By Opta Analyst | Created at 2026-08-05 12:13:27 | Updated at 2026-08-06 02:49:01
14 hours ago
Ahead of the 2026-27 Premier League season, we have identified one player from each club who could potentially have a breakout season.
Every season has its own crop of young players who make a name for themselves or emerge as first-team options, and the 2026-27 Premier League season will be no different.
Last season, we backed the likes of Max Dowman, Mateus Mané, Shea Lacey, Michael Kayode, Estêvão and Rio Ngumoha to make an impact, and every single one of them heads into 2026-27 as a viable option at senior level at the very least (though Mané hasn’t yet earned a move back to the Premier League from relegated Wolves).
So, who do we think might make a similar impression this season?
To be completely clear, “potential breakout player” has a fairly loose definition. They do not have to come from their club’s academy, they simply have to be a young footballer with limited prior top-level experience who we feel could develop significantly this season. For some, that development might mean becoming a regular starter; for others it’ll be pushing into the senior team for the first time.
Arsenal
Marli Salmon
You were expecting Max Dowman, weren’t you? He’s old news by now (and as mentioned, we picked him last year), so instead we’re going to look at someone four months older than him.
Much like the fish of the same name, Marli Salmon has risen quickly. The defender became the fourth-youngest player to represent Arsenal’s senior team last season when he came off the bench in the Champions League clash with Club Brugge in December at the age of just 16 years and 102 days.
Salmon made four appearances in total for Arsenal in all competitions last season, while he also featured 14 times for the U21s in Premier League 2 (PL2). 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 already signed a pre-agreement to commit his future to the Gunners when he turns 17 later this month, and it would not be surprising to see him given more opportunities by Mikel Arteta, who is known to like his defenders.
Aston Villa
Brian Madjo
Aston Villa signed Brian Madjo for about £10.5 million from Metz in January but hadn’t been able to register him. Because he’d moved from France and played youth football for Luxembourg, FIFA considered it an international transfer even though Madjo was born in London and has an English passport; he’d have to wait until he was 18 in January 2026.
However, Villa had that ruling overturned on Tuesday after taking FIFA to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Madjo will be registered for 2026-27, then, and he looks primed to get minutes for Villa judging by his regular involvement for Unai Emery’s team in pre-season.
A giant of a centre-forward, there’s something a bit Erling Haaland about the way he moves and the power he already possesses at the age of 17.
While it’s only pre-season, he’s been catching the eye in Villa’s recent friendlies, scoring four times already. That only counts for so much, of course, but then 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 Veljko Milosavljevic could be the man to claim it.
Milosavljevic joined the Cherries last summer from Crvena Zvezda. Although he didn’t feature prominently on the pitch, making just seven appearances in all competitions, he has had time to settle into life in England, which could prove advantageous this season.
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 2025.
Marco Rose may want more experience at centre-back, especially given how youthful some of Bournemouth’s other central defensive options are, but Milosavljevic will hope to take another step forward in 2026-27.
Brentford
Antoni Milambo
The 2025-26 campaign proved a difficult introduction to English football for Antoni Milambo. Signed from Feyenoord for an estimated £21m last year, he suffered a season-ending ACL injury on international duty in October.
At that point, Brentford boss Keith Andrews had been easing him in slowly but was convinced Milambo would be capable of making an impact once he was up to speed with Premier League intensity.
He was obviously set back a bit but will be confident he can force his way into Andrews’ thinking this term.
Although he became Feyenoord’s youngest ever player at 16 when making his debut in 2021, 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 U21 player from the Eredivisie bettered his 14 goal involvements in all competitions that season. While such a return won’t be expected (at least not yet) at Brentford, he could be a dynamic asset in the very useful midfield Andrews has built.
Brighton
Zadok Yohanna
He’ll likely need a little patience, and he’s clearly still quite raw, but if Zadok Yohanna is given opportunities at Brighton this season, he will almost certainly catch the eye.
The 19-year-old Nigerian has joined from AIK for a reported £21.5m, a record sale for Swedish football, despite playing just 13 Allsvenskan games for the club.
It was seemingly enough to convince Brighton, however, who’ll have been impressed by his direct style and fearless approach to dribbling.
A left-footed right winger, Yohanna was averaging 8.5 dribble attempts per 90 in the Allsvenskan this year prior to his move being confirmed in June, more than any other player in the division.
Similarly, over that same period he tallied the most take-ons driving into the box (6), take-ons in the box (15) and joint-most take-ons followed by a shot (3) despite playing significantly fewer minutes than many other players.
His end product still 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 some of Chelsea’s other midfielders – such as the fitness issues of Roméo Lavia and Dario Essugo – it’s not outlandish to suggest Watson could get minutes this season he if he continues to progress.
Coventry City
Kai Andrews
With survival being the name of the game for Coventry City this season, giving minutes to young players will be far from Frank Lampard’s top priority.
There is one youngster who could force his way into Lampard’s plans, though: Kai Andrews.
The 19-year-old midfielder made 10 appearances for Coventry last campaign 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; Neco Williams (3) was the only Welsh player to win more.
Andrews will need to decide whether to stay at Coventry and fight for a place in the team or go back out on loan for regular minutes.
Crystal Palace
Joél Drakes-Thomas
Joél Drakes-Thomas became Crystal Palace’s youngest ever Premier League player last season and he could be set to play a more prominent role for the Eagles this campaign.
The wide man made his Palace debut last season in the UEFA Conference League when he was just 16 years old and he shone against Finnish outfit KuPS.
Drakes-Thomas attempted seven crosses during the match, the most of any player, and he created two chances, the joint most. He ended the game having completed three dribbles, a total only bettered by Romain Esse (4).
The appointment of Pierre Sage has signalled the start of a new era at Selhurst Park, and Drakes-Thomas could have the potential to become the figurehead of any future success.
Everton
Tyrique George
Tyrique George looked promising at Chelsea, but his first few months at Everton after initially joining on loan in February was something of a settling-in period, as he started just one game for David Moyes’ side.
With a full pre-season on Merseyside under his belt, George could burst into life during the 2026-27 season.
Quick, dynamic and eager to run at full-backs, George could be the one to benefit most from Jack Grealish returning to Manchester City after a loan spell with the Toffees.
During the 2024-25 UEFA Conference League, a competition in which George started regularly for Chelsea, he completed 1.65 dribbles per 90, ranking him fifth among Chelsea players.
He 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 last season, George need only reach out and take his opportunity.
Fulham
Farhaan Ali-Wahid
At 19 years of age, Farhaan Ali-Wahid will be looking to make his senior debut for Fulham this season, and if he can replicate the form he showed for the club’s Under-21s last season, he could make an impact.
He signed his first professional contract with the Whites last summer and went on to score 10 goals in PL2 in the 2025-26 campaign. The left winger also added seven assists, proving he could 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 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.
Ali-Wahid played the second half of Fulham’s 2-0 friendly loss to Norwich City last month, replacing Kevin, before also coming off the bench against Al-Ahli and Farense, so new boss Álvaro Arbeloa is getting a good look at him ahead of the new campaign.
Hull City
Charlie Hughes
Being a newly promoted team, one could argue that nearly every Hull City player could potentially become a breakout star, but Charlie Hughes stands out above the rest.
The centre-back was Hull’s defensive lynchpin last season as he started 36 games in the Championship and played every minute of the Tigers’ successful play-off campaign.
Arguably Hughes’ strongest asset is something that’s key for defenders at teams expecting to spend more time in the lower reaches of the table: his willingness to put his body on the line.
Last season, he made 1.54 blocks per 90, the most of any player in the Championship to have played over 1,000 minutes. He also made more clearances per 90 (7.62) than any of his teammates (1,000+ mins).
Hull look set to struggle, but Hughes could be a diamond in the rough.
Ipswich Town
Tudor Mendel-Idowu
One player who will be hoping to catch the eye of new Ipswich boss Gary O’Neil is Tudor Mendel-Idowu, who spent most of his youth development at Chelsea before a year at Anderlecht in their developmental team.
The Tractor Boys snapped up the right winger in the summer of 2024, though he is yet to make his first-team debut.
Mendel-Idowu 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. Mendel-Idowu recorded 15 goal involvements in 17 PL2 games for Ipswich U21s last season (9 goals, 6 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). Giving him some opportunities would seem like a smart choice.
Leeds United
Jayden Lienou
Last season, chances were at a premium for Leeds players under Daniel Farke.
The youngest player to play for them 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 Jayden 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, the second most of any Leeds player (500+ PL2 mins).
Lienou 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 at the moment.
Liverpool
Trey Nyoni
With a new manager comes new opportunities to impress, and Trey Nyoni has taken that chance in pre-season.
The midfielder joined from Leicester City in 2023 and has had to be patient. Arne Slot only 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 for a more regular place and has arguably 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 friendly appearances this summer in the United States 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 rumours Curtis Jones could be on his way to Inter this summer and most of the transfer budget seemingly being saved for attackers, Nyoni could well have a pathway to regular first-team minutes.
Manchester United
JJ Gabriel
Undoubtedly the biggest hope in Manchester United’s academy currently is JJ Gabriel.
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’d already become the youngest player to ever 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 in his senior debut as a late substitute in Saturday’s pre-season friendly against Atlético Madrid.
The record for youngest Premier League player is out of reach, but Gabriel has a good chance of becoming United’s youngest ever player in the Premier League; that honour currently belongs to Angel Gomes (16 years, 263 days).
Manchester City
Ryan McAidoo
In an extremely competitive environment at the City Football Academy, Ryan McAidoo has shone.
The winger impressed in the PL2 last season, with only Reigan Heskey (15) registering more goal involvements than him (12) among Manchester City players.
McAidoo made his first-team debut for City last campaign, 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, completing two dribbles, the joint-second most of anyone on the pitch. He also had the second-most touches in the opposition’s box (13).
Enzo Maresca raved about McAdioo’s performance after the game, calling him “the type of winger I love”.
With a rotation spot on the wing potentially up for grabs at the Etihad, McAidoo is well placed to take it.
Newcastle United
Park Seung-soo
For all the good he did at Newcastle, there’s certainly a perception among some supporters that Eddie Howe could’ve done more to bring young talent through.
Now he’s gone and Newcastle are in a transition period, there are several young players at the club who might fancy their chances of getting opportunities to step up.
Park Seung-soo, 19, is one of them. The South Korean left-winger was signed last summer and spent the 2025-26 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 doesn’t get off to a flying start.
Park has been involved in pre-season and generally impressed. A step up to top-flight football might not be too far down the line.
Nottingham Forest
Kalum Thompson
Kalum Thompson signed for Nottingham Forest from Northern Ireland’s 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.
Predominantly a left winger, Thompson was the youngest player to feature for Forest Under-21s last term and yet only four players – three of whom are now 20 – tallied more minutes than him (1,090).
The 17-year-old was nominated for the Premier League 2’s Player of the Month award for November, a first for a Forest player, and 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 saw him rank 11th in the PL2 (810+ mins), and his six goal involvements was the most of anyone in the Forest squad.
Sunderland
Nilson Angulo
Although Nilson Angulo reportedly cost an initial £15m in January and is already 23 years old, we think we can still just about suggest him as a potential breakout player for this season.
After joining from Anderlecht in the winter, 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 will have been important from an adaptation perspective, and now, following a fairly encouraging World Cup with Ecuador, he’ll be expected to kick on.
There’s certainly an abundance of ability in him, 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 surface a little more this term. 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 could be a very useful weapon for Régis Le Bris in 2026-27.
Tottenham Hotspur
Luca Williams-Barnett
Spurs seem to have an exciting young talent breaking through every other season, and now it’s Lucá Williams-Barnett’s turn to see if he can make his mark at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Williams-Barnett started last season playing Under-18s football but quickly broke into first-team contention. He made one senior appearance for Spurs and 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 throughout pre-season, building great momentum which he can hopefully take into the Premier League campaign.
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