Premier League Mock Draft 2011

By Neal Hepworth, writing from Middlesbrough

The NFL draft is tonight, for those of you not clued up on your American sports (looking at you, 98% of Europe) the draft is the process by which new players enter the league. The worst team from the previous season picks first and therefore, in theory, has a chance to draft the best young player entering the league at their position of need. It’s a pretty simple idea ensuring that no well managed team will stay in the doldrums for too long, so what if the current crop of teams had an opportunity to take whichever current EPL player they wanted? Do you go with youth and potential? (Hint: I’m inclined to agree with this) or the established superstars who’ll give you something approaching their best for a few more seasons? Do you take a player to build around or someone to compliment who you already have?

Here are my thoughts for you to disagree with, starting at pick number one:

No. 1 - Wayne Rooney, 25 (FW) - West Ham United

Now, I don’t neccessarily think that Rooney is the best player in the Premier League, hell I don’t neccessarily think he’s the best young player, but West Ham have battled issues with finishing and creativity all year. Simply put, would West Ham be bottom of the league if they had Wayne Rooney leading the line? I doubt it.

No. 2 - Cesc Fabregas, 23 (MF) - Wolverhampton Wanderers

Unlike a lot of other teams at the foot of the table Wolves actually have a bunch of good strikers, Doyle, Fletcher and even Ebanks-Blake are all more than capable of putting the ball in the net, so why have Wolves scored the second fewest number of goals in the league this season? Because opposing teams know only Matt Jarvis is capable of creating chances for those leading the line and mark him accordingly. Fabregas, 23, opens the game up in midfield and his 14 assists would prove to be invaluable in leading Wolves to safety.

No. 3 - Andy Carroll, 22 (FW) - Wigan Athletic

I know, completely out of left field. Listen, I know, I hate myself for it a bit too. I did tell you I favoured youth and potential though and Wigan would be a perfect fit for a striker who has the ability to be unplayable when he’s on his game. Wigan are short in quality in midfield but have also scored a league low 34 goals this year, Carroll’s bruising style of play, skill at holding the ball up and shooting ability add an extra level to their attack. His 13 goals in 22 appearances show great promise if you can keep him on the pitch for an entire season.

No. 4 - Vincent Kompany, 25 (DEF) - Blackpool

This one for me is a no brainer, the guy is an absolute machine, up there with the best defenders in the league. He’s versatile to the point where he can play in midfield too, is a leader and rarely out of position. Does any of this ring a bell Blackpool fans? I’d imagine not as it’s rare you’ve seen any of the above in a season that’s seen your team concede a league high 70 goals and keep no clean sheets. There’s plenty of choice here and i couldn’t realistically argue if you’d pick Vidic, my argument would be he’s not as versatile and struggles to stay on the pitch for a full season, vital for a team near the bottom of the league. Nor would I argue if you took Gary Cahill, Roger Johnson, Thomas Vermaelen or even David Luiz. So long as they get a good defender I doubt the Tangerines would care.

No. 5 - Gareth Bale, 21 (MF) - Blackburn Rovers

Your PFA Player of the Year ladies and gentlemen, and how Blackburn could use his creative spark in a team largely bereft of pace and excitement. There’s not much to say here, he demands attention at all times and as he showed in the San Siro more than capable of shredding even a world class defence. His assist numbers need to get better before he’s truly elite but for a squad sorely lacking in true creativity I can’t really think of a better addition. Oh, and he’s only 21.

No. 6 - Carlos Tévez, 27 (FW) - Birmingham City

Birmingham City’s top goalscorer in the EPL this season is Craig Gardner with 7. That sentence alone should be enough for you to understand why Birmingham haven’t scored more than 2 goals in a game this season. They have needs in midfield too, especially given the likely departure of Sebastian Larsson as well as David Bentley and Alexander Hleb returning to their parent clubs at the end of the season, but boy how they could use Tévez’s 22 goals in all competitions.

No. 7 - David Luiz, 24 (DEF) - West Bromwich Albion

Commonly known as the ‘make a decision from the list of defenders Blackpool didn’t take’ pick I plumped for Luiz because of his quality on the ball, youth and ability to score, on top of the solid presence he’d provide for a back four who shipped 64 goals this season. I’d be just as happy to see Thomas Vermaelen here as he brings many of the same qualities, though his injury prone year sees the Brazilian beat him to that coveted West Brom spot (sorry Thomas!).

No. 8 - Pepé Reina, 28 (GK) - Aston Villa

Reina is young for a keeper and already comfortably established as perhaps the best goalkeeper in the Premier League, he has kept 13 clean sheets this season behind a Liverpool back line who suffered a torrid start to the season. By proxy he’d also add confidence to those in front of him, especially on the frequent occasions where young defenders like Ciaran Clark deputise at the back. Joe Hart or Ben Foster are younger so I’d have no issues with Villa taking them either.

No. 9 - Darren Bent, 27 (FW) - Sunderland

His departure to Aston Villa in the January transfer window was an absolute body blow to Sunderland’s aspirations of a comfortable top 10 finish, he was comfortably their top scorer and beginning what seemed to be a blossoming partnership with Asamoah Gyan. Since his departure his former team has won just two games, against Blackpool and Wigan. Whether they’d have him back is, of course, a separate issue.

No. 10 - Samir Nasri, 23 (MF) - Newcastle United

Because nobody actually enjoys seeing Joey Barton pull the strings for a team do they?

No. 11 - Rafael Van Der Vaart, 28 (MF) - Stoke City

You’ll have to excuse how rude I was about Newcastle there, I’m a Middlesbrough fan after all, though I was also so curt because both Newcastle and Stoke have essentially the same problem. They’re comfortable Premier League sides but through the middle of the park they’ve absolutely no creativity whatsoever, they’re both adequate (more than adequate in Stoke’s case) down the flanks and could maybe both use another striker (definitely use another striker in Newcastle’s case), but adding a true attacking midfielder who chips in with equal numbers of goals and assists would be a real boost for either team as they look to push on.

No. 12 - Luis Nani, 24 (MF) - Fulham

The current leader were you to pull up a combined goals and assists table with 9 and 18 respectively Nani has had an outstanding season. He has been by far Manchester United’s most dangerous player and realistically could easily have been voted PFA Player of the Year if only he spent more time on his feet. Has the creativity and pace Fulham sorely lack down the wings whilst contributing more than his fair share of goals too.

No. 13 - Javier 'Chicarito’ Hernández, 22 (FW) - Bolton Wanderers

Given boss Owen Coyle’s propensity for turning young players into stars I’m sure he’ll be glad to receive a nearly fully fledged star to begin with. Having seen what Daniel Sturridge has done since his loan move (7 goals in 9 games) a young striker is a no brainer for what is quickly becoming one of the more competitive small market teams in the Premier League; 'the new Everton’ as  heard it put the other day. Hernández has had a remarkable season in front of goal for the Red Devils, scoring 12 goals in a debut season which saw him displace top scorer Dimitar Berbatov for many of their more crucial matches. Adds pace and flair to an otherwise one dimensional front line Hernández has all the tools to perform just as well as current fan favourite Sturridge.

No. 14 - Didier Drogba, 33 (FW) - Everton

It seems slightly unfair to say Bolton Wanderers are 'the new Everton’ given that the 'old Everton’, erm, Everton continue to tread water as the Premier League’s 'what if’ merchants. They’re a team loaded with talent but always seem to lack that extra one or two players to get them over the hump (for you basketball fans they’re essentially the Denver Nuggets). Drogba is the perfect striker to add to their skill set, good with the ball at his feet when fed by Arteta, powerful in the air for Baines crosses. Maybe Everton should consider it if Chelsea sell him this summer, and y'know, if they find a suitcase of money to pay for him.

No. 15 - Luis Suárez, 24 (FW) - Liverpool

Exactly what Liverpool needed to get over the Fernando Torres era, fantastic feet, goalscoring ability and already beginning to establish himself as a superstar. I expect big things from him and can’t see why Liverpool wouldn’t have him back with this pick.

No. 16 - Dimitar Berbatov, 30 (FW) - Tottenham Hotspur

I’m clearly holding a soft spot for players returning to old clubs, Bent and now Berbatov find their way back to the clubs where they arguably played their greatest seasons. In Berbatov Spurs find the answer to their goalscoring question, which is odd because 'goalscoring’ isn’t actually a question. All joking aside they’ve had problems finding the net all season with their strikers combining for just 14 Premier League goals. With all the talk about the Bulgarian striker leaving Manchester United come the end of the season he’d be the perfect antidote to their scoring troubles.

No. 17 - Nemanja Vidic, 29 (DEF) - Manchester City

When fit he’s the best defender in the world bar none, a perfect replacement for Kolo Touré who continues his suspension for a positive drug test. Vidic would shore up a defence who (barring the aforementioned Vincent Kompany) have seen a bit of a revolving door at centre back this season giving them the world class pairing they need to compete among the world’s elite.

No. 18 - Yaya Touré, 27 (MF) - Arsenal

I honestly could have picked 4 or 5 positions to deal with for Arsenal here, centre back, goalkeeper and centre forward all need major work instead i’ve got Le Professeur finally doing the sensible thing and picking a combative defensive midfielder to finally replace Patrick Viera. Arsenal are soft. I know it’s been said a thousand times but it doesn’t make it any less true, Touré would bring strength and grit to the Gunners midfield providing the cover needed for Fabregas and Nasri to push forward free of the fear of being caught on the counter.

No. 19 - Fernando Torres, 27 (FW) - Chelsea

Only joking folks…

No. 19 - Jack Wilshere, 19 (MF) - Chelsea

He was originally going to be the first pick, and to be honest I’m still not sure he shouldn’t have been, even though West Ham don’t have quite as much need at his position. Quite honestly the best young player in the league with the potential to be something truly spectacular, the future of England’s midfield and about to tear his knee to shreds in the next game after all this praise i’m giving him. Frank Lampard has suffered with injuries this season and is the wrong side of 30. I can’t think of a better player to replace him as Chelsea’s attacking pulse.

No. 20 - Ben Foster, 28 (GK) - Manchester United

For a team on the cusp of such a successful season the Red Devils have a surprising number of needs in a squad battling age and occasional inconsistency (making the job Sir Alex Ferguson has done this year all the more astounding). They have a lack of depth in central midfield but with Edwin Van Sar on the cusp of retirement arguably their biggest need is a goalkeeper. It surprises me that Sir Alex didn’t manage to convince Foster to stay one more season on the bench rather than sell him to Birmingham given his obvious quality. Maybe he thinks he can get better quality on the open market, if he end up with Atletico Madrid’s David de Gea he may well be right. Regardless of that Foster has been in outstanding form for Birmingham this year, leading the Blues to Carling Cup Final success and playing maybe a larger role than anyone in keeping them away from the foot of the table. It’d be nice to see what he could do given a full season at United.

Well there you have it folks, feel free to weigh in on who should’ve taken who elsewhere or if I got your team’s pressing needs completely wrong.