Ten youngsters who could have breakout Premier League seasons
Liverpool’s rapid 17-year-old wonderkid, Brighton have unearthed ANOTHER gem and a Brazilian starlet who can finally play for Chelsea… ten youngsters who could have breakout 2023-24 in the Premier League
- The likes of Rico Lewis and Alejandro Garnacho enjoyed a breakthrough 2022-23
- Many Premier League clubs have young stars on the brink of first team action
- Click here to watch Mail Sport’s brand new show ‘It’s All Kicking Off’ in full
All the focus in the summer is on what work clubs can do in the transfer window to boost the strength of their first-teams and overall squads.
Clubs are forking out ever-increasing fees to plug holes in their ranks or improve on what they have already got.
Sometimes though the answer might be right under their noses, with young players coming through the youth ranks or purchased from overseas who develop into prodigious stars.
Last season saw players like Manchester City’s Rico Lewis and Man United’s Alejandro Garnacho start to make waves at their respective clubs.
Ahead off the big kick-off this week, Mail Sport takes a look at ten players, who you might not have heard of, who could make a major splash in the Premier League this term.
Clubs will be hoping that they can find the next breakthrough star in the Premier League this season after the likes of Rico Lewis (pictured) and Alejandro Garnacho impressed last year
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Simon Adingra – Brighton
The Seagulls appear to have a limitless supply of young talents that they unearth from out of nowhere, and 21-year-old Ivory Coast star Simon Adingra looks like he could be the next to light up the Amex.
He spent last season on loan at Union Saint-Gilloise, the Belgian side who Brighton chairman Tony Bloom owns a minority stake in, and he scored 15 goals and provided just as many assists in 51 appearances.
Adingra impressed during pre-season, scoring a brace in their 2-0 victory over Brentford in the United States, and manager Roberto De Zerbi expects him to play an important part of his team this season.
‘I know the quality of Adingra. He is another big player for us,’ said Roberto De Zerbi after that pre-season win against Brentford. ‘We’ll play four competitions and we have to be ready to change many players every three days.’
The winger is super quick and showed excellent composure when he collected a downfield pass from keeper Jason Steele, and rounded Brentford’s Mark Flekken before steering the ball in from 25 yards.
Simon Adingra joined Brighton in 2022 and could be set to impress after a loan spell in Belgium
Ben Doak – Liverpool
Jurgen Klopp’s side have lost a ton of experience this summer with the likes of Jordan Henderson, Fabinho and James Milner all leaving the club.
The young players will fancy their chances of regular game-time, and of all the youngsters to be handed minutes this pre-season, Ben Doak has been the shining light.
Doak scored against Leicester and also caused opposition players all sorts of problems as he made cameos during other matches.
The 17-year-old is a right-winger by trade, so obviously will find it difficult to get into the starting line-up ahead of Mohamed Salah – though the Egyptian is potentially the best player to learn from for that position. He can also play more centrally however.
He might benefit from Liverpool qualifying for the Europa League, rather than the Champions League, as it would be no surprise to see him get the chance to showcase his talents on Thursday nights and provide Salah a much-needed rest.
Ben Doak (right) could benefit from Liverpool playing in the Europa League this season
Jaden Philogene (Aston Villa)
There are a number of young stars who could have break through years for Aston Villa, including striker Cameron Archer.
But Jaden Philogene appears to be at that top of the list, following loan spells at Stoke City and Cardiff City.
It was telling that the 21-year-old was picked to start in their pre-season draw with Newcastle and victory over Fulham in what were otherwise near full-strength teams.
He has received extra competition from Villa’s new signing Moussa Diaby, who also impressed during pre-season.
However, Philogene who has shown bundles of pace, power and directness could be someone Unai Emery looks to bring off the bench this season, with the occasional chance in the starting XI.
Jaden Philogene will provide cover to Aston Villa’s new signing Moussa Diaby on the right
Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United)
There is a lot of excitement around Amad Diallo after his impressive loan spell at Sunderland, but Kobbie Mainoo is another player that is creating a buzz.
The 18-year-old midfielder made three first-team outings for Erik ten Hag’s side last season, and produced a number of impressive showings during pre-season.
Mainoo’s progress was hampered by an ankle injury which he suffered during their tour of the United States in a match with Real Madrid.
The injury will keep him out ‘for the first part of the season’ but he could be one to watch out for when he has fully recovered later on in the campaign.
United are looking to sign another midfielder this summer, but the performances of Mainoo mean that the Red Devils might not be too concerned about signing a further player for the centre of the park, if Fred, Scott McTominay and Donny van De Beek leave by the end of the transfer window.
Kobbie Mainoo will be keen to return to action quickly after suffering a pre-season injury
Andrey Santos (Chelsea)
Chelsea signed Andrey Santos from Vasco da Gama in January but he has had to wait on the wings in Brazil while he sorted out a work permit.
The 19-year-old is a versatile midfielder with a great engine and he will likely get a chance to showcase his talents this season after the departures of a number of key players.
It remains to be seen who Chelsea bring in to add depth to their midfield which is short of options, but Santos will be keen to show that he is ready for the physicality of the Premier League to take up any opportunities that come his way.
Santos made 49 appearances for Vasco da Gama and his performances were enough to see him receive his first senior cap back in March.
Andrey Santos couldn’t feature for Chelsea last season as he tried to get a work permit sorted
Divin Mubama (West Ham)
The 18-year-old is more than ready to be playing senior football after firing in the goals for the Under-21s last season.
He helped them to glory in the FA Youth Cup, finishing as the top scorer in the tournament with eight goals.
He also made six first-team appearances, scoring in the last-16 of the Europa Conference League against AEK Larnaca.
Following the departure of Gianluca Scamacca and some doubt over Michail Antonio’s future, the physical striker could be thrown in from the start of the season.
Mubama, along with Brighton’s Adingra, probably has the best chance of the players on this list to get regular football this season.
Divin Mubama finished as the top scorer in West Ham’s FA Youth Cup success last season
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Luke Harris – Fulham
Similarly to Mubama, Welsh midfielder Luke Harris looks more than ready to make the break into Premier League football.
Harris has scored 25 goals and provided five assists in 35 appearances for the U21s.
He has already been called up to Wales’ senior squad and made his Premier League debut last October – making a further two appearances since.
The 18-year-old secured a new contract until 2026 earlier this year. There have been some reports he could be loaned out but he is still with the club and could enjoy a break through season if given the chance by Marco Silva – who has tipped him to become a top player.
Luke Harris has been tipped by Fulham boss Marco Silva to become a ‘top player’ and has already received a senior call-up from Wales
Lewis Miley (Newcastle)
Elliott Anderson has been omitted from the list as he made 22 appearances for Newcastle last season, albeit, he only played ten minutes or more in eight of those matches.
Someone who does make our list though is Lewis Miley, who made his Premier League debut on the final day of last season.
Miley impressed when called upon in pre-season, and Sean Longstaff named the 17-year-old as a player who he will be in contention with this season to make the starting XI.
As per the Newcastle Chronicle, he said: ‘I think Lew who plays more in my position – honestly he is just unbelievable.’
‘I just think Lewis is one of the best I have seen from the Academy in a long time. ‘It is just a pity he is in my position!’
Miley could benefit from Newcastle’s increased fixture schedule, with rotation perhaps needed because of their Champions League involvement.
Lewis Miley is a player who Newcastle fans and even his team-mates are excited about
Amario Cozier-Duberry – Arsenal
The 18-year-old was one of the stars of Arsenal’s FA Youth Cup run which saw them reach the final last season, only to come short against the Hammers.
Amario Cozier-Duberry – who has earned comparisons to Bukayo Saka – caught the eye of Mikel Arteta who included him in six matchday squads over the course of the campaign.
It wouldn’t be a surprise to see him make his competitive debut this season, and Arsenal fans would love to see the homegrown star add some extra competition in their attacking positions.
Other players to watch out for from the Gunners include Ethan Nwaneri and defender Reuell Walters.
Amario Cozier-Duberry was one of Arsenal’s top stars on their way to the FA Youth Cup final
Oscar Bobb – Manchester City
Cole Palmer is hardly established, but still made 25 appearances last season so he doesn’t make this list.
James McAtee returns from a successful loan spell at Sheffield United, but one more unknown quantity to keep an eye out for this season is Norwegian Oscar Bobb.
In total, Bobb has netted 13 goals and provided 26 assists in 53 Premier League 2 games.
Norwegian outlet TV2 reported that Bobb is not on the market and City want to keep him close to the first-team for the upcoming campaign.
Bobb was part of Norway’s U21 squad in the summer’s European Championships, and it would no surprise to see the 20-year-old make his senior debut for club and country this season.
Man City are keen to keep Oscar Bobb (right) around the first-team squad this season
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