Freddie Draper
Maybe this pick is vibe-based. Maybe this pick is my heart leading my head, because I love Freddie Draper. He’s one of our own, coming through the latter stages of the academy, with a redemption story that arcs to the present day. Praised highly by one manager, another cast him aside without a thought, and Freddie went off and proved that manager wrong. He came back, had an average season, and then last time out, began to look the real deal. He’s only 21, and he has 168 senior appearances, with 35 goals. At 21.
Two games stand out for me. Luton Town away, and Bradford City at home. Two teams around the top of the table, both unable to do anything with this old-school centre forward in a young man’s body. He bumps, and he battles, he wins headers, commits fouls and is a complete and utter nuisance. He is only going to get better with experience, and I would genuinely feel comfortable throwing him in against (for instance) Lisav Eissat, new to the Championship, having come from Israel. He’s not going to have seen a player quite like Draper before, and some will find him tough to handle.
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