8. Nathaniel Chalobah - Chelsea
Nationality: English Position: DMC/DC/MC The New: Michael Essien Long considered a massive emerging talent, Chalobah proved last season as part of Watford's mostly temporary Championship squad that he has what it takes to translate his potential into performances, thanks to enough strong performances for Gianfranco Zola's surprising package to make him one of the stand out players in the division last term. One of his strongest assets is his versatility, since he can play in defensive midfield as well as at centre-half, which makes him more comfortable on the ball than your usual ball-winning defenders, and more able to link up with midfield. The Englishman has been at Chelsea since he was very young, playing for the academy and moving closer to the first team with every progressive year, but Chelsea's available money and limited opportunities in the first team saw him head out on loan last year, and he proved that he may be a genuinely viable option for Chelsea within the next few years if they look to bring some more youth talent on. He has again moved out on loan this season, to Nottingham Forest, and after a strong rating last year in FM 13, Chalobah should once again be one of the best young defensive options in the English game, though of course, he will probably take some prizing away from Chelsea, unless they start to invest in ready-made first team defenders, or let him leave on loan again in 2014/15.