Premier League Rising Stars: Young Talents to Watch This Season

The new Premier League season is almost on the doorstep, and with it comes the usual noise about big signings, tactical tweaks and title talk. But last year’s story at Arsenal – a 16-year-old Max Dowman suddenly stepping out of the shadows – is a reminder that some of the most decisive moments in a campaign can come from names barely known outside academy walls.

Across the country, a new group is waiting in the tunnel.

Arsenal – A defender built from a forward

Marli Salmon is 16 and already looks like he’s been defending the Emirates penalty area for years. Once an attacker, now a center back, he brings a striker’s instincts to the art of stopping them. He reads danger early, dominates in the air and isn’t afraid to carry the ball out, gliding forward rather than simply clearing his lines.

There is, of course, the small matter of the Gabriel Magalhães–William Saliba axis in front of him. Breaking that up is another level entirely. But Salmon’s preseason composure has pushed him into Mikel Arteta’s thoughts for cup games and late cameos. For a teenager, that’s already a serious achievement.

Aston Villa – Power and promise up front

At Aston Villa, Brian Madjo has the profile of a classic No. 9 and the mobility of a modern one. The 17-year-old, born in London and raised in Luxembourg, has already played senior internationals for the European minnows before switching to England’s youth ranks.

At 6-foot-3, he’s a handful. He presses, he runs in behind, he can play with his back to goal. Villa paid around £10 million to bring him in from Metz in January, and he’s wasted no time: four goals in preseason and a start against Bayern Munich. Ollie Watkins will reclaim his place when his post-World Cup break ends, but Madjo has made sure Unai Emery can’t ignore him.

Bournemouth – A giant in midfield

Malcolm Dacosta does not look like the stereotype of a neat, low-slung holding midfielder. At 6-foot-3, the Ecuador youth international towers over most of his peers. Yet he covers ground, steps into duels, drives with the ball and carries a genuine long-range threat.

Named Bournemouth’s 2025-26 Academy Player of the Year, he flirted with the first team last summer from the bench. This time, he has impressed new boss Marco Rose and even chipped in with a goal in a 10-1 preseason demolition of Genoa. He’s more than a destroyer; he wants to shape games.

Brentford – A defender already tested

Benjamin Fredrick arrives at Brentford with something many young defenders lack: real senior mileage. The 21-year-old Nigeria international played 15 times on loan at Dender in Belgium’s top flight and featured in five World Cup qualifiers.

Quick, aggressive and comfortable at both center back and right back, he thrives when defending big spaces and attacking aerial balls. Brentford rarely rush prospects, but Fredrick looks ready-made for Thomas Frank’s high-energy back line.

Brighton – The next dribbler off the production line

Brighton & Hove Albion have built a reputation for finding attacking talent early. Zadok Yohanna could be the next to explode. The 19-year-old left Nigeria only last year for AIK in Sweden, where his rise was rapid: league debut, first start three days later, first goal in March, then a Nigeria call-up by May before a hamstring injury halted the momentum.

Brighton didn’t blink. They broke the Swedish transfer record with a €25 million move. Yohanna’s acceleration and tight control made him one of the Allsvenskan’s most devastating one-on-one players; in several games he racked up more than 10 successful dribbles. His decision-making still needs polish, but his raw ability could light up the Amex as early as autumn.

Chelsea – A teenager trusted in midfield

Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli has grown up in the shadow of Cobham and now steps into the spotlight. The 16-year-old central midfielder, born in Sydney but raised on Chelsea’s doorstep, has been in the system since the under-8s and already rewritten some of the youth records: youngest UEFA Youth League starter, youngest scorer.

He can operate in several central roles and carries a striking blend of physicality and poise. New head coach 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. That’s trust.

Coventry City – A box-to-box engine with pedigree

Coventry’s record signing, Carlo Yirenkyi, arrives with serious credentials. The 20-year-old came through the Right to Dream Academy in Ghana – the same pathway that produced Mohammed Kudus – and then excelled at Nordsjælland in Denmark, where he was named Superliga Young Player of the Season.

He’s relentless. A box-to-box midfielder who snaps into tackles, drives into space and still has the energy to influence the game high up the pitch. On the biggest stage so far, he started Ghana’s World Cup opener against Panama and scored a 95th-minute winner. Coventry paid £23 million to bring him in this summer. They’re not planning to ease him in.

Crystal Palace – A winger who plays like a local

Joél Drakes-Thomas has been at Crystal Palace since he was six. He plays like someone who knows every blade of grass. At 17, he’s a fast, direct wide player, equally comfortable as a right winger or an attacking wing-back. He loves isolating defenders and driving past them, but crucially, he tracks back with the same enthusiasm.

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. A U18 Premier League Cup winner and now on his first professional contract, he looks perfectly placed to ride the wave at a club that trusts youth.

Everton – A finisher from Belfast

Everton’s Braiden Graham has already made history once. At Linfield, he became the club’s youngest-ever player at 15, debuting in the Irish top flight in March 2023. Three years on, the versatile forward is eyeing a first senior appearance in English football.

He can lead the line or cut in from the left, combining nimble movement with sharp finishing. Twenty-one goals at youth level last season earned him a first Northern Ireland call-up. A preseason spent training with the Everton first team suggests a pathway is opening at Goodison Park.

Fulham – A comeback story in midfield

César Palacios knows how quickly fortunes can turn. Seven minutes into his first senior outing for Real Madrid – a 2024 preseason friendly against AC Milan – he tore his ACL. A brutal start. He returned within a year for Castilla and responded with 14 goals from central midfield.

His trademark is the late run into the box, arriving just as defenders switch off. Fulham paid €10 million to sign him this summer and reunite him with Álvaro Arbeloa, his former Castilla coach and now the man in charge at Craven Cottage. Both know exactly what they’re getting.

Hull City – A tall playmaker with a Busquets blueprint

Jens Hjertø-Dahl grew up studying Sergio Busquets, but at 6-foot-4 and with a knack for goals, he’s writing his own version. The Norwegian often plays higher than a traditional pivot, drifting deep to collect the ball before gliding forward, always calm, always scanning.

The difference shows in front of goal. Where Busquets has 19 goals in over 700 games, Hjertø-Dahl scored seven in 14 league matches for Tromsø last season. Hull City moved for him in a deal reported at around €9.3 million. His best position might still be up for debate, but wherever he starts, you want him touching the ball in the final third.

Ipswich Town – A record signing seeking a breakout

Ipswich smashed the Championship transfer record to land Sindre Walle Egeli last summer for £17.5 million. The Norwegian right winger’s weapon is his left foot: curling shots towards the far corner, whipped in-swinging crosses, threaded passes between defenders.

His first year in England was steady rather than spectacular – four Championship goals – but now comes the real test: a second season, and his first in the Premier League. It’s the perfect stage for a player who clearly hasn’t shown his ceiling yet.

Leeds United – Another Cresswell steps up

Football is a family business for the Cresswells. Charlie, a center back, came through Leeds’ academy before heading to Ligue 1 in 2024. Their father, Richard, led the line at Elland Road between 2005 and 2007. Now it’s 19-year-old Alfie’s turn.

Converted from center back to holding midfielder, he brings defensive instincts into the heart of the pitch: strong duels, disciplined positioning, and growing comfort on the ball. The challenge is opportunity. Daniel Farke leaned heavily on senior players to keep Leeds in the Premier League at the first attempt. Whether he opens the door for academy talent this time will define Cresswell’s season.

Liverpool – A midfielder forcing the issue

Trey Nyoni has been waiting for his moment at Liverpool. Signed from Leicester City at 16, he has hovered on the fringes for two seasons, collecting six Premier League appearances last term. This summer, he made his case impossible to ignore.

On the club’s preseason tour of the United States, the 19-year-old controlled games. He dictated tempo, switched play with a full passing range and slotted seamlessly into Andoni Iraola’s tactical framework. Those displays came while Alexis Mac Allister enjoyed a post-World Cup break, but many supporters already want Nyoni alongside Ryan Gravenberch when the season starts. He’s not asking for minutes. He’s demanding them.

Manchester City – A dribbler with records already broken

Few 17-year-olds arrive at Manchester City with Jeremy Monga’s CV. At Leicester, he broke Peter Shilton’s 59-year-old record as the club’s youngest starter at 16 years and 34 days, then surpassed Jude Bellingham as the Championship’s youngest goalscorer days later.

Operating mainly off the left, Monga tormented right-backs all season. No player in the Championship attempted more take-ons – 6.5 per 90 minutes – as he relentlessly attacked his marker. City moved quickly, paying £10 million this summer. The jump in level is huge. His confidence in one-on-ones is even bigger.

Manchester United – A 15-year-old chasing history

J.J. Gabriel is 15 and already smashing age barriers. Last season he scored 23 goals in 23 U18 Premier League games, routinely punishing defenders up to three years older. He collected the league’s first-ever U18 Player of the Season award and became the youngest recipient of Manchester United’s Jimmy Murphy award.

Able to play wide or as a false No. 9, he combines acceleration, agility and balance with ruthless finishing. The question is not whether he is talented enough, but whether United will unleash him yet. If he debuts before Oct. 25, he will break a 70-year-old club record held by David Gaskell as the youngest-ever player. The clock is ticking.

Newcastle United – A technician in a rebuilt midfield

Newcastle’s midfield has been ripped up. Sandro Tonali has gone to Tottenham, Bruno Guimarães to Arsenal. Into that void steps Sean Steur, an 18-year-old with 26 Ajax appearances and a transfer worth up to €27 million behind him.

Two-footed and versatile, he can sit deep or operate higher, always offering a sharp first touch and incisive passing. Without the ball, his positioning still needs refinement, but his preseason form has impressed Matthias Jaissle. The opportunity is there for him to start immediately and grow with a reshaped side.

Nottingham Forest – A calm head for a back three

Zach Abbott’s biggest day so far came at Wembley, starting for Nottingham Forest in an FA Cup semifinal against Manchester City in April 2025. Last season he added three Premier League outings and some Europa League minutes, edging closer to a regular role.

Tall, composed and physically strong, he senses danger early and is confident stepping out with the ball. New head coach Oliver Glasner is known for his back-three system. That structure could be tailor-made for Abbott to claim a starting spot and stay there.

Sunderland – A loanee who earned his second chance

Timur Tutierov’s Sunderland career could easily have drifted. Signed from Kolos Kovalivka in 2023, he had to wait until a January loan to Exeter City last season for a proper run of senior football, scoring three times in 17 games.

A flexible forward who can play across the line, he’s at his best when driving at defenders or sprinting in behind. This summer, he looked destined for another move away. Then came preseason goals against York City and Liverpool, and suddenly Sunderland handed him a new deal through 2028. He has forced the club to rethink his role.

Tottenham Hotspur – Another creator on the horizon

Tottenham’s academy conveyor belt has another name ready to join the conversation: Luca Williams-Barnett, a 17-year-old attacking midfielder with the tools to fit the club’s attacking identity. His path to regular minutes will be crowded, as always in North London. But if this season has taught us anything before a ball is kicked, it’s that age is no longer a reason to wait.

Somewhere in this group is the next Max Dowman. The only question is who seizes the moment first.