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When Max Dowman came off the bench for Arsenal against Leeds earlier this season, he became just the third 15-year-old to play in the Premier League. A few days later, when 16-year-old Rio Ngumoha scored Liverpool’s winner against Newcastle, it felt like a confirmation of a trend: teenagers are not just filling gaps in squads, they are driving results.
At a time when clubs can spend more than £100m on a player – Liverpool did it twice in the summer – the Premier League is witnessing a quiet revolution: the rise of the teenagers. Teenagers made 430 appearances in the league last season – the highest in 19 years – and they have already made 130 appearances this season.
This revolution is happening across Europe too. Dowman became the youngest player to appear in the Champions League when he came on for Leandro Trossard against Slavia Prague this week. His appearance adds to a trend. The record for the youngest Champions League debut has been broken three times in the last five years: by Youssoufa Moukoko, Lamine Yamal and now Dowman.
Last season, players such as Myles Lewis-Skelly, Ethan Nwaneri, Lucas Bergvall, Nico O’Reilly and Leny Yoro made their mark in the Premier League. This season, keep an eye on these six teenagers.
Eli Kroupi
Kroupi has wasted no time making an impact after his £10m move from Lorient. The 19-year-old has scored four goals in seven league games this season, becoming just the 15th teenager in Premier League history to score in three consecutive matches. Can Uzun, the Eintracht Frankfurt player, is the only teenager with more goals in Europe’s top five leagues this season.
The France Under-21 international suits Bournemouth’s system perfectly: his explosive movement, instinctive finishing and positional flexibility are ideal for Andoni Iraola’s high-tempo, direct, transition-heavy style. Kroupi scored 23 goals for Lorient last season and he has not dropped the pace in the Premier League.
Josh King
The 18-year-old has become a vital cog in Marco Silva’s machine this season. After more than a decade in the Fulham academy, he made his debut last December – “one of the best moments of my life” – and impressed the manager enough to become a starter this season. Starting a single Premier League game as a teenager is noteworthy but starting nine of the first 10 matches this season – the most of any teenager in the league – underlines just how much faith the club is placing in their academy graduate.
King combines the maturity and footballing intelligence of a seasoned pro with the fearless confidence of a young talent. His manager was particularly impressed by the character he showed in Fulham’s win over local rivals Brentford earlier this season. His misplaced pass gifted their rivals an early goal but, rather than hiding, he pressed with intensity and continued to demand the ball. As Silva put it: “Sometimes you try to hide to gain confidence again, but that was not the case. He popped up again and showed himself. I was really impressed.”
The England Under-21 international takes risks on the pitch. He looks to break lines with ambitious passes and demands the ball even under pressure. He is the latest talented youngster to emerge from the Fulham academy, following players such as Harvey Elliott, Eberechi Eze, Djed Spence and Matt O’Riley.
Estêvão Willian
It’s difficult to know what to think when Chelsea sign a young player. Will they be loaned to Strasbourg for experience, used to provide squad depth or given a real chance in the first team? Early signs suggest that Estêvão, the 18-year-old signed from Palmeiras for £29m, has the trust of his manager. He has made 15 appearances this season, scoring four goals and picking up one assist.
Estêvão has the hallmarks of a classic Brazilian playmaker: flair, intelligence and creativity. He ranks fourth in the league for successful dribbles completed, third for goal-creating actions per 90 minutes, 14th for shots per 90 minutes, and third for take-ons attempted per game. And, crucially, he can be the man for the big occasion as he showed with his stoppage-time winner against Liverpool.
Tyrique George
Given the number of signings Chelsea bring in, and the fact they have made £250m from selling youth graduates in the last three years, it is hard to climb through the ranks from the academy to the first team. The number of minutes given to academy graduates has declined in recent seasons – from 8,606 in 2022-23 to 7,166 in 2023-24 and just 5,471 last season – which makes George’s progress all the more impressive.
A Chelsea fan who joined the club as an eight-year-old in 2014, he has made 35 appearances in all competitions over the past two seasons. His record this season is impressive: three goals and one assist in just 439 minutes of football.
With so many wingers playing regimented, system-driven football, it is refreshing to watch George play. His game is built on flair, spontaneity and confidence. He feints past defenders by letting the ball run across his body, adds a touch of skill to simple passes, and isn’t afraid to try a backheel or a flick in tight spaces. Every touch feels improvised rather than rehearsed and he constantly looks to make something happen. He is a breath of fresh air and could become something special at Stamford Bridge.
Max Dowman
It is no secret just how highly Mikel Arteta rates Dowman. The Arsenal manager practically lights up when asked about the youngster. Speaking after Arsenal’s 3-0 win in Prague this week, he said: “The first thing he did when he came on was to take people on, dribble and get a foul. That is personality and that is courage, you cannot teach that. You have it or you don’t.”
Dowman – born on New Year’s Eve 2009 – was training with the first team at 14 and has already broken a series of records, becoming Arsenal’s youngest starter, the Champions League’s youngest player, the Premier League’s second-youngest (after his teammate Nwaneri), and the youngest goalscorer for England Under-19s.
Given his youth – he has not yet sat his GCSEs – he will not be given as many minutes as some of the players on this list. “He is 15 years old and still growing,” says Arteta. “There are a lot of things we have to make sure are under control so he develops in the way he can do.” But expect big things from this record-breaker in the coming years.
Rio Ngumoha
An instinctive winger, Ngumoha combines sharp acceleration with tight control and a fearless approach in one-on-one situations. He has the intelligence to make the right decision in the final third, whether it’s slipping a precise pass through, picking his moment to shoot, or forcing a foul.
He announced himself on the big stage in August, delivering that 100th-minute winner for Liverpool against Newcastle. That finish not only sealed the win but also made him the club’s youngest ever goalscorer and the fourth youngest in Premier League history (after James Vaughan, James Milner and Wayne Rooney). Like Dowman, expect his minutes to be limited this season. But, if Liverpool manage him right, Ngumoha will become a regular.
This is an article by WhoScored
