Young Talents to Watch in the Premier League 2023-24 Season

The new Premier League season is almost here, and with it comes the annual guessing game: which kid no one was talking about last year will be on every back page by Christmas?

Max Dowman crashed Arsenal’s party as a 16-year-old last season. He will not be the last. Across the country, academies and recruitment departments are quietly convinced they’ve found the next one. Some already have senior minutes. Others are still waiting for that first nod from the bench.

Here are the youngsters with a genuine shot at turning promise into headlines.

Arsenal – Marli Salmon, 16, centre-back

Arsenal have spent years building around the steel of Gabriel Magalhães and the elegance of William Saliba. Breaking that partnership is no small task. Marli Salmon is trying to do it anyway.

Once an attacker, now a centre-back, the 16-year-old plays the position like someone who has seen the game from every angle. He reads danger early, attacks the ball in the air and isn’t shy about striding out with it. He can also slide over to right-back when needed.

His preseason was quietly impressive. For now, he’s a cup player and late-game option. But if Arsenal need composure off the bench in the Premier League, Salmon is already in the conversation.

Aston Villa – Brian Madjo, 17, centre-forward

Brian Madjo’s route to Villa Park has been anything but standard. Born in London, raised in Luxembourg, capped at senior level for the country before switching to England’s youth ranks, he already looks at home on the big stage.

At 6-foot-3, he is a handful. He runs the channels, presses with intent and can both threaten in behind and play as a traditional target man. Villa paid around £10 million to prise him from Metz in January, and he has wasted no time: four goals in preseason and a start against Bayern Munich.

Ollie Watkins will reclaim his shirt once back from a post-World Cup break. Madjo’s job is to make sure that decision never feels entirely comfortable.

Bournemouth – Malcolm Dacosta, 18, defensive midfielder

Malcolm Dacosta looks like a centre-back when he walks onto the pitch. At 6-foot-3, you expect him to sit, screen and keep it simple. He does far more.

The Ecuador youth international covers ground, relishes duels and drives forward with the ball. He carries a long-range threat, too. Bournemouth named him their 2025-26 Academy Player of the Year, and he has already appeared on the first-team bench.

New manager Marco Rose has taken to him quickly. Dacosta even got on the scoresheet in a 10-1 preseason demolition of Genoa. For a side that often has to suffer without the ball, his blend of height, energy and ambition could be priceless.

Brentford – Benjamin Fredrick, 21, centre-back

Brentford rarely throw a young defender into the Premier League without a plan. Benjamin Fredrick arrives with more seasoning than most.

He played 15 times for Dender in Belgium’s top flight last season and has already been fast-tracked into the Nigeria squad, featuring in five World Cup qualifiers. Quick across the ground, aggressive in the duel and strong in the air, he can operate both centrally and at right-back.

Brentford’s model is built on identifying players just before they explode. Fredrick looks like the next in that line.

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

Brighton have made a habit of spotting talent where others hesitate. In Zadok Yohanna, they have paid big money to bet on pure chaos.

A year ago he was in Nigeria. Then came AIK, an Allsvenskan debut, a first start three days later and a first goal in March. By May, he had a Nigeria call-up, only for a hamstring injury to intervene.

This summer Brighton smashed the Swedish transfer record with a €25 million move. Yohanna’s acceleration and close control turned him into a one-man highlight reel in Sweden, repeatedly finishing games with 10-plus successful dribbles. The decisions in the final third still need refining. The raw ability does not. He could be terrorising full-backs by autumn.

Chelsea – Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli, 16, central midfielder

Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli grew up a short drive from Cobham and has been in Chelsea blue since under-8 level. The club has seen a lot of prospects in that time. Very few have climbed this fast.

Last season he became Chelsea’s youngest UEFA Youth League starter and their youngest scorer in the competition. He can play as a No. 6, No. 8 or higher up, and carries a maturity in both physique and decision-making that belies his age.

New head coach Xabi Alonso took him on the preseason tour of Asia and even started him alongside Moisés Caicedo in Hong Kong against Juventus. That is not a token gesture. It is a clear signal that Nicoll-Jazuli is already on the senior radar.

Coventry City – Carlo Yirenkyi, 20, central midfielder

Coventry’s return to the Premier League comes with a bold statement: a club-record £23 million on Carlo Yirenkyi.

The Right to Dream Academy in Ghana has already produced stars such as Mohammed Kudus. Yirenkyi looks like the next graduate ready to make the leap. After two seasons at Nordsjælland, he was named the Danish Superliga’s Young Player of the Season.

He is a relentless box-to-box midfielder, a fierce ball-winner who also drives play forward. On the biggest stage of his young career so far, he started Ghana’s World Cup opener against Panama and scored a 95th-minute winner. That kind of moment stays with a player. Coventry will be banking on it.

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

Crystal Palace know what a good winger looks like. Joél Drakes-Thomas has been in their system since he was six, and he plays with the freedom of someone who has spent a decade running at full-backs.

Fast, direct and fearless, he operates on the right flank or as an attack-minded wing-back. He loves isolating defenders, yet understands his defensive duties as well. His senior debut in the Conference League against KuPS was outstanding, and days later he became Palace’s youngest-ever Premier League player away at Leeds.

He capped the season with an U18 Premier League Cup win and his first professional contract in July. The pathway is there. Now it is about minutes.

Everton – Braiden Graham, 18, forward

Braiden Graham has already broken one record. At Linfield he became the club’s youngest-ever player when he made his Irish top-flight debut at 15 in March 2023.

Everton snapped him up, and he has continued to score. A versatile forward who can drift in from the left, he is nimble, mobile and ruthless in front of goal. Twenty-one goals at youth level last season earned him a first senior call-up for Northern Ireland.

He has spent this preseason training with the Everton first team. With the club still searching for reliable goals, Graham’s chance may come sooner than expected.

Fulham – César Palacios, 21, central midfielder

César Palacios knows how quickly a dream can turn. Seven minutes into his first senior appearance for Real Madrid, a 2024 preseason friendly against AC Milan, he tore his ACL.

He fought his way back, returning for Castilla and scoring 14 goals from midfield last season. His timing into the box is his trademark, arriving late and unmarked to finish moves rather than start them.

Fulham paid €10 million to bring him to London and reunite him with Álvaro Arbeloa, his coach at Castilla and now in charge at Craven Cottage. If Palacios stays fit, Fulham may have found a midfielder who can change games with one well-timed run.

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

Jens Hjertø-Dahl grew up studying Sergio Busquets, but at 6-foot-4 and with a nose for goal, he offers a twist on that template.

The Norwegian often plays higher up, dropping deep to receive, calming the game with his touch and then bursting forward with late runs into the box. Where Busquets rarely troubled the scorers, Hjertø-Dahl hit seven goals in 14 league games for boyhood club Tromsø last season.

Hull paid around €9.3 million to secure him this summer. They still have to decide whether he is a deep-lying conductor or an advanced creator. What is clear is that he needs the ball, often, and preferably in the final third.

Ipswich Town – Sindre Walle Egeli, 20, attacking midfielder

Ipswich shattered the Championship transfer record last summer to sign Sindre Walle Egeli for £17.5 million. The expectation was immediate impact. Reality was more modest.

The right winger managed four goals in the Championship, showing flashes rather than full performances. His left foot, though, remains his calling card: cutting inside to curl shots toward the far corner, whipping in-swinging crosses and threading passes between lines.

Now comes his second season in England and his first in the Premier League. It is the perfect stage for a late bloomer to catch fire.

Leeds United – Alfie Cresswell, 19, defensive midfielder

At Leeds, the Cresswell name is familiar. Richard led the line between 2005 and 2007. Charlie came through the academy as a centre-back before moving to Ligue 1 in 2024. Now it is Alfie’s turn.

Originally a centre-back, the 19-year-old has shifted into a holding midfield role. That background shows: he duels with authority, holds his position well and has worked hard to improve his play on the ball.

His biggest barrier is not talent but trust. Daniel Farke leaned heavily on senior players last season to keep Leeds in the Premier League. Whether he opens the door to more academy graduates this time will define Cresswell’s chances.

Liverpool – Trey Nyoni, 19, central midfielder

Trey Nyoni has been hovering on the edge of Liverpool’s first team since arriving from Leicester at 16. Six Premier League appearances last season hinted at something more. This summer, he has pushed the door wider.

On the club’s preseason tour of the United States, the 19-year-old was arguably Liverpool’s standout performer. He dictated tempo, sprayed passes with confidence and slotted seamlessly into the tactical structure.

Those displays came while Alexis Mac Allister enjoyed a post-World Cup break. Some supporters are already calling for Nyoni to line up alongside Ryan Gravenberch when the season starts. He has done his part. The rest is up to Andoni Iraola.

Manchester City – Jeremy Monga, 17, attacking midfielder

Few 17-year-olds arrive at Manchester City with a CV like Jeremy Monga’s. At Leicester, he became the club’s youngest starter at 16 years and 34 days, taking a record that had belonged to Peter Shilton for 59 years. Days later, he overtook Jude Bellingham as the Championship’s youngest goalscorer.

Operating mainly off the left, Monga lives for one-on-one duels. No Championship player attempted more take-ons last season than his 6.5 per 90 minutes. He repeatedly hunted opposition right-backs and rarely backed down.

City paid £10 million for that fearlessness. Breaking into Pep Guardiola’s side is notoriously difficult, but Monga’s directness offers something different to the champions’ usual patterns.

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

J.J. Gabriel spent last season making age-group football look like a misprint. He scored 23 goals in 23 U18 Premier League games, often against players three years older, and collected the league’s inaugural U18 Player of the Season award.

Manchester United also handed him the Jimmy Murphy award as their best youth player. At 15, he became the youngest ever winner.

Capable of playing wide or as a false No. 9, Gabriel combines electric acceleration and balance with a ruthless eye for goal. Whether he debuts for the first team this season is still unclear, but the stakes are obvious: if he appears before Oct. 25, he will become United’s youngest-ever player, breaking a 70-year-old record held by David Gaskell.

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 the rebuild, Sean Steur is not a luxury; he is a necessity.

The 18-year-old made 26 appearances for Ajax last season before moving to Tyneside in a deal worth up to €27 million. Two-footed, comfortable as a holding player or slightly higher, he boasts a velvet first touch and crisp passing range.

His off-the-ball positioning still needs work, but an impressive preseason has caught Matthias Jaissle’s eye. There is every chance he starts the season not as a prospect, but as a pillar.

Nottingham Forest – Zach Abbott, 20, centre-back

For most 20-year-olds, an FA Cup semifinal against Manchester City would be a dream. For Zach Abbott, it was reality in April 2025, when he started for Nottingham Forest at Wembley.

Last season brought three Premier League appearances and a taste of Europa League football. Now he wants more. Calm on the ball, physically ready and sharp at sensing danger, he is comfortable stepping out of the backline to play.

New boss Oliver Glasner prefers a back three, a system that could suit Abbott perfectly. Three centre-back slots mean more opportunity. Forest’s young defender is well placed to grab one.

Sunderland – Timur Tutierov, 21, attacking midfielder

Timur Tutierov had to wait for his chance. Sunderland signed him from Kolos Kovalivka in 2023, but it took a January loan to Exeter City last season for him to taste regular senior football.

Seventeen games, three goals and a lot of hard running later, he returned a different player. Versatile across the front line, he is at his best when driving at defenders or darting in behind.

He might have been a candidate to leave again this summer. Then came preseason and goals against York City and Liverpool. Sunderland responded with a new contract running to 2028. The message is clear: they see him as part of their future.

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

Tottenham’s academy has quietly stocked up on creative talent. Luca Williams-Barnett is the latest name pushing towards the first team.

An attacking midfielder by trade, he operates between the lines, linking play and looking to slide forwards through. At 17, he is still learning the physical demands of senior football, but his touch and vision mark him out.

In a Spurs side that craves invention behind the striker, Williams-Barnett’s development will be watched very closely.

Some of these players will vanish back into the shadows for another year. Some will be on everyone’s lips by winter. The Premier League has a habit of fast-tracking the brave. Who dares to take the step this time?