Premier League Young Talents to Watch This Season
The new Premier League season is close enough to touch. The big names will dominate the billboards and headlines, but, as ever, the real intrigue sits a little further down the squad lists. Last year it was Arsenal’s 16-year-old Max Dowman who came from nowhere. This time, a new wave is forming — taller, quicker, more global than ever — and several teenagers are already knocking loudly on the door.
Below is a club-by-club look at the youngsters who could turn from academy whispers into Premier League storylines over the coming months.
Arsenal – Marli Salmon, 16, centre-back
Arsenal’s back line is one of the toughest clubs in town to break into. Gabriel Magalhães and William Saliba are entrenched, battle-tested, and barely put a foot wrong last season. Into that fortress walks Marli Salmon.
Converted from attacker to centre-back in his youth, he now plays like someone who understands what forwards hate. He reads danger early, steps in front of strikers with real conviction and competes hard in the air. When he wins it, he doesn’t just clear his lines; he’s happy to dribble out, to carry Arsenal up the pitch, and he can slide over to right-back when needed.
The Gabriel–Saliba axis will not be broken lightly. But Salmon’s calm preseason and his ability to cover multiple roles make him a prime candidate for cup minutes and late Premier League cameos.
Aston Villa – Brian Madjo, 17, centre-forward
Aston Villa have quietly added a very modern No. 9. Brian Madjo, London-born but raised in Luxembourg, has already played senior international football for the country of his upbringing before switching to England’s youth ranks.
At 6-foot-3, he is a handful. Powerful, mobile, happy to press, and just as willing to dart in behind as he is to act as a target man. Villa spent around £10 million to bring him in from Metz in January, and his four preseason goals — capped by a start against Bayern Munich — show he isn’t there just to make up the numbers.
Ollie Watkins will walk back into the team when his post-World Cup break ends. Until then, Madjo has the stage, and he has made sure Unai Emery has a decision to make.
Bournemouth – Malcolm Dacosta, 18, defensive midfielder
Bournemouth’s academy Player of the Year in 2025-26 is hard to miss. Malcolm Dacosta stands 6-foot-3, but he doesn’t move like a lumbering holding player. The Ecuador youth international covers ground, bites into duels, drives forward on the ball and carries a genuine long-range threat.
He spent last summer flirting with the first team, often on the bench, and has reportedly caught the eye of new manager Marco Rose. His preseason included a goal in a 10-1 demolition of Genoa — a scoreline that will be remembered for its absurdity, but also for the sight of Dacosta stepping into the action with authority.
Bournemouth have been crying out for midfield presence. Dacosta looks ready to supply it.
Brentford – Benjamin Fredrick, 21, centre-back
Brentford rarely rush their prospects, but Benjamin Fredrick arrives with something most young defenders lack: real senior mileage. Fifteen games in the Belgian top flight with Dender and a place in the Nigeria squad, including five appearances in 2026 World Cup qualifiers, have hardened him quickly.
He is quick, aggressive and comfortable in big spaces, whether at centre-back or right-back. Strong in the air, confident on the front foot, he fits the Brentford model of defenders who defend high and don’t panic when isolated.
He looks set for a first-team debut. Given his experience, it may not be long before he looks like he has been there for years.
Brighton & Hove Albion – Zadok Yohanna, 19, attacking midfielder
Brighton have turned the transfer market into a talent hunt, and Zadok Yohanna is their latest high-stakes bet. A year ago he was in Nigeria. Then came AIK, a debut in Sweden’s Allsvenskan, a first start within days, a first goal by March and a Nigeria call-up by May, only for a hamstring injury to halt that rise.
This summer Brighton broke the Swedish transfer record to land him for €25 million. That fee buys pure chaos in one-on-one situations. Yohanna’s acceleration and close control shredded full-backs in Sweden; in several games he completed more than 10 successful dribbles, numbers that jump off the page in any league.
He is raw. Decision-making will need sharpening. But the raw material is electric, and Brighton have built an entire project on polishing exactly this type of player. An autumn impact would surprise nobody.
Chelsea – Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli, 16, central midfielder
Chelsea’s Cobham conveyor belt keeps whirring, and Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli is its latest prodigy. Born in Sydney but raised a short drive from the training ground, he has been on the club’s books since under-8 level and already owns a slice of history: the club’s youngest UEFA Youth League starter and its youngest scorer in the competition.
He can sit deep, roam box-to-box or push higher. Wherever he plays, his composure and physical maturity stand out. New manager Xabi Alonso clearly likes what he sees — Nicoll-Jazuli travelled on the preseason tour of Asia and started alongside Moisés Caicedo against Juventus in Hong Kong.
At 16, he is unlikely to be a weekly Premier League starter. But Chelsea don’t put teenagers next to Caicedo in preseason by accident.
Coventry City – Carlo Yirenkyi, 20, central midfielder
Coventry’s return to the Premier League has been built on smart recruitment, and Carlo Yirenkyi fits that blueprint. A product of Ghana’s Right to Dream Academy — the same pipeline that produced Tottenham winger Mohammed Kudus — he has spent the past two seasons at Nordsjælland, where he was named the Danish Superliga’s Young Player of the Season.
He is relentless. A box-to-box runner, an aggressive ball-winner, and a midfielder who doesn’t just destroy but drives forward to influence attacks. On the biggest stage of all, he started Ghana’s World Cup opener against Panama and scored a 95th-minute winner.
Coventry paid a club-record £23 million to bring him in. That is not a speculative punt; it is a statement that he is expected to anchor their survival bid.
Crystal Palace – Joél Drakes-Thomas, 17, attacking midfielder
Crystal Palace know how to nurture wide players, and Joél Drakes-Thomas is next in line. At the club since the age of six, he is fast, direct and fearless, operating either as a right winger or an attacking wing-back.
He lives to take on defenders, but he doesn’t ignore the other side of the game. His senior debut against KuPS in the Conference League was outstanding, and days later he became Palace’s youngest-ever Premier League player away at Leeds. Add an U18 Premier League Cup win and a first professional contract signed in July, and the trajectory is clear.
The path from the academy to Selhurst Park’s first team is well-trodden. Drakes-Thomas looks ready to follow it.
Everton – Braiden Graham, 18, forward
Braiden Graham’s story began with a record. At 15, he became Linfield’s youngest-ever player in the Irish top flight. Everton moved quickly to bring him over, and he has quietly gone about justifying their faith.
He is a versatile forward who can operate centrally or from the left. Mobile, nimble, with a sharp eye for goal, he scored 21 times at youth level last season and earned a first senior call-up for Northern Ireland. Preseason has been spent training with the Everton first team, not watching from a distance.
For a club in need of goals and energy, the leap to senior minutes no longer feels far-fetched.
Fulham – César Palacios, 21, central midfielder
César Palacios has already lived the highs and lows. Seven minutes into his first senior appearance for Real Madrid — a preseason friendly against AC Milan in 2024 — he tore his ACL. Lesser careers have never recovered from such a start.
He did. Back with Castilla, Madrid’s B team, he hit 14 goals from midfield last season, timing late runs into the box with the instinct of a seasoned No. 8. Fulham paid €10 million to sign him this summer and reunited him with Álvaro Arbeloa, his former Castilla coach and now the man in charge at Craven Cottage.
The relationship is there, the trust is there, and Fulham have bought a midfielder who knows exactly when to arrive in the box.
Hull City – Jens Hjertø-Dahl, 20, central midfielder
Hull have picked up a 6-foot-4 disciple of Sergio Busquets — but one who loves scoring goals. Jens Hjertø-Dahl grew up modelling his game on the Barcelona legend, dropping deep to receive the ball, staying calm under pressure and knitting play together. Yet he often plays higher, as an attacking midfielder, where his late bursts into the box become a real weapon.
The contrast with Busquets is stark in front of goal. Busquets has managed 19 goals in over 700 games; Hjertø-Dahl hit seven in 14 league matches for Tromsø last season. Hull paid around €9.3 million to secure him, and the main question now is where exactly to use him.
Wherever he starts, Hull will want the ball at his feet in the final third as often as possible.
Ipswich Town – Sindre Walle Egeli, 20, attacking midfielder
Ipswich shattered the Championship transfer record last summer to land Sindre Walle Egeli for £17.5 million. The Norwegian right winger did not explode immediately — four goals in his debut season in England felt modest given the price tag — but there were flashes of why the club pushed so hard.
He carries a cultured left foot, cutting in from the right to curl shots toward the far corner, whip in-swinging crosses and slide passes through tight gaps. The raw tools are there; now comes the real test.
His second season in England doubles as his first in the Premier League. For a player of his profile, that is the perfect stage to show why Ipswich broke their own ceiling to sign him.
Leeds United – Alfie Cresswell, 19, defensive midfielder
At Leeds, the Cresswell name already carries weight. Alfie’s brother, Charlie, came through the academy as a centre-back before moving to Ligue 1 in 2024. Their father, Richard, led the line at Elland Road between 2005 and 2007.
Now it’s Alfie’s turn. Initially a centre-back, he has been converted into a holding midfielder, and the defensive instincts have carried over. He duels well, reads the game and holds his position, while improving steadily in possession.
His challenge is opportunity. Daniel Farke leaned heavily on senior players to keep Leeds in the Premier League last season. Whether he is willing to trust a teenage holding midfielder in a survival fight is the question that will define Cresswell’s year.
Liverpool – Trey Nyoni, 19, central midfielder
Liverpool have been waiting for a midfielder to grab a place from within. Trey Nyoni might just be that player. Signed from Leicester City at 16, he has hovered on the fringes at Anfield, making six Premier League appearances last season without truly breaking through.
On the club’s preseason tour of the United States, that changed. Nyoni dictated Liverpool’s tempo, showed off a passing range that stretched the pitch and looked tactically comfortable in multiple roles. All this while Alexis Mac Allister was still on a post-World Cup break.
Supporters have noticed. Some are already calling for Nyoni to start alongside Ryan Gravenberch when the season opens. For new manager Andoni Iraola, the teenager has made the decision anything but straightforward.
Manchester City – Jeremy Monga, 17, attacking midfielder
Jeremy Monga arrives at Manchester City with a record book already bearing his name. Two years ago, at 16 years and 34 days, he became Leicester’s youngest-ever starter, surpassing Peter Shilton’s 59-year-old mark. Days later he took Jude Bellingham’s record as the Championship’s youngest goalscorer.
Operating mainly off the left, he tormented right-backs last season. No player in the Championship attempted more take-ons than Monga — 6.5 per 90 minutes — as he repeatedly drove at his marker, beat them and went again.
City have paid £10 million to bring that fearless dribbling to the Etihad. Breaking into Pep Guardiola’s side is another challenge entirely, but Monga has already shown he does not scare easily.
Manchester United – J.J. Gabriel, 15, forward
Some prospects dominate their age group. J.J. Gabriel has been dominating everyone else’s. Last season he scored 23 goals in 23 U18 Premier League matches, often against players three years older. He took home the league’s inaugural U18 Player of the Season award and, at 15, became the youngest winner of Manchester United’s prestigious Jimmy Murphy award.
He can play wide or as a false No. 9, and his game is built on acceleration, agility, balance and ruthless finishing. The raw numbers are absurd; the eye test backs them up.
Will he play for United’s first team this season? That remains unclear. If he does so before Oct. 25, he will break a 70-year-old club record and become their youngest-ever player, surpassing David Gaskell’s mark of 16 years and 19 days set in the 1956 Charity Shield. The clock is ticking.
Newcastle United – Sean Steur, 18, central midfielder
Newcastle’s midfield has been ripped apart. Sandro Tonali has gone to Tottenham, Bruno Guimarães to Arsenal. Into that void steps Sean Steur, a teenager with a cultured touch and a growing reputation.
He made 26 appearances for Ajax last season before Newcastle struck a deal worth up to €27 million. Two-footed, capable of anchoring the midfield or playing slightly higher, he boasts a sharp first touch and crisp passing. Without the ball, his positioning still needs refinement, but his preseason performances have impressed new manager Matthias Jaissle.
With the engine room so depleted, Steur is not just a prospect. He is a genuine candidate to start from day one.
Nottingham Forest – Zach Abbott, 20, centre-back
Zach Abbott has already tasted a big occasion. He started Nottingham Forest’s FA Cup semifinal against Manchester City in April 2025, an experience that would have exposed any nerves or flaws. He survived it and has since added three Premier League outings and Europa League minutes to his CV.
He is composed, physically strong and reads danger well. On the ball, he is confident enough to step out from the back and break lines. That profile fits neatly with new manager Oliver Glasner, who favours a back three.
In such a system, there is room for a young centre-back to grow. Abbott will know this might be his moment.
Sunderland – Timur Tutierov, 21, attacking midfielder
Timur Tutierov’s Sunderland career has taken the scenic route. Signed from Kolos Kovalivka in Ukraine in 2023, he had to wait until a loan move to Exeter City in League One last season for his first extended run of senior football. Three goals in 17 games there hinted at his potential.
He is a flexible attacker, comfortable across the front line but most dangerous when driving at defenders or sprinting in behind. This summer he could easily have been moved on again.
Instead, preseason goals against York City and Liverpool changed the conversation. Sunderland rewarded him with a new contract until 2028, a clear sign they see him as part of their long-term attacking plan.
Tottenham Hotspur – Luca Williams-Barnett, 17, attacking midfielder
Tottenham’s production line of creative talent has another name to add. Luca Williams-Barnett, just 17, is emerging as the latest attacking midfielder to catch the eye in north London.
His role is still being shaped, his senior experience still to come, but the club’s faith in his development is clear. In a squad that has already been reshaped under a new era, he stands as one of the next in line, waiting for his first real crack at Premier League football.
The new season will be sold on the superstars. But somewhere between the bench and the training pitch, these young players are sharpening their studs and studying the fixture list, knowing one injury, one suspension, one brave managerial decision could change everything. Which of them will still be in the team sheet when the nights turn cold and the title race tightens?
