Nottingham Forest had a huge problem with defending set pieces last season and Nuno Espírito Santo demanded a centre-back who could dominate in the air. The club were efficient in their business, signing the brick-headed Serb from Fiorentina for £10m. It was a bargain and the centre-back fitted in immediately alongside the Brazilian Murillo as the club created one of the best defences in the league. The pair complement one another perfectly and, along with Matz Sels, created the foundation for Forest’s tilt at qualifying for the Champions League bydominating some of the best strikers in the world. After missing the opening match of the season against Bournemouth through suspension, Milenkovic, 27, has played every single minute in the Premier League. It is rare that an outfield player is an ever-present but the centre-back has been integral and his consistency cannot be underestimated, helping Murillo thrive. It is often the Brazilian who gets the most credit as he is the more flamboyant of the two but Milenkovic deserves just as much praise for what Forest have achieved this season.
Bournemouth’s recruitment policy is one of the best in the league and they know how to spot a bargain. Huijsen joined from Juventus after a spell on loan at Roma, where he spent a large part of his time on the bench. So the centre-back, 19 at the time, jumped at the opportunity to test himself in the Premier League. Most teenagers might have been somewhat hesitant at the prospect of facing Mohamed Salah and Erling Haaland but Huijsen is a different breed. A relaxed character, the son of former AZ Alkmaar and Go Ahead Eagles player Donny, he isknown for his calm demeanouron and off the pitch. The aggressive defender offers a maturity rarely seen in a player of his age and has been integral to Andoni Iraola’s plans. His form has earned him his first caps for Spain, where he was brought up after being born in the Netherlands, and plenty of admirers were willing to spend £50m on acquiring his services in the summer but in the end he will return to his homelandand join Real Madrid, who he turned down as a young player.
With Newcastle needing to ship a few players out to resolve any lingering profit and sustainability rules concerns, Minteh and Elliot Anderson were sacrificed for the sake of the accountant. Both have gone on to shine at their new clubs, and Minteh was eager to let the visiting Newcastle supporters know it whenhe scored against themat the Amex Stadium in May, celebrating in front of the away end with a confused bit of finger-wagging and pointing at his Brighton shirt. It might not have been the best choreographed piece of revenge but he got his message across. The Gambian has spent most of the season trying to prove Newcastle wrong for selling him with six goals and four assists. It is not easy to get minutes on the wing under Fabian Hürzeler who has Simon Adingra and Kaoru Mitoma as part of his arsenal but Minteh’s direct running and skill make him difficult to handle for full-backs. He will turn 21 over the summer, giving him plenty of years to hone his skills and make him an even greater threat for Brighton.
The price tag of £12m and the fact that the winger had enjoyed a spell with Watford, meant Sarr was not an extremely high-profile signing when he joined Palace from Marseille. There are greater headline-grabbers at Selhurst Park and that suits Sarr down to the ground, happy to express himself freely on the flank, while the expectations are placed upon others. He always wanted to be playing in the Premier League and eagerly accepted the proposition to replace Michael Olise in the Eagles’ squad. Considering what Olise did at Selhurst Park to earn himself a move to Bayern Munich, Sarr faced a difficult task but under the guidance of Oliver Glasner he has beenable to make south London his home. After a slow start, Sarr broke into the starting lineup in late October and has not looked back after earning the confidence of the coaching staff. He has featured in every Premier League match and his output has improved as the season has progressed, the highlight being two goals and an assist inDecember’s win at Brighton. Meanwhile in the FA Cup hescored twice to dispatch Aston Villain the semi-finals, helping Palace back to Wembley for their day of gloryagainst Manchester Cityin the final.
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The striker had a respectable time on loan at Hull in 2023-24, scoring eight goals in 31 games in the Championship but they are not the sort of figures that guarantee Premier League success. Manchester City did not want to keep him, leaving Southampton and Ipswich to battle it out for his signature. Delap is very much a No 9, a rare breed in modern football and he is able to mix physicality with clever movement. His goals have not been enough to keep Kieran McKenna’s Tractor Boys up – or even close for that matter – but Delap has shown he deserves to be at this level and surely will be again next season. His movement in the box has earned him his goals and he is a constant pest for defenders, providing some of Ipswich’s best moments, in what has been a difficult season, scoring to helpsee off Tottenhamand Chelsea. Portman Road was a smart stepping stone for Delap, who will not be short of offers, especially with a £30m buyout clause in his contract. Manchester United, Chelsea and Newcastleare all interested.