One potential breakout star for each Premier League club this season

Arsenal: Marli Salmon

Dowman is old news by now, so we’re going to look at someone four months older than him. Much like the fish of the same name, Salmon has risen quickly. The defender became the fourth-youngest player to represent Arsenal last season when he came off the bench against Club Brugge in the Champions League in December at the age of just 16 years and 102 days.

Salmon made four appearances for the first team last season, while also featuring 14 times for their Under-21s in Premier League 2. He won an impressive 71.8% of his duels in PL2 (56 of 78); of defenders to contest at least 50 duels, only two players had a better success rate. Salmon – who can play right-back or centre-back – has signed a pre-agreement to commit his future to the club when he turns 17 later this month, and it would not be surprising to see him given more opportunities by Mikel Arteta.

Aston Villa: Brian Madjo

Aston Villa signed Madjo from Metz in January for about £10.5m but were not able to register him. He is available now and has been involved regularly during pre-season. The giant 17-year-old centre-forward’s movement and power are reminiscent of Erling Haaland.

He has caught the eye in Villa’s recent friendlies, scoring four times. Pre-season only counts for so much, of course, but you can only score against what’s in front of you.

Bournemouth: Veljko Milosavljevic

After the departure of Marcos Senesi, Bournemouth have a position in the centre of defence up for grabs and Milosavljevic could be the man to claim it. Milosavljevic joined the club last summer from Red Star Belgrade. Although he didn’t feature prominently, making just seven appearances in all competitions, the 19-year-old is clearly a promising defender.

He made more clearances than any other Bournemouth player on his Premier League debut in September, before going on to make his full international debut for Serbia in October. Marco Rose may want more experience at centre-back, especially given how youthful some of Bournemouth’s other defenders are, but Milosavljevic will hope to take another step forward this season.

Brentford: Antoni Milambo

Milambo had a difficult introduction to English football last season. Signed from Feyenoord for around £21m last year, he suffered a season-ending ACL injury on international duty in October. He was obviously set back but will be confident he can force his way into Keith Andrews’ thinking this term.

He became Feyenoord’s youngest ever player in 2021, when he made his debut as a 16-year-old, but Milambo rose to prominence in 2024-25 as a forward-thinking, box-to-box midfielder who was technically good and could be a threat in attack. No other Eredivisie player under the age of 21 bettered his 14 goal involvements in all competitions that season. He could be a dynamic asset in the very useful midfield Andrews has built.

Brighton: Zadok Yohanna

Yohanna will need a little patience as he’s still quite raw but, if he is given opportunities at Brighton this season, he will catch the eye. The 19-year-old Nigerian has joined from AIK for around £21.5m, a record sale for Swedish football, despite playing just 13 league games for the club. It was enough to convince Brighton, who have been impressed by his direct style and fearless dribbling.

A left-footed winger who plays on the right side of the attack, Yohanna was attempting more dribbles per 90 minutes than any other player in the Allsvenskan this year before his move was confirmed in June. He also tallied the most take-ons driving into the box (six), take-ons inthe box (15) and the joint-most take-ons followed by a shot (three), despite playing significantly fewer minutes than many other players. His end product needs work, but he will get bums off seats.

Chelsea: Reggie Watson

Chelsea always have a conveyor belt of young talent waiting for a chance – the issue is many seem to get lost in the crowd. But, after losing Rio Ngumoha to Liverpool a couple of years ago, the club have apparently made a greater effort to keep hold of emerging homegrown talents, and one of those they were especially keen to tie down was Reggie Watson.

A towering defensive midfielder, Watson, 16, has impressive physical attributes but is also tidy on the ball, appears to have good spatial awareness and plays with considerable personality for one so young. It’s easy to see why he’s been tentatively compared with Rodri.

Xabi Alonso has also spoken about being “really impressed” with his impact in pre-season. Given the uncertainty around other midfielders – such as the fitness issues of Roméo Lavia and Dário Essugo – Watson could get minutes this season.

Coventry City: Kai Andrews

With survival being the name of the game for Coventry City season, giving minutes to young players may not be Frank Lampard’s top priority. There is one youngster who could force his way into Lampard’s plans, though: Andrews. The 19-year-old midfielder made 10 appearances for Coventry last season before joining Hibernian on loan.

While Andrews failed to make his mark in Scotland, he ended the campaign on a high as he made his first start for Wales in a friendly against Romania. He acquitted himself well in the match, making nine passes in the final third, the third most of any player, and winning two fouls. Andrews will need to decide whether to stay at Coventry and fight for a place or go out on loan for regular minutes.

Crystal Palace: Joél Drakes-Thomas

Drakes-Thomas became Crystal Palace’s youngest Premier League player last season and will hope to play a more prominent role this campaign. The wideman made his Palace debut in the Conference League when he was just 16 years old and he shone against Finnish side KuPS. He attempted seven crosses during the match, the most of any player, and he created two chances, the joint-most. The appointment of Pierre Sage has signalled the start of a new era at Selhurst Park, and Drakes-Thomas has the ability to be a figurehead of any future success.

Everton: Tyrique George

George looked promising at Chelsea, but his first few months at Everton after initially joining on loan in February were something of a settling-in period, as he started just one game for David Moyes’ side. With a full pre-season under his belt, George could burst into life this season.

Quick, dynamic and eager to run at full-backs, the 20-year-old could be the one to benefit most from Jack Grealish returning to Manchester City after his loan. George has started three of Everton’s four pre-season friendlies in the absence of Iliman Ndiaye, who is reportedly the subject of interest from abroad. With Grealish gone and Dwight McNeil dropping down the pecking order, George has a big opportunity.

Fulham: Farhaan Ali-Wahid

The 19-year-old will be hoping to make his debut for Fulham this season, having already impressed for their Under-21s. He signed his first professional contract with the club last summer and went on to score 10 goals in PL2. The left winger also added seven assists, proving he can create as well as find the net himself.

Only Chelsea’s Shumaira Mheuka (19) and Liverpool’s Kieran Morrison (18) recorded more goal involvements than Ali-Wahid (17) in the PL2 last season, while just 10 players created more chances from open play than his 26. He was nominated for the PL2 Player of the Season award and the new Fulham manager, Álvaro Arbeloa, has been picking him in pre-season.

Hull City: Charlie Hughes

Hughes was Hull’s defensive lynchpin last season. The 22-year-old centre-back started 36 games in the Championship and played every minute of their successful playoff campaign. He has a remarkable willingness to put his body on the line. Last season, he made 1.54 blocks per 90 minutes, the most of any regular player in the Championship. He also made more clearances per 90 minutes (7.62) than any of his teammates (1,000+ mins). Hull may struggle in the Premier League, but Hughes could be a diamond in the rough.

Ipswich Town: Tudor Mendel-Idowu

Mendel-Idowu, who spent most of his youth development at Chelsea before a year at Anderlecht, was snapped up by Ipswich in the summer of 2024, though he is yet to make his first-team debut. The winger is an intelligent fellow; he appeared on a TV show called Child Genius when he was eight years old and went on to become a King’s Scholar at Eton College.

He has not only thrived in academia, but also on the pitch. He recorded 15 goal involvements in 17 PL2 games for the Ipswich’s Under-21s last season (nine goals, six assists); only three players managed more in the league. On top of that, only three players created more chances from open play than his 33, and just two won possession in the final third more than him (21).

Leeds United: Jayden Lienou

Chances were at a premium last season for young players under Daniel Farke. The youngest player to play for Leeds was 21-year-old Facundo Buonanotte, who had already made his debut for Argentina, and even he only played a fleeting role in the second half of the season.

But Lienou may just be winning Farke’s trust. The 18-year-old defender started all but one of Leeds’ PL2 games last season and won possession 5.4 times per 90 minutes, the second most in the side. He was the only youth-team player to feature in Leeds’ first three pre-season games, and he was called into the senior Wales squad by Craig Bellamy in June, showing he is impressing coaches for both club and country.

Liverpool: Trey Nyoni

With a new manager comes a new opportunity to impress, and Trey Nyoni has taken that chance in pre-season. The midfielder had to be patient after joining Liverpool from Leicester in 2023. Arne Slot gave him limited minutes last season, with Nyoni making 14 appearances in all competitions, only two of which were starts, both in the League Cup. With Andoni Iraola now in the dugout, the 19-year-old has been able to stake his claim and has been Liverpool’s standout midfielder in pre-season.

One of the most impressive aspects to his game is his verticality. Nyoni wants to get the ball forward as often as possible, though he’s not careless in possession. In his three friendlies this summer in the US – against Sunderland, Wrexham and Leeds United – Nyoni attempted 154 passes, completing 141 of them (92%). Just looking at forward passes, he completed an impressive 44 out of 54 (81%). With Curtis Jones potentially leaving, and most of Liverpool’s transfer funds seemingly going on attackers, the path may open up for Nyoni.

Manchester City: Ryan McAidoo

McAidoo has shone in City’s extremely competitive academy. The winger impressed in the PL2 last season, with only Reigan Heskey (15) registering more goal involvements than him (12) for City. McAidoo made his first-team debut last season, and he marked the occasion by scoring the ninth goal in City’s 10-1 drubbing of Exeter City in the FA Cup.

More recently, the 18-year-old caught the eye with his one-v-one ability in City’s pre-season friendly against Inter. He also had the second-most touches in the opposition’s box (13). Enzo Maresca raved about McAidoo’s performance, calling him “the type of winger I love”.

Manchester United: JJ Gabriel

Gabriel is undoubtedly the biggest hope in Manchester United’s academy. He apparently nearly left at the end of the 2024-25 season until senior club figures stepped in and his reputation has only continued to grow since. Then, aged 14, he had already become the youngest player to represent United’s Under-18s, scoring twice on his debut. After turning 15 in October, he was soon involved in first-team training.

Nevertheless, his focus remained the Under-18s, for whom he scored 23 goals – a tally bettered by only one player – in the 2025-26 U18 Premier League campaign, winning the competition’s Player of the Season award.

A skilful attacker who can play out wide or through the middle, Gabriel is brave, expressive and confident. He showed these traits when he came on as a late substitute in United’s pre-season friendly against Atlético Madrid at the weekend.

The record for youngest Premier League player is out of reach, but Gabriel has a good chance of becoming United’s youngest player in the Premier League; that honour currently belongs to Angel Gomes (16 years, 263 days).

Newcastle United: Park Seung-soo

For all the good he did at Newcastle, some supporters think Eddie Howe could have done more to bring young talent through. Now he’s gone and Newcastle are in a transition period, several of their young players will fancy their chances of stepping up. Park, 19, is one of them. The South Korean left-winger was signed last summer and spent the season adapting to English football in PL2. He averaged 4.7 dribble attempts per 90 minutes in that competition and caught the eye with his energetic displays and tidy footwork.

With Anthony Gordon gone, there may well be chances available on the left flank, especially if new signing Bazoumana Touré does not get off to a flying start. Park has impressed in pre-season and a step up to top-flight football might not be far down the line.

Nottingham Forest: Kalum Thompson

Thompson signed for Nottingham Forest from Northern Irish club Linfield last July and, despite being 16 at the time, he went on to spend the majority of 2025-26 playing for the club’s Under-21s. The left winger was the youngest player to feature for Forest Under-21s last season and yet only four players – three of whom are now 20 – tallied more minutes than him (1,090).

The 17-year-old won the club’s scholar of the year prize at the end of the season. A tricky and purposeful player, Thompson’s 4.7 dribble attempts per 90 ranked highly in the PL2 and his six goal involvements were the most of any Forest player.

Sunderland: Nilson Angulo

Although Angulo reportedly cost £15m in January and is already 23 years old, he just about fits into the potential breakout player category. After joining from Anderlecht, Angulo’s impact at Sunderland wasn’t exactly explosive. There were flashes of his flair but he was clearly still pretty raw.

Nevertheless, those first few months gave him time to adapt and, after a fairly encouraging World Cup with Ecuador, he’ll now hope to kick on. He has the ability and he has an athletic build which should help him once his game has been refined a little more.

Sunderland will hope the Angulo of Anderlecht comes to the fore a little more this season. Prior to his move last season, he’d attempted more dribbles (111) than any other player in the Belgian Pro League, while only Christos Tzolis (17) – now at Arsenal – bettered his 11 goal involvements. If he keeps progressing, Angulo will be a very useful weapon for Régis Le Bris.

Tottenham: Lucá Williams-Barnett

Spurs seem to have exciting young talents breaking through every other season, and now it’s Williams-Barnett’s turn to see if he can make his mark. Williams-Barnett started last season playing Under-18s football but quickly broke into first-team contention. He made one senior appearance but featured on the bench semi-regularly throughout the campaign.

He was one of Spurs’ standout players in the PL2 despite only playing 10 games. Williams-Barnett recorded an astounding 1.25 combined goals and assists per 90 in the PL2, ranking him fourth among all players (500+ mins). The 17-year-old attacking midfielder also created 0.8 big chances per 90 last season, again ranking him fourth (500+ mins). He has featured heavily in pre-season, building great momentum which he can hopefully take into the season.

This is an article by Opta Analyst

Reporting from The Guardian contributed to this story.