Football League Gems Set to Shine in Next Year's English Premiership

Michael Kightly
Kightly’s astronomic rise from non-league to Wolves has been the stuff of most boy’s dreams. Plying his trade with Conference side Gray’s Athletic, he was plucked from obscurity by the Midlands outfit who paid a nominal fee for the flying winger on New Year’s Day, 2007. His impact was immediate, finishing runner-up for the fans’ player of the year, despite only joining on loan in November. Scoring 6 goals in his first season, he was linked with Old Trafford and selected for England under-21s over the following summer. Despite a niggling injury that has hampered his season, he has still managed to score 5 goals and provide a strong creative outlet for the rest of the team. A great prospect at 22 and almost assured of a future place in the Premiership.

Joe Garner
Having been allowed to leave by Blackburn Rovers, the club he learned his trade as an apprentice, the 19 year old striker left for Carlisle United on loan in January 2007 and has never looked back. Having netted five times in his first half-season, Carlisle splashed out £140,000 on the hot prospect, who has repaid their faith with 14 goals in a season cut short by an injury in February. A naturally gifted goalscorer with a knack of scoring at crucial times, including a winner against Leeds United, Garner’s potential could see him rise rapidly through the leagues.

Kris Commons
A fleeting winger with an incredible left foot, Commons has been struggling with an allegiance to boyhood heroes Nottingham Forest and a desire to play at a higher level. A huge threat cutting in and a shot that is feared across League One has placed him firmly on the radar of many Championship and Premiership clubs for a while now. Resisting the overtures, the ‘Ryan Giggs of League One’ signed an extension to his contract in the summer of 2007, but should Forest fail to win promotion, we might be seeing the dead-ball specialist plying his trade in the second or even first tier come August.

Aaron Ramsey
The Cardiff midfielder has had a host of top Premiership clubs battering his door down following the Bluebirds astonishing FA Cup run this year. At only 17, Ramsey has bags of time to go with his already apparent talent. With Champion’s League teams sniffing around the Caerphillly-born wonderkid, it is almost inevitable that we will be seeing Ramsey in the top flight sooner rather than later.