Premier League's Rising Stars: Young Talents to Watch This Season

The Premier League is about to crank back into life, and with it comes the annual question that keeps academies restless and senior pros looking over their shoulders: who’s next?

Last season, Max Dowman burst out of Arsenal’s youth ranks at 16 and forced his way into the conversation. This time, a new crop is pushing at the door — some already on the fringes, others still learning to tie their boots in the first-team dressing room, all of them close enough to taste it.

Below is a club-by-club look at the youngsters who could turn this season on its head.

Arsenal – Marli Salmon, 16, centre-back

Arsenal have spent years building their title-chasing defence around Gabriel Magalhães and William Saliba. Cracking that pairing is a brutal assignment for any teenager, yet Marli Salmon is edging into the frame.

Once a forward, now a centre-back, he plays like someone who has seen the game from both ends. He reads danger early, attacks the ball in the air and is confident enough to dribble out from the back. He can also slot in at right-back, which gives Mikel Arteta another tactical card to play.

He’s not breaking up Saliba and Gabriel any time soon. But after a calm, impressive preseason, Salmon looks primed for cup minutes and late cameos in the league.

Aston Villa – Brian Madjo, 17, centre-forward

Aston Villa already have a talisman in Ollie Watkins. Waiting in the wings is a 6-foot-3 teenager who looks built for the Premier League.

Brian Madjo grew up in Luxembourg, represented their senior national team, then switched allegiance to England’s youth setup. Villa spotted him at Metz and paid around £10 million in January. The fee already looks shrewd. Madjo is powerful, runs the channels, presses with intent and can both threaten in behind and operate as a classic target man.

Four preseason goals and a start against Bayern Munich have underlined his readiness. Watkins’ post-World Cup break has given Madjo a window; now it’s down to the teenager to keep that door open.

Bournemouth – Malcolm Dacosta, 18, defensive midfielder

Malcolm Dacosta doesn’t look like a typical holding midfielder. At 6-foot-3, he towers over most of his peers, yet he covers ground with surprising ease.

The Ecuador youth international is more than a destroyer. He competes fiercely in duels, drives forward on the ball and carries a threat from distance. Named Bournemouth’s 2025-26 Academy Player of the Year, he spent last summer flirting with the first-team bench and has stepped up again under Marco Rose.

In a 10-1 preseason demolition of Genoa, Dacosta didn’t just sit and screen — he joined the fun and scored. That blend of presence and ambition has clearly caught Rose’s eye.

Brentford – Benjamin Fredrick, 21, centre-back

Brentford rarely rush their prospects, but Benjamin Fredrick arrives with a CV that demands attention.

The Nigeria international already has top-flight experience from a loan at Dender in Belgium, plus five World Cup qualifiers under his belt. He is quick, aggressive and can operate both centrally and at right-back. In both roles, he relishes defending big spaces and dominates aerially.

Brentford’s model depends on finding value before everyone else does. Fredrick looks like the next piece of that puzzle.

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

Brighton know exactly what they’re doing in the transfer market. When they break a record, it’s worth listening.

Zadok Yohanna cost the Seagulls a Swedish transfer-record fee of €25 million to prise him from AIK. The Nigerian winger’s rise has been rapid: Allsvenskan debut, first start days later, first goal in March, and a Nigeria call-up by May before a hamstring injury halted his momentum.

On the pitch, Yohanna is a nightmare in one-on-one situations. His acceleration and close control saw him rack up double-digit successful dribbles in multiple games in Sweden. His decision-making still needs polish, but Brighton have built a reputation on refining raw talent. An impact as early as autumn would surprise nobody.

Chelsea – Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli, 16, central midfielder

Chelsea’s academy conveyor belt shows no sign of slowing, and Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli is the latest to step off it and into the spotlight.

Born in Sydney, raised within sight of 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 statement of both trust and talent. Versatile in central midfield, he already carries a striking physical and mental maturity.

New manager Xabi Alonso took him on the club’s preseason tour of Asia and even started him alongside Moisés Caicedo in Hong Kong against Juventus. That’s not a token gesture; it’s a sign that Nicoll-Jazuli is already being treated as part of the senior conversation.

Coventry City – Carlo Yirenkyi, 20, central midfielder

Coventry’s return to the Premier League needed a statement signing. They found one in Carlo Yirenkyi.

The Right to Dream Academy graduate followed the well-trodden path to Nordsjælland, where he was crowned Superliga Young Player of the Season. His game is relentless: a box-to-box engine, aggressive in the tackle, yet capable of driving forward and influencing play in the final third.

On the biggest stage so far, he delivered. Starting Ghana’s World Cup opener against Panama, he scored a 95th-minute winner. Coventry then smashed their transfer record with a £23 million deal. This isn’t a project for later; Yirenkyi is being brought in to shape their midfield now.

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

Crystal Palace have built a reputation for giving fearless young wingers a platform. Joél Drakes-Thomas fits the mould perfectly.

At the club since the age of six, he plays with the swagger of someone who knows every blade of grass at their training ground. Fast and direct, he operates either as a right winger or an attack-minded wing-back, always looking to take on his full-back but without neglecting defensive duties.

His senior debut in the Conference League against KuPS was eye-catching, and he became Palace’s youngest-ever Premier League player days later at Leeds. With an U18 Premier League Cup win and a first professional contract signed in July, he now looks ready to turn cameos into something more substantial.

Everton – Braiden Graham, 18, forward

Everton’s search for goals has often led them abroad. This time, one of the answers may already be in-house.

Braiden Graham became Linfield’s youngest-ever player at 15 in the Irish top flight before moving to Merseyside to continue his development. He is a mobile, nimble forward who can drift in from the left and finish with authority. Twenty-one goals at youth level last season earned him a first Northern Ireland call-up.

He has trained with the first team throughout preseason. In a squad that needs fresh attacking sparks, Graham’s senior debut in English football feels less like a question of if and more a matter of when.

Fulham – César Palacios, 21, central midfielder

César Palacios knows how quickly fortunes can turn.

Seven minutes into his first senior outing for Real Madrid, a preseason friendly against AC Milan in 2024, he tore his ACL. The comeback was long and lonely, but when he returned for Castilla he made up for lost time: 14 goals from central midfield last season, built on perfectly timed late runs into the box.

Fulham moved decisively, paying €10 million to reunite him with Álvaro Arbeloa, his coach at Castilla and now in charge at Craven Cottage. Palacios brings goals from midfield — a priceless commodity in any side trying to punch above its weight.

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

Hull City have signed a 6-foot-4 midfielder who grew up studying Sergio Busquets — then decided he wanted to score as well.

Jens Hjertø-Dahl drops deep to receive the ball, keeps it moving with a calmness that belies his age and times his surges into the box with menace. Where he differs from his idol is the final act: seven goals in 14 league games for Tromsø last season underline his threat.

Hull reportedly paid around €9.3 million to bring him in. His exact role may evolve — holding midfielder, advanced playmaker, something in between — but whatever the position, they will want him on the ball high up the pitch.

Ipswich Town – Sindre Walle Egeli, 20, attacking midfielder

Ipswich broke the Championship transfer record to sign Sindre Walle Egeli last summer. The first act was muted; the second could be explosive.

The Norwegian right winger loves to cut inside onto his left foot, whipping curling shots towards the far corner or bending in-swinging crosses into dangerous areas. Four goals in his debut Championship season was a modest return, but it came during a period of adaptation.

Now, with Ipswich stepping into the Premier League, Walle Egeli has a bigger stage and a full year’s experience behind him. It’s a classic second-season test — and a chance to justify that £17.5 million outlay.

Leeds United – Alfie Cresswell, 19, defensive midfielder

Leeds United is in Alfie Cresswell’s blood. His brother Charlie came through the same academy before heading to Ligue 1; their father Richard led the line at Elland Road between 2005 and 2007.

Alfie’s path is slightly different. A centre-back by trade, he has been converted into a holding midfielder. That background shows: he duels well, reads the game and holds his position with discipline, while steadily improving on the ball.

The challenge is opportunity. Daniel Farke leaned heavily on senior players to keep Leeds up last season. Whether he loosens that grip and trusts the next Cresswell in line will be one of the quieter subplots of their campaign.

Liverpool – Trey Nyoni, 19, central midfielder

For two seasons, Trey Nyoni has hovered on the edge at Liverpool, waiting for the right manager and the right moment. Both may have arrived.

Signed from Leicester City at 16, Nyoni made six Premier League appearances last term, but it was this summer’s tour of the United States that changed the conversation. He dictated tempo, sprayed passes with confidence and slotted seamlessly into Andoni Iraola’s structure.

Those displays came while Alexis Mac Allister enjoyed a post-World Cup break, yet they didn’t feel like stand-in performances. Some Liverpool supporters are already calling for a Nyoni–Gravenberch partnership when the season starts. At 19, he finally looks ready to move from fringe to fixture.

Manchester City – Jeremy Monga, 17, attacking midfielder

Manchester City don’t usually buy teenage wingers just to stash them away. Jeremy Monga arrives with records already tumbling behind him.

At Leicester, he became the club’s youngest-ever starter at 16 years and 34 days, taking down a Peter Shilton mark that had stood for 59 years. Days later, he beat Jude Bellingham’s record as the Championship’s youngest goalscorer. Operating mainly off the left, he relentlessly isolates and attacks right-backs.

No player in the Championship attempted more take-ons last season than Monga’s 6.5 per 90 minutes. City paid £10 million to bring him into their system. The jump is huge, but his fearlessness fits the profile of a club that likes its wide players bold and direct.

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

Every generation at Manchester United gets its prodigy. J.J. Gabriel is the latest name whispered with a mix of excitement and caution around Carrington.

At 15, he tore through the U18 Premier League: 23 goals in 23 games against opponents up to three years older. He won the league’s first U18 Player of the Season award and became the youngest ever recipient of the Jimmy Murphy award for United’s best youth player.

Gabriel can drift in from the wing or operate as a false No. 9. He has explosive acceleration, sharp agility and a ruthless streak in front of goal. The question is timing. If he debuts 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 from the 1956 Charity Shield. That kind of history doesn’t get handed out lightly.

Newcastle United – Sean Steur, 18, central midfielder

Newcastle’s midfield has been ripped apart. Sandro Tonali has gone to Tottenham Hotspur, Bruno Guimarães to Arsenal. In their place, opportunity.

Sean Steur arrives from Ajax with 26 senior appearances and a reputation as a technically clean, two-footed midfielder. He can sit deep, he can step forward, and he rarely looks rushed. His first touch and passing range are already at a high level.

Off the ball, there is still work to do with his positioning, but preseason under Matthias Jaissle has been encouraging. Given the holes in Newcastle’s midfield, Steur could find himself starting meaningful games sooner than expected.

Nottingham Forest – Zach Abbott, 20, centre-back

Zach Abbott has already tasted the sharp end of elite football. Starting an FA Cup semifinal against Manchester City in April 2025 is not a gentle introduction.

Since then, he has added three Premier League appearances and minutes in the Europa League, gradually earning the trust of those around him. He is composed, physically strong and reads danger well, stepping out from the back with the ball when space opens up.

Oliver Glasner’s preference for a back three could be the key. With more centre-back slots to fill, Abbott has a genuine chance to move from rotation option to regular starter.

Sunderland – Timur Tutierov, 21, attacking midfielder

Timur Tutierov’s Sunderland story nearly took a different turn. A loan to Exeter City in League One last season finally gave him a consistent run of games — three goals in 17 appearances — and put him on the radar.

Capable of playing across the front line, he is at his best when driving at defenders or darting in behind. This summer, he looked like a candidate to move on again. Then preseason happened.

Goals against York City and Liverpool changed the tone. Sunderland responded with a new contract running to 2028. Tutierov now has security and a platform; what he does with it is up to him.

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

Tottenham’s academy has quietly refilled its talent pool, and Luca Williams-Barnett is one of the brightest lights emerging.

An attacking midfielder by trade, he brings craft between the lines and the ability to unlock defences with a sharp pass or a quick shift of balance. At 17, he still has physical development to come, but his technical ceiling is high and his game intelligence stands out.

In a Spurs squad that has embraced youth and fluid attacking football, Williams-Barnett won’t have to look far for a pathway. The question, as always with prodigies, is not whether he has the talent — but how quickly Tottenham are willing to let him show it on the biggest stage.