Breakout Prospects for Every Premier League Club
The kids are coming: One breakout prospect for every Premier League club (and a few more besides)
Arsenal: Marli Salmon, the teenager who tackles like a veteran
Dowman was last year’s story. Arsenal’s next homegrown headline might be Marli Salmon, four months older and already moving just as fast.
He became the club’s fourth-youngest player of all time when he stepped off the bench against Club Brugge in December, 16 years and 102 days old, straight into a Champions League night. No fuss, no fear.
Salmon made four first-team appearances last season and another 14 for the Under-21s in Premier League 2, where his numbers were startling. He won 71.8% of his duels (56 of 78) – among defenders who contested at least 50, only two bettered him. That’s not promise, that’s production.
Comfortable at right-back or centre-back, he’s already signed a pre-agreement to commit his future to Arsenal when he turns 17 later this month. With Mikel Arteta unafraid to lean on youth, it would not be a shock if the next big defensive story at the Emirates is a teenager named after a fish who simply refuses to get beaten.
Aston Villa: Brian Madjo, the Haaland-sized question
Aston Villa bought Brian Madjo from Metz in January for about £10.5m, then couldn’t register him. The wait is over. So is the element of surprise.
The 17-year-old centre-forward is huge, mobile and hungry. His movement and power inevitably draw comparisons with Erling Haaland – dangerous territory for any youngster, but you can see why people reach for the name.
Pre-season has been his stage. Four goals in friendlies, a constant menace, and a reminder that while warm-up games only tell you so much, you still have to finish the chances in front of you. Madjo has. If Unai Emery wants a different kind of weapon up front, he has one ready-made.
Bournemouth: Veljko Milosavljevic, the vacancy hunter
Marcos Senesi has gone and left a hole in the middle of Bournemouth’s defence. Veljko Milosavljevic can see it. Now he has to run through it.
Signed from Red Star Belgrade last summer, the 19-year-old only made seven appearances in all competitions, but he did enough to mark himself out as more than a project. On his Premier League debut in September, he made more clearances than any of his teammates. A month later, he was making his full international debut for Serbia.
Marco Rose may still crave experience at centre-back, especially with a young back line around him, but Milosavljevic has already shown he reads danger and relishes dealing with it. This season is his chance to turn promise into presence.
Brentford: Antoni Milambo, the comeback act
Brentford thought they were getting one of Europe’s sharpest young midfielders when they paid around £21m to sign Antoni Milambo from Feyenoord. Then, in October, an ACL injury on international duty ended his season almost before it began.
He had been Feyenoord’s youngest ever player back in 2021, debuting at 16, but it was 2024-25 when he truly broke out: a box-to-box midfielder who drove forward, used the ball cleanly and carried a genuine attacking threat. No Eredivisie player under 21 could match his 14 goal involvements in all competitions that year.
Now 19 and back fit, he’s trying to force his way into Keith Andrews’ plans. Brentford’s midfield is already functional and clever; Milambo has the tools to make it dynamic. If his knee holds and his rhythm returns, he could change the feel of their entire engine room.
Brighton: Zadok Yohanna, raw chaos on the right
Brighton paid around £21.5m to sign Zadok Yohanna from AIK, a record sale for Swedish football, for a player with just 13 league games behind him. That tells you how hard he hit the radar.
The 19-year-old Nigerian is left-footed, plays off the right and runs at defenders like he’s been dared to stop. Before his move in June, he was attempting more dribbles per 90 than anyone in the Allsvenskan. He led the league for take-ons driving into the box (six), take-ons in the box (15) and shared top spot for take-ons followed by a shot (three), despite playing far fewer minutes than most rivals.
His end product still needs polish. Brighton know that. But they’ve also seen enough to believe he’ll get people out of their seats. Give him space, give him time, and the Amex could have its next cult winger.
Chelsea: Reggie Watson, the anchor in waiting
Chelsea’s academy is a constant conveyor belt, and just as often a departure lounge. This time, the club have dug their heels in. Reggie Watson is one they were determined not to lose.
Sixteen years old, towering in stature, Watson is a defensive midfielder who looks built for the modern game. He covers ground, dominates duels, but also keeps the ball tidy and scans the pitch like someone much older. Those around Cobham have even whispered tentative comparisons with Rodri.
Xabi Alonso has already said he is “really impressed” with Watson’s pre-season impact. With Roméo Lavia and Dário Essugo both wrestling with fitness issues, minutes are there to be claimed. If Chelsea finally decide to trust a homegrown holding midfielder, Watson is standing right in the middle of that vacancy.
Coventry City: Kai Andrews, the survival gamble
Frank Lampard’s brief at Coventry City is simple: stay up. That usually means caution, veterans, experience. It rarely means throwing a 19-year-old midfielder into the fire.
Kai Andrews is trying to change that calculation. He made 10 appearances last season before heading to Hibernian on loan, where he struggled to truly impose himself. Then came a different kind of platform: his first start for Wales, in a friendly against Romania. He ended that game with nine passes in the final third – third-most on the pitch – and two fouls won, looking like he belonged.
Now he faces a decision. Stay and fight for a place in a relegation battle, or leave again on loan for guaranteed minutes. Coventry’s season might hinge on whether Lampard sees a risk or a resource when he looks at Andrews.
Crystal Palace: Joél Drakes-Thomas, the new face of Selhurst
Joél Drakes-Thomas became Crystal Palace’s youngest Premier League player last season. He doesn’t want to be a trivia answer. He wants to be a starter.
He first announced himself in Europe, making his debut in the Conference League at 16 against KuPS. Seven crosses, more than anyone on the pitch. Two chances created, joint-most. A teenager on the flank, demanding the ball and dictating where it went.
Pierre Sage’s arrival signals a fresh era at Selhurst Park. Every new coach needs standard-bearers. Drakes-Thomas has the pace, delivery and swagger to be one of them, if Palace are brave enough to let him grow in the glare.
Everton: Tyrique George, the winger with a runway
Tyrique George arrived at Everton from Chelsea in February, initially on loan, and spent his first few months mostly watching. Just one start under David Moyes, more learning than launching.
Now 20, with a full pre-season behind him, he looks ready to burst. Quick, direct and eager to square up full-backs, George has started three of Everton’s four friendlies in Iliman Ndiaye’s absence. Jack Grealish has gone back to Manchester City, Dwight McNeil has slipped down the pecking order, and suddenly there’s a clear lane on the flank.
George has the profile Everton fans crave: a winger who runs, who tries things, who doesn’t play safe. This season will show whether he can turn that promise into end product in front of the Gwladys Street.
Fulham: Farhaan Ali-Wahid, numbers that demand a chance
Farhaan Ali-Wahid has not kicked a ball in the Premier League yet. Fulham’s staff know exactly what he’s done everywhere else.
The 19-year-old left winger signed his first professional deal last summer and then shredded PL2 defences: 10 goals, seven assists. Only Chelsea’s Shumaira Mheuka (19) and Liverpool’s Kieran Morrison (18) managed more goal involvements than his 17. Only 10 players in the league created more chances from open play than his 26.
He was nominated for PL2 Player of the Season and new Fulham manager Álvaro Arbeloa has already involved him in pre-season. Those are not token gestures. When a youngster produces that volume of goals and chances, the next logical step is obvious: a first-team debut, and then the real examination.
Hull City: Charlie Hughes, the human blockade
Hull City know they will be under siege at times in the Premier League. Fortunately, they already have a defender who seems to enjoy standing in front of everything.
Charlie Hughes, 22, was the defensive cornerstone of last season’s promotion push. He started 36 Championship games and did not miss a single minute of their playoff campaign. The stats back up what the eye test screamed: he made 1.54 blocks per 90 minutes, more than any regular player in the division, and 7.62 clearances per 90, the highest in Hull’s squad among players with over 1,000 minutes.
Hull may find life brutal at the higher level. Hughes won’t care. He throws himself into shots, crosses and aerial duels with the same abandon. If they stay up, there’s every chance he’ll be the reason someone bigger comes calling.
Ipswich Town: Tudor Mendel-Idowu, the scholar with street skills
Tudor Mendel-Idowu’s story reads like a scriptwriter got carried away. Child Genius contestant at eight. King’s Scholar at Eton College. Then Ipswich Town’s most intriguing young winger.
After spells at Chelsea and Anderlecht, he joined Ipswich in the summer of 2024 and spent last season in PL2. His output was outrageous: 15 goal involvements in 17 games (nine goals, six assists). Only three players in the league managed more. Only three created more chances from open play than his 33, and just two won possession in the final third more often (21).
He has yet to make his first-team debut, but those numbers don’t sit quietly on a coach’s desk. Ipswich know they have an intelligent, hard-working wide player who can both create and press. The next step is handing him the shirt and seeing if the classroom genius can handle the chaos of the Championship-turned-Premier-League stage.
Leeds United: Jayden Lienou, the defender who forced the door
Daniel Farke did not hand out many debuts last season. Leeds’ youngest player was 21-year-old Facundo Buonanotte, already capped by Argentina. Youth had to wait.
Jayden Lienou didn’t. The 18-year-old defender started all but one of Leeds’ PL2 matches, winning possession 5.4 times per 90 minutes, the second-highest figure in the side. He then became the only youth-team player to feature in Leeds’ first three pre-season games, a clear signal of trust.
Craig Bellamy noticed as well, calling him into the senior Wales squad in June. When club and country coaches align like that, something is happening. Lienou is not just on the fringes anymore; he is knocking loudly on the first-team door.
Liverpool: Trey Nyoni, passing through the lines
A new manager often means a clean slate. Trey Nyoni has grabbed his.
The midfielder joined from Leicester in 2023 and had to wait his turn. Under Arne Slot he made 14 appearances in all competitions last season, only two of them starts, both in the League Cup. With Andoni Iraola now in charge, the 19-year-old has been Liverpool’s standout midfielder in pre-season.
His game is all about verticality. He wants to play forward, but he does it with control. On tour in the US, across friendlies with Sunderland, Wrexham and Leeds United, Nyoni attempted 154 passes and completed 141 of them (92%). Of his 54 forward passes, 44 found their target (81%). That blend of ambition and accuracy is rare in a teenager.
If Curtis Jones departs and Liverpool channel most of their transfer budget into attackers, the path in midfield opens up. Nyoni has already shown he can see the gaps. Now he just needs the chance to run into them.
Manchester City: Ryan McAidoo, the winger Maresca loves
To stand out in Manchester City’s academy, you have to be special. Ryan McAidoo has done exactly that.
Last season in PL2, only Reigan Heskey had more goal involvements for City (15) than McAidoo’s 12. He then made his first-team debut in the FA Cup against Exeter City and marked it with the ninth goal in a 10-1 demolition. A small moment in a big scoreline, but a memory that sticks.
This summer, he turned heads again in a pre-season friendly against Inter. He tormented defenders one-on-one and had the second-most touches in the opposition box (13). Enzo Maresca didn’t hide his admiration, calling McAidoo “the type of winger I love”. When a City manager says that, the next step is usually minutes that matter.
Manchester United: JJ Gabriel, the prodigy chasing history
Every big club has a “next big thing”. At Manchester United, right now, that label belongs to JJ Gabriel.
He almost left at the end of the 2024-25 season before senior figures intervened. They knew what they had. At 14, he had already become the youngest player to appear for United’s Under-18s, scoring twice on his debut. After turning 15 in October, he was quickly pulled into first-team training.
He still spent most of last season with the Under-18s, where he scored 23 goals in the U18 Premier League, a tally bettered by only one player, and took home the league’s Player of the Season award. A skilful attacker who can operate wide or centrally, he plays with a bravery and expressiveness that United fans crave.
He showed flashes of that when he came on late in a pre-season friendly against Atlético Madrid. The record for the youngest Premier League player is probably beyond him, but Angel Gomes’ club record – 16 years and 263 days – is in range. United have a decision to make: protect him, or unleash him.
Newcastle United: Park Seung-soo, the left-wing livewire
Eddie Howe’s era at Newcastle delivered stability and European nights, but some fans felt young players were left waiting too long. With Howe gone and a new cycle beginning, Park Seung-soo sees opportunity.
Signed last summer, the 19-year-old South Korean winger spent last season in PL2, averaging 4.7 dribble attempts per 90 minutes and catching the eye with his energy and close control. He likes the left flank, where Anthony Gordon used to roam. Gordon has moved on, Bazoumana Touré has arrived, and the battle for that side has begun.
Park has impressed in pre-season and looks close to a breakthrough. If Touré takes time to settle, St James’ Park might soon be roaring on a different kind of left-winger – one who arrived as a project and could leave as a star.
Nottingham Forest: Kalum Thompson, the fearless flyer
Kalum Thompson joined Nottingham Forest from Linfield last July, a 16-year-old thrown straight into Under-21 football. He didn’t just cope; he thrived.
He was the youngest player to feature for Forest’s Under-21s last season, yet only four teammates – three of them now 20 – logged more minutes than his 1,090. A tricky, purposeful left winger, he averaged 4.7 dribble attempts per 90 in PL2 and finished with six goal involvements, the highest total in the Forest squad.
The club named him scholar of the year. That’s not a sentimental award; it’s a marker. Forest know they have a winger who wants to run at defenders and carry the ball into dangerous areas. The next question is when they trust him to do it under the City Ground floodlights.
Sunderland: Nilson Angulo, the unfinished article with a high ceiling
Nilson Angulo is 23 and cost about £15m. On paper, he’s beyond the “breakout” tag. On the pitch, he still feels like a story waiting to be written.
He arrived from Anderlecht in January and took time to adjust. There were glimpses – a dribble here, a burst there – but not yet the full package. Sunderland accepted that this was a settling-in period.
What encourages them is the player he was in Belgium. Before his move, no one in the Pro League attempted more dribbles than his 111. Only Christos Tzolis, now at Arsenal, bettered his 11 goal involvements. Add a decent World Cup with Ecuador and you have a player with both pedigree and potential.
Régis Le Bris will hope this is the year the Anderlecht version of Angulo appears in the Championship – or beyond – on a regular basis. If that happens, Sunderland suddenly have a very dangerous weapon on their hands.
Tottenham: Lucá Williams-Barnett, numbers that scream “play me”
At Tottenham, the production line rarely sleeps. This time, the spotlight is swinging towards Lucá Williams-Barnett.
He began last season with the Under-18s and ended it on the fringes of the first team, making one senior appearance and featuring regularly on the bench. In PL2, he was devastating despite playing only 10 games: 1.25 combined goals and assists per 90 minutes, the fourth-best rate in the league among players with 500+ minutes.
The 17-year-old attacking midfielder also created 0.8 big chances per 90, again ranking fourth. Those are elite numbers at any level. He has featured heavily in pre-season, building rhythm and confidence.
Spurs have seen this movie before: a gifted teenager, outrageous output in youth football, and a fanbase itching to see him unleashed. The only question now is how quickly Tottenham are prepared to let Williams-Barnett turn potential into Premier League reality.
