 assists. Grealish now seemed to have silenced his price tag, winning all that European football could offer and showing he could do it at the top level.

But since, it has not quite gone to plan for the Birmingham-born talent, having his game-time reduced, game by game in the previous two seasons. In his last two campaigns, Grealish has made 20 appearances in the Premier League, netting just one goal and providing just one assist in his latest year.

The 29-year-old does not look in the plans of Guardiola in the modern day, and his future at the club seems to not be with the Citizens. However, Grealish has still been a success in Manchester, nevertheless. Maybe not worthy of a £100 price tag, but after winning all of the major honours in European football – Grealish will be satisfied with his move.

Declan Rice

Declan Rice to Arsenal was a massive move for the midfielder. Moving to North London following a European triumph for West Ham in the UEFA Conference League. Rice had to get it right, and he had to perform at the Emirates – after looking one of the division’s best players at the London Stadium.

For a record-breaking price tag of £105m, it is safe to say that Rice has been a huge hit in North London. Despite not winning silverware, the England international has turned himself into, arguably the first name on the Arsenal team sheet and a furtherly improved player under Mikael Arteta.

103 games played and 16 goals scored, the 26-year-old is the heartbeat within the Gunners midfield. A box-to-box midfielder, who can spray balls left and right while also being gritty enough to put in a big challenge on the defensive end.

Within his debut campaign, the midfielder was superb, scoring seven goals and assisting eight in the Premier League. On the other hand, in his second year, Rice levelled up.

Despite netting four times and assisting seven in the English top-flight, the former West Ham man became Arsenal’s ‘go-to’ guy in the Champions League, scoring four goals and assisting two. The midfielder was huge in the Gunner's route to the Champions League semi-finals, curling in two fabulous free-kicks in the quarter-finals against Real Madrid.

While Rice might not have achieved what he came for, and Arsenal have not completely progressed. There is plenty of hope at the Emirates Stadium and in every department, Declan Rice has been one of the best signings from a mid-table club in recent memory.

Moises Caicedo

At the time, Moises Caicedo’s transfer to Chelsea looked ridiculous – another enormous fee paid by Chelsea’s new owner for a young talent, further increased to beat fellow competition from Liverpool.

And it was not immediately rosy in London for the Ecuadorian. Making several individual errors, leading to goals and struggling for confidence in a blue shirt. It was an incredibly young Chelsea squad, with Caicedo no stranger to that.

However, the underlying numbers were there for the midfielder. Within the 2023/24 season, Caicedo averaged 80.9 touches, 59.7 successful passes, 6.14 duels won, 1.16 interceptions, and 6.27 recoveries per 90. Chelsea had paid £115m for the 23-year-old’s services and expected one of the division's best midfielders.

They did not get that in year one, but it is exactly what they got in his second season as Caicedo turned into a blue monster. Starting every match in the season, Caicedo was irreplaceable and got better as the campaign went on.

The Ecuadorian was a huge part of a successful season in the league for the Blues, finishing in a Champions League spot and lifting a trophy as Chelsea defeated Real Betis in the Conference League final.

Caicedo has established himself as one of the best midfielders in the Premier League, and maybe it’s best defensive one. Being 23, the future also looks very bright in blue, with Caicedo potentially being a crucial part of Enzo Maresca’s team for a number of years in the future.

Can The Rumoured Players Succeed?

Over the years, several players have struggled to make the jump from mid-table to the top teams. Players such as Wilfred Zaha, Richarlison, and Kalvin Phillips have moved for big money for on-paper fantastic deals to top clubs but struggled and quickly departed.

But looking towards the players that could move this summer, Kerkez and Ait Nouri seem to be fantastic fits for the top six, both of the left-backs having fine campaigns – worthy of a top club in the league.

Kerkez is a bundle of joy down the left-hand side, who does not stop running and will perfectly slot into Liverpool’s system as the future replacement for Andy Robertson. On the other hand, Ait Nouri could be great for the Citizens, providing creativity in attack and allowing for Josko Gvardiol to slot into left-sided centre-back.

However, the only worry for Ait Nouri would be Guardiola and his need for players to become part of the system – reducing their flair and freedom.

Benji Kosartiyer
Journalist
Josh Wyatt-Jones

Content Writer

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