Newly-promoted success stories
Wolves's Ruben Neves was always expected to stet up to the top flight with ease, having strolled the Championship in 2017/18. So far the Portuguese has done just that, and is already being talked up as a long-term target for Pep Guardiola at Manchester City.
If he can continue to make the same impact as the following 10 players, he shan't be sticking around in the West Midlands for too much longer...
Kevin Phillips (Sunderland, 1999/2000)
Phillips found the net 23 times to lead Sunderland to the First Division title in 1998/99 – a particularly impressive tally when you consider he was out of action through injury for four months. Any doubts about whether the striker could step up to the top tier were quickly dispelled the following campaign, when Phillips took the Premier League by storm.
The former Watford frontman finished the season with 30 goals to his name, and the European Golden Shoe for good measure. Big bids from Arsenal and Aston Villa followed but Phillips chose to stay in the north-east for another three years – perhaps, to his detriment.
Charlie Adam (Blackpool, 2010/11)
Ian Holloway sensibly built his Blackpool side around Adam, a creative, left-footed midfielder who was the undoubted star of their promotion-winning side in 2009/10. The Scot’s deficiencies were masked by his more mobile team-mates, which allowed him to focus on pinging passes around the pitch.
Adam was even better in the top flight, even if he did trundle around the park at his own pace. Twelve goals and eight assists almost helped the Tangerines secure survival against the odds, but Holloway’s side were relegated on the final day. Still, he'd done enough to earn a move to Liverpool that summer.
Grant Holt (Norwich, 2011/12)
Holt’s first season in the Premier League arrived late on in his career, but the 30-year-old made up for lost time with some tremendous displays having helped Norwich win consecutive promotions in 2009/10 and 2010/11.
The striker was the Canaries’ focal point at the top of the pitch, performing the role of old-school battering ram for Paul Lambert’s men. Holt was effective in front of goal too, scoring 15 times in 36 outings as Norwich finished well clear of the drop zone in 12th spot.
Muzzy Izzet (Leicester, 1996/97)
After failing to make the grade at Chelsea, Izzet joined Leicester on loan during their promotion-winning campaign of 1995/96. The Foxes made the move permanent that summer, spending £800,000 on the future Turkey international’s signature.
It proved to be a wise investment: energetic, technically gifted and possessing a fine range of passing, Izzet formed a fantastic partnership with the combative Neil Lennon as Leicester finished in the top half of the table. The midfielder made 34 league starts and scored three goals, while also contributing to the club’s League Cup Final win against Middlesbrough.
John Beresford (Newcastle, 1993/94)
Andy Cole was the star man of Kevin Keegan’s Newcastle side in 1993/94, scoring 34 goals as the Magpies finished third following promotion the previous year. Yet the future Manchester United striker made a single top-flight appearance for Arsenal three seasons earlier, which (harshly) rules him out of contention for a place in this list.
Beresford didn’t grab as many headlines as his team-mate, but the attacking full-back starred as Newcastle upset the odds. His rampaging runs down the left flank and steady stream of crosses for Cole and Peter Beardsley were an important part of the Magpies' game plan, and Beresford was rewarded with two England B caps towards the end of the season.
Rickie Lambert (Southampton, 2012/13)
They say good things come to those who wait, and Lambert should know better than most. After years spent in the lower reaches of the Football League, a £1m move to Southampton in August 2009 transformed his prospects. Lambert and the Saints achieved two promotions in three years, during which he scored 88 goals in all competitions, finally making it to the Premier League at the age of 30.
A strapping striker with an excellent record from the penalty spot, Lambert led the line impressively as Southampton finished 14th. He started every game and scored 15 goals, earning him a first England call-up under Roy Hodgson.
Steve Sidwell (Reading, 2006/07)
Sidwell started his career at Arsenal but was unable to break into the first team, which forced him to join Reading in 2003. In his fourth season he helped the Royals dominate the Championship, in which they accumulated 106 points to reach the Premier League in style.
That wasn’t as good as it got for Reading, either: an eighth-place finish followed in 2006/07, with Sidwell their star performer in the top flight. A strong passer with an eye for goal, he scored four times in total, including a brace in a 2-0 victory over Aston Villa.
Steve Finnan (Fulham, 2001/02)
Finnan took a circuitous route to the Premier League, turning out for Welling, Birmingham and Notts County before helping Fulham to promotion in 2001. The right-back starred for Jean Tigana’s men in the second tier, with the Cottagers amassing 101 points as they strolled to the First Division title.
Finnan remained just as consistent in the Premier League, playing every single minute of Fulham’s campaign as the west Londoners finished comfortably in mid-table. The Ireland international won the club’s Player of the Year award and was also voted into the PFA Team of the Year for his excellent performances, so it was no surprise when Liverpool snapped him up for £3.5m in summer 2003.
Marcus Stewart (Ipswich, 2000/01)
After working his way up through the lower leagues via Bristol Rovers and Huddersfield, Stewart joined Ipswich in 2000 and immediately hit the ground running as Town won promotion to the Premier League.
The striker maintained his fine form in the promised land, scoring 19 goals – more than any other English player that year. In fact, only Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink made the net bulge more often than Stewart, whose strikes fired George Burley’s charges to a fifth-place finish and a spot in the following season’s UEFA Cup.
Ashley Young (Watford, 2006/07)
Aidy Boothroyd led Watford to a surprise promotion in 2005/06, but in hindsight the Hornets weren’t ready for life in the Premier League. They made a swift return to the Championship, finishing 10 points from safety at the bottom of the table, but Young was one of the few players who proved he belonged in the top flight.
The winger had departed Vicarage Road midway through the campaign, with Aston Villa paying £9.5m for his services. His performances had warranted it; Young’s trickery and pinpoint crosses ensured he stood out in an otherwise limited Watford team.
Tom Heaton (Burnley, 2014/15)
Heaton’s preparation for his first top-flight season couldn’t have been much better. The keeper was part of a Burnley backline that conceded just 37 goals on their way to promotion, a defensive record that included 19 clean sheets.
It was never going to be the same in the Premier League, but the shot-stopper turned heads with several standout performances that earned him the Clarets' Players’ Player of the Year award.
He was the only keeper in the division to play every minute of the league season as he kept 10 clean sheets, but a blunt Burnley attack that scored just 28 goals all season meant they were relegated despite Heaton’s best efforts.
Danny Ings (Burnley, 2014/15)
Burnley had high hopes that Ings could lead their line upon their return to the top flight in 2014/15, after he'd netted 22 goals and won Championship Player of the Season.
The forward was an unknown quantity for Premier League defences, but finally got off the mark in a 3-1 defeat to Everton on October 26. That strike opened the floodgates: Ings went on to bag another 10 goals before the end of the season, a streak that earned him a move to Liverpool.
However, his dream start to life at the top of English football was dealt a cruel blow when he suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury soon after arriving at Anfield, and the striker has been trying to rediscover the golden touch ever since.
Ashley Williams (Swansea, 2011/12)
Williams joined Swansea when they were a League One side in 2008, and was a part of their journey from third tier to Premier League by 2011.
The stopper arrived in the top flight having been named in the PFA Championship Team of the Season two years running, and adapted well to the challenge of jostling with Premier League strikers. The Swans captain missed just one league game all season as Brendan Rodgers’ side impressed with an 11th-place finish achieved with an eye-catching brand of football.
Steve Cook (Bournemouth, 2015/16)
Cook was a part of the Cherries’ remarkable rise, joining the club in League One and helping them reach the Premier League within four years. The 2015/16 campaign was Bournemouth’s first in the top flight, and the same thing could be said for a number of Eddie Howe’s players – Cook included.
However, the centre-back wasn’t fazed by the challenge and became a fantasy football favourite as he missed just two league games and scored four goals to help his side avoid the drop.
Troy Deeney (Watford, 2015/16)
Hornets skipper Deeney arrived in the top flight fresh from becoming the first player in club history to hit more than 20 goals in three successive seasons.
There was no question of his ability in the second tier, but as he made his Premier League debut at the age of 27, the question was whether he could replicate that form among English football’s elite.
The answer was an emphatic yes. The 6ft powerhouse took until week 10 to bag his first league goal, but subsequently went on a scoring spree of 13 goals in his debut top-flight campaign; the same number as Alexis Sanchez and more than the likes of Diego Costa and Roberto Firmino.
