The Premier League’s Underrated XI: Our writers pick their teams for 2024-25

Jacob Murphy has eight goals and 11 assists in the Premier League this season for Newcastle United.

He is not the only player to have flown under the radar in 2024-25.

With that in mind, we asked five writers to pick their Underrated XI of the Premier League season.

There was only one rule: the player could not have been named Premier League Player of the Month this campaign.

Agree with any of them? Think you can do better? Let us know in the comments at the bottom of the article…

‘Tielemans has been getting nowhere near the credit he deserves’

Dean Henderson was one of my easier choices. The Crystal Palace goalkeeper has been impressing this season with important saves in victories against Brighton & Hove Albion and at home to Ipswich Town.

At right-back, I went with Lewis Cook, who has been seamlessly moonlighting in that position or in midfield while maintaining his excellent performances at Bournemouth. Nikola Milenkovic from Nottingham Forest was a no-brainer, considering that he has been one of the best centre-backs in the league and the spotlight is rarely on him.

The choice of Josko Gvardiol was because the Croatia defender has been one of Manchester City’s better players in a turbulent season. Brentford offered lots of options for this exercise and Keane Lewis-Potter solved some problems at left-back. Lewis-Potter’s defensive positioning and timing of his actions have improved this season, while still being an important attacking threat down the left wing.

The midfield trio will raise eyebrows, but the performances that Bruno Guimaraes, Youri Tielemans and Alexis Mac Allister have been putting in this season are well above the credit they are receiving. They have been three of the best midfielders in the Premier League.

Jarrod Bowen’s eight goals and five assists have kept West Ham United away from the relegation fight, Alexi Iwobi fits anywhere in Marco Silva’s system as Fulham are eyeing a European spot, and Kai Havertz is instrumental to Arsenal’s out-of-possession game, second balls, duels and set pieces despite the constant criticism.

Ahmed Walid

‘Now hear me out on Alexander-Arnold…’

Limited to just two wins this season, let this be another for Aaron Ramsdale, who made 105 saves in vain as Southampton got bounced from the top flight. Ramsdale will surely go marching back next season, even if the Saints will not.

With a balance of flair and composure, Rayan Ait-Nouri‘s work on the left side of the pitch helped stave off relegation for Wolverhampton Wanderers. Jarrad Branthwaite‘s performances also ensured Everton’s last season at Goodison Park was not their worst. The Carlisle Cannavaro said, ‘Not on my watch’.

Dean Huijsen probably has more eyes on him but don’t overlook his centre-back partner, Illya Zabarnyi. The man from Kyiv, Ukraine, has been another rock for Bournemouth.

Now hear me out on Trent Alexander-Arnold. A tongue-in-cheek pick, I’ll be the first to admit. But barring his rookie season, this is the one campaign of his career where he is probably being overlooked when it comes to team of the season picks — and yet, when fit, he can hit a ball like that.

Does Joelinton lack hype? On Tyneside, absolutely not and the same applies here. Ryan Yates joins him as another who gives his all and even when that is given, he tries to give more. Adam Wharton falls into this category too and for that reason completes my midfield. Either side of a long injury lay-off, Wharton proved he can cut it with the very best.

There is something special about Alex Iwobi. Even when a first touch looks to get away from him he speeds after it and wants to make things happen. It always feels like he might too, which is why he’s in my team.

(Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

When everyone is looking for the next start-up to invest in, Danny Welbeck, at 34, is showing that with age comes experience. I have nothing but a bunch of flowers and respect for him. A player Manchester United could have done with.

With 16 goals and five assists in 32 games, Bryan Mbeumo might already be in your ‘joy to watch’ list. Yet I think he falls outside the top picks by just a smidgen. All the better for us, then.

Caoimhe O’Neill

‘Sels and Robinson are strong candidates for my team of the season’

I guess we all have our own definition of “underrated”. Some of the players I like at unfashionable clubs — including Murillo, Milenkovic, Elliot Anderson, Morgan Gibbs-White and Chris Wood at Nottingham Forest; Huijsen, Milos Kerkez, Cook and Justin Kluivert at Bournemouth; Mbeumo at Brentford — have performed so well that they have almost gone mainstream this season.

I’ve tried to go a bit more alternative — albeit insisting on two players, Forest goalkeeper Matz Sels and Fulham left-back Antonee Robinson, who are strong candidates for my Premier League team of the season. 

Idrissa Gueye is perfect for this line-up. He’s 35 and he’s been brilliant for Everton. Mikkel Damsgaard doesn’t get as many plaudits at Brentford as Mbeumo (who still doesn’t get as many plaudits as he deserves) but he’s a wonderfully creative player who has had a super campaign. Among so many candidates at Bournemouth and Forest, I’ve gone for Sels and Ryan Christie because they, like Jorgen Strand Larsen at Wolves, seem like unfashionable players, almost at odds with modern development and recruitment trends.

(Charlie Crowhurst/Getty Images)

Newcastle had a few candidates for this team, not least Fabian Schar, but I’ve gone for Murphy while acknowledging that his excellent form over the past month is in danger of taking him out of that “underrated” category. And Aaron Wan-Bissaka is perfect for this XI because, even in a disappointing West Ham team, he has flourished since leaving Manchester United. It’s a useful reminder that some players perform better away from the harshest spotlight.

Oliver Kay

‘Joao Pedro will be scoring (and creating) goals in the Champions League before too long’

I’ve tried to pick players who are still surprising me — those performing at a level that didn’t think they could reach. And no apologies at all for the bias against the bigger clubs or the dysfunctional tactical setup; my list, my rules.

Dean Henderson and Maxence Lacroix both make it on account of being reclamation projects. Lacroix’s star had dimmed before leaving Wolfsburg, so his revival has been fun. Ditto Henderson, who has looked again like the player he was at Sheffield United. 

Lacroix joined from Bundesliga side Wolfsburg in August (Sebastian Frej/MB Media/Getty Images)

Is Murillo still underrated? Maybe not, but the dimensions of his talent might still be misunderstood. He’s one of the best footballing centre-backs in the league.

Murphy and Anthony Elanga earn their place by virtue of lacking elite glint, but by still producing outrageously good numbers. Nineteen goal involvements for Murphy! Fourteen for Elanga! Neither play for dominant teams, so they’re hardly stat-padders. 

Antoine Semenyo is a marvel. An elegant player, equal parts skill and force, who has made a quantum leap in his career over the past few years. Ditto Morgan Rogers, whose profile is so unusual — he’s so fluid on the ball but seems also to be made of stone.  

Bruno? Because his overall value is underrated. His technical contribution, yes, but his emotional worth to Newcastle is priceless and he is so much more to them than just his role.   

And two forwards: Joao Pedro will be scoring (and creating) goals in the Champions League before much longer, most likely, and Liam Delap will hopefully get the chance next season to prove that he is far more than just a thumping target man. His size is his strength but don’t let that be a distraction from everything else.  

Seb Stafford-Bloor

‘Fifteen Premier League goals is a pretty superb return for Yoane Wissa’

I am not sure how many of these players qualify as underrated, given several of them appear multiple times in our teams across the board, which must mean they are actually pretty rated (Robinson, for example) while others are routinely linked with summer moves, such as Joao Pedro and Semenyo.

Anyway, these are all players who, when I watch them, I tend to think, “Hmm, they are even better than I realised,” so that’s enough for me.

Ibrahima Konate may be an unusual shout in that he is highly established, but Virgil van Dijk tends to receive most of the praise and Konate’s role, often covering for Alexander-Arnold, has been very key to Liverpool’s style.

In midfield, Sasa Lukic has ensured Fulham have hardly missed Joao Palhinha while three Newcastle players I have selected were all at the club in the doldrum days under Steve Bruce but are shining brightly under Eddie Howe.

Up front, 15 Premier League goals is a pretty superb return for Yoane Wissa, who does not get quite the same hype as Mbuemo. And yet Brentford are the only team to have two players among the top 10 scorers in the Premier League.

Adam Crafton

(Top photo: Stu Forster/Getty Images)

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