Deji Elerewe
The biggest individual surprise for me, though, has been Deji. He was on the fringes last season, contributing without becoming somebody we automatically expected to see in the starting XI. Again, there are caveats: he was a new player coming into an established squad, and that’s difficult. There were encouraging appearances, including at Huddersfield, and others where he found things more difficult, such as when he came on against Wimbledon at home. Given his limited involvement during that period, he has effectively gone from regular League Two football to the Championship with only a relatively brief League One introduction in between.
Had you asked me before the Derby game to choose our strongest back three, I would probably have included Andrei Coubiș, Sonny Bradley and potentially Tom Hamer. Ryley Towler would have been in the discussion as well, with Deji perhaps competing for the opportunities that followed. There was also uncertainty about whether we might use a back four, which would have reduced the number of centre-halves required. Whatever the formation, I wouldn’t have confidently predicted that Deji would become such an important part of the team so quickly.
He has been an absolute behemoth, looking physically and athletically equipped for everything this division has put in front of him so far. He carries the ball comfortably, wins his headers and has found himself in good positions at the other end, where I think he has been a little unfortunate not to score. More than any individual action, though, it is his overall presence that stands out. He looks conditioned, commanding and in control of what is happening around him, which is remarkable for somebody making this particular jump.
That becomes even more impressive when you consider the other defenders available to us. Andrei has been playing for Romania during the international break, Sonny has extensive experience at this level, Ryley has Championship experience and Tom has already demonstrated what he brings to the side. There is quality throughout that group, and Deji has made himself impossible to leave out. I expected him to be competing for opportunities, but he has quickly become somebody the others have to compete with.
I didn’t watch him regularly at Bromley, but there was certainly a feeling when he signed that we had secured a player with a significant future for a very good price. As I understand it, Charlton had an opportunity to bring him back and didn’t take it, which increasingly looks like our gain. Imagine being the guy who could buy Deji Elerewe for £120,000 aehad of any other club and going ‘nah, we’re good’.
His potential was part of the attraction, but I hadn’t expected him to demonstrate so much of it at Championship level quite this quickly. Of all the individual surprises these opening weeks have provided, his adaptation is probably the one that has pleased me most.
There is still a long season ahead, and none of this means the three of them will avoid difficult spells or have their places guaranteed. What it does show is that players who helped us get here can continue to develop and make substantial contributions at this level. Ben’s effectiveness has endured, Freddie’s improvement has continued and Deji has exceeded what I expected from him at this stage. When you are wondering how a promoted squad will handle a stronger division, those are three very good answers to have.
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