Premier League Youngsters to Watch This Season

The Premier League’s new season is almost here, and with it comes the usual noise about big-money signings and title talk. But tucked beneath the headlines is the heartbeat of the league: teenagers and unknowns trying to turn pre-season cameos into careers.

Last year it was Max Dowman, the 16-year-old who burst into Arsenal’s first team from nowhere. This time, the queue of hopefuls is longer, the stakes even higher.

Below are the youngsters who could force their way into the conversation before Christmas.

Arsenal – Marli Salmon, 16, centre-back

Arsenal’s back line is one of the most settled in the division, yet a 16-year-old has quietly elbowed his way into the picture.

Marli Salmon started out as an attacker and now looks every inch a modern centre-back: composed, aggressive in the air, and brave enough to carry the ball through the lines. He can also slot in at right-back, a versatility Mikel Arteta values.

Dislodging the Gabriel Magalhães–William Saliba pairing is a monumental task. But Salmon’s calm pre-season displays have pushed him into contention for cup ties and late Premier League cameos. At 16, that’s already a statement.

Aston Villa – Brian Madjo, 17, centre-forward

Ollie Watkins is still on his post-World Cup break. Brian Madjo has used that gap to make himself impossible to ignore.

Born in London, raised in Luxembourg, capped by two countries at youth level, Madjo is already well-travelled. At 6-foot-3, he offers power and presence, but he doesn’t lumber around; he presses, runs channels and stretches defences as much as he holds the ball up.

Signed from Metz for around £10 million in January, he hit four goals in pre-season and started against Bayern Munich. Watkins will return as first choice, but Unai Emery now knows he has a teenager capable of carrying the frontline if needed.

Bournemouth – Malcolm Dacosta, 18, defensive midfielder

Bournemouth’s academy named Malcolm Dacosta their 2025-26 Player of the Year. That was the warning shot.

At 6-foot-3, he looks like a classic holding midfielder, yet he plays with far more range. The Ecuador youth international covers ground, tackles cleanly, drives forward with the ball and carries a threat from distance. He spent last summer on the first-team bench and has impressed new manager Marco Rose this time around.

He even chipped in with a goal in Bournemouth’s eye-catching 10-1 pre-season win over Genoa. For a side that often has to fight without the ball, Dacosta’s blend of height, mobility and bite could be invaluable.

Brentford – Benjamin Fredrick, 21, centre-back

Benjamin Fredrick arrives at Brentford with more senior experience than most academy promotions.

Fifteen top-flight appearances on loan at Dender in Belgium and a fast-track into the Nigeria national team – including five 2026 World Cup qualifiers – have hardened him. He’s quick, front-footed and can operate either centrally or at right-back, comfortable defending big spaces and strong in the air.

Thomas Frank likes defenders who can live high up the pitch and cope one-v-one. Fredrick ticks those boxes and looks primed for a first-team debut sooner rather than later.

Brighton & Hove Albion – Zadok Yohanna, 19, attacking midfielder

Brighton have made a habit of spotting the next big thing before everyone else. Zadok Yohanna might be their boldest bet yet.

Twelve months ago he was in Nigeria. Then came AIK, a debut in Sweden’s Allsvenskan, a first start days later, a first goal in March and a Nigeria call-up by May before a hamstring injury intervened. Now, after Brighton smashed the Swedish transfer record with a €25 million deal, he lands in the Premier League.

Yohanna is electric in one-on-one situations. His acceleration and close control turned him into one of the most dangerous dribblers in Sweden, regularly completing double figures in successful take-ons in single games. His decision-making still needs polish, but the raw material is explosive. Autumn minutes at the Amex feel inevitable.

Chelsea – Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli, 16, central midfielder

Chelsea’s academy rarely sleeps, and Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli is its latest prodigy.

Born in Sydney but raised a stone’s throw from Cobham, he has been at the club since under-8 level. Last season he became Chelsea’s youngest-ever UEFA Youth League starter and scorer, a double milestone that underlined his maturity.

Comfortable in multiple central roles, Nicoll-Jazuli combines physical presence with an assured temperament. New head coach Xabi Alonso took him on the pre-season tour of Asia and trusted him to start alongside Moisés Caicedo against Juventus in Hong Kong. For a 16-year-old midfielder, that’s not a token gesture. It’s a sign the door is half open.

Coventry City – Carlo Yirenkyi, 20, central midfielder

Coventry’s return to the Premier League comes with a bold centrepiece: Carlo Yirenkyi.

A graduate of Ghana’s Right to Dream Academy – the same pathway that produced Mohammed Kudus – Yirenkyi has spent the last two seasons at Nordsjælland, where he was named the Danish Superliga’s Young Player of the Season. He plays like he’s got a battery that never runs down: box-to-box, snapping into tackles, then surging into the final third.

He also has a taste for the dramatic. Yirenkyi 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 this summer. They haven’t signed a prospect; they’ve signed a ready-made engine.

Crystal Palace – Joél Drakes-Thomas, 17, attacking midfielder

Crystal Palace know how to nurture wide players, and Joél Drakes-Thomas looks next in line.

At the club since the age of six, he is a direct, fearless winger who can also operate as an attacking wing-back. He thrives on isolating full-backs, driving at them with pace, yet he doesn’t neglect his defensive work.

Last season he dazzled on his senior debut in the Conference League against KuPS, then became Palace’s youngest-ever Premier League player days later at Leeds. He also helped the U18s lift the Premier League Cup and signed his first professional deal in July. Selhurst Park crowds love a homegrown winger who runs at defenders. Drakes-Thomas fits the brief perfectly.

Everton – Braiden Graham, 18, forward

At 15, Braiden Graham became Linfield’s youngest-ever player in the Irish top flight. That tells you how early he started living with senior pressure.

Everton brought him over and watched him rack up 21 goals at youth level last season, form that earned him a first Northern Ireland call-up. He’s a nimble, mobile forward who can drift in from the left or play through the middle, with a sharp eye for goal.

He has trained with Sean Dyche’s first team throughout pre-season. For a club that has often needed goals from unexpected places, Graham’s pathway to senior minutes this year looks realistic.

Fulham – César Palacios, 21, central midfielder

César Palacios has already felt how cruel football can be.

Seven minutes into his first senior appearance for Real Madrid – a 2024 pre-season friendly against AC Milan – he tore his ACL. Many careers stall there. Palacios came back and scored 14 goals from central midfield for Castilla last season, timing his late bursts into the box with real menace.

Fulham paid €10 million to bring him to London, reuniting him with Álvaro Arbeloa, his former Castilla coach and now the man in charge at Craven Cottage. If Palacios can translate his B-team scoring touch to the Premier League, Fulham will have unearthed a rare weapon from deep.

Hull City – Jens Hjertø-Dahl, 20, central midfielder

Jens Hjertø-Dahl grew up studying Sergio Busquets, but his numbers belong to someone far more ruthless in front of goal.

The 6-foot-4 Norwegian often drops deep to dictate play, calm on the ball and always available for the first pass. Yet he frequently pushes higher, making late runs into the box. Last season, for Tromsø, he scored seven goals in 14 league matches – a return Busquets never came close to over more than 700 games.

Hull paid around €9.3 million to sign him this summer. Working out his best position may take time, but one thing is obvious: you want him on the ball in the final third.

Ipswich Town – Sindre Walle Egeli, 20, attacking midfielder

Ipswich broke the Championship transfer record to sign Sindre Walle Egeli for £17.5 million. The first year didn’t quite match the fee.

Four goals in the Championship is a modest return, yet the talent is clear. A right winger with a cultured left foot, Walle Egeli loves to cut inside, bending shots toward the far corner or whipping in-swinging crosses and threaded passes through defensive lines.

Now he steps into the Premier League with a season of English football behind him. If he adjusts to the pace and physicality, this could be the campaign where that record fee starts to make sense.

Leeds United – Alfie Cresswell, 19, defensive midfielder

The Cresswell name is already etched into Leeds’ history. Alfie is trying to carve out his own chapter.

Brother Charlie came through the Leeds academy before heading to Ligue 1 in 2024. Their father, Richard, led the line at Elland Road between 2005 and 2007. Alfie, 19, has switched from centre-back to holding midfield, bringing with him strong duelling skills and positional discipline.

His passing has improved, but his biggest hurdle is opportunity. Daniel Farke leaned heavily on experienced players to keep Leeds up last season. Whether he trusts the academy more this time could define Cresswell’s immediate future.

Liverpool – Trey Nyoni, 19, central midfielder

Trey Nyoni has been hovering on the edge of Liverpool’s first team for two seasons, waiting for his moment. This summer, he might have seized it.

Signed from Leicester City at 16, he made six Premier League appearances last term, mostly in the shadows. On the club’s pre-season tour of the United States, he stepped into the spotlight. Nyoni dictated tempo, sprayed passes across the pitch and slotted seamlessly into Andoni Iraola’s structure.

Those performances came while Alexis Mac Allister enjoyed a post-World Cup break, but they have sparked a debate among supporters: could Nyoni start alongside Ryan Gravenberch when the season kicks off? He has done everything possible to make the case.

Manchester City – Jeremy Monga, 17, attacking midfielder

Jeremy Monga arrives at Manchester City with a CV that would be impressive for a 21-year-old, never mind a teenager.

At 16 years and 34 days, he became Leicester’s youngest-ever starter, breaking Peter Shilton’s long-standing record. Days later, he overtook Jude Bellingham as the Championship’s youngest goalscorer. Operating mainly from the left, he terrorised right-backs, constantly driving at them.

No player in the Championship attempted more take-ons last season than Monga’s 6.5 per 90 minutes. Now he joins City in a £10 million move. Breaking into Pep Guardiola’s side is notoriously difficult, but the raw one-v-one talent is undeniable.

Manchester United – J.J. Gabriel, 15, forward

Some players look too good for their age group. J.J. Gabriel made the entire concept of age groups look redundant.

At 15, he scored 23 goals in 23 U18 Premier League games against opponents up to three years older. He collected the league’s inaugural U18 Player of the Season award and became the youngest ever winner of Manchester United’s prestigious Jimmy Murphy award.

Gabriel can operate wide or as a false No. 9, with blistering acceleration, balance and a ruthless finish. If he makes his first-team debut before Oct. 25, he will break a 70-year-old club record as United’s youngest-ever player, surpassing David Gaskell’s mark of 16 years and 19 days set in the 1956 Charity Shield. The talent is already there; the only question is timing.

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.

The 18-year-old made 26 appearances for Ajax last season before Newcastle paid up to €27 million to bring him to Tyneside. Two-footed and technically sharp, he can sit in front of the defence or push higher, always showing a velvet first touch and a clean passing range.

His off-the-ball positioning still needs refining, but pre-season has been encouraging. New manager Matthias Jaissle may decide the best way to fix a broken midfield is to trust the teenager at its heart.

Nottingham Forest – Zach Abbott, 20, centre-back

Zach Abbott already knows what it feels like to walk into a storm.

He started Nottingham Forest’s FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City in April 2025, a baptism of fire for any young defender. Last season brought three Premier League outings and some Europa League minutes, a gradual build rather than a sudden leap.

Abbott is composed, physically strong and reads danger well, stepping out of the back line with confidence when in possession. With Oliver Glasner favouring a back three, there’s a clear route for Abbott to become a regular starter. Forest need defenders who can both defend space and play; he offers both.

Sunderland – Timur Tutierov, 21, attacking midfielder

Timur Tutierov’s Sunderland story almost ended before it began.

Signed from Kolos Kovalivka in 2023, he had to wait until a loan to Exeter City last season for his first sustained run in senior football. Three goals in 17 League One games hinted at his potential. A versatile attacker, he can play anywhere across the front line but looks most dangerous when driving at defenders or sprinting in behind.

This summer he was a candidate to move on again. Then came pre-season, and goals against York City and Liverpool. Sunderland responded with a new contract through 2028. That sort of faith usually comes with a promise of opportunity.

Tottenham Hotspur – Luca Williams-Barnett, 17, attacking midfielder

Tottenham’s academy has been busy retooling the club’s identity, and Luca Williams-Barnett is one of the brightest products of that work.

An attacking midfielder with sharp movement between the lines, he thrives on quick combinations and late bursts into the box. His technical quality fits the possession-heavy style Spurs are trying to cement, and his energy without the ball gives coaches tactical flexibility in pressing schemes.

He is still waiting for a true breakthrough at senior level, but the path is there. In a squad that has leaned on youth in recent seasons, Williams-Barnett is edging closer to the moment when his name stops being one for the future and starts appearing on Premier League team sheets.

The names are different, the stories unique, but the stakes are shared. For these young players, the coming months are not just another season; they are a window. Some will drift back into the shadows. Others will seize the chance and force their way into the Premier League’s weekly drama.

Which of them will still be starting when the season reaches its sharp end?