Boubacar Kamara

Kamara's record is the kind that does not fit neatly into a trophy cabinet. A free-transfer arrival who walked straight into a Premier League starting XI and stayed there is a genuinely rare outcome, and the fact that Villa paid nothing for him makes the value case almost impossible to argue against. More than 80 Ligue 1 appearances before his 23rd birthday, then 24 Premier League starts in his first English season, then a permanent place in a side pushing for European football. He has been singled out for dominating direct midfield duels against some of the league's most expensive players. The recognition he gets is peer-level and analyst-level rather than ceremonial, which for a defensive midfielder is its own kind of distinction.