Last month a new record was broken when 15-year-old, Ethan Nwaneri, came on for Arsenal in their 3-0 win over Brentford, making him the youngest player in Premier League history.
The English midfielder made a cameo appearance when replacing Fabio Viera for the Gunners in the 92nd minute. Nwaneri overtook Liverpool’s Harvey Elliott, who hitherto, held the Premier League record at 16-years-old, as well as surpassing the all-time English top-flight record, held since 1964 by ex-Sunderland goalkeeper, Derek Foster.
Former Arsenal captain, Granit Xhaka claimed he could see a “big difference with him and the 16-year-olds [who he has trained]” and believes that the player has a “big future” but synchronously “needs to be protected as he is very young”.
Additionally, Gunner boss Mikel Arteta seemed fond when he waxed lyrical about the youngster saying, “I met the boy and I really liked what I saw”. He also commented on how the academy staff at the club were giving him “really good information about him”.
By the age of 14, Nwaneri was already prominently featuring in Arsenal’s under-18 side before he was quickly advanced to the club’s under-21 team – making one appearance in the Premier League 2.
The perpetuity of young talent in the Premier League is increasing week-by-week, perhaps even rivalling Ligue 1, otherwise known as the self-styled league of talent which has witnessed the rise of some of the world’s best including a particular Frenchman that goes by the name of Kylian Mbappe.
Especially now, with this season’s latest rule which has seen football’s lawmakers ratify the decision to allow five substitutes per match, this grants the opportunity for clubs to allow their younger players game-time – whereas in previous seasons this has been tough as Premier League clubs had to use their three substitutes assiduously.
Up until the sixth game week 50% of Premier League clubs had fielded at least one player under the age of 20.
VAVEL looks at the other new kids on the block, step by step. (Data accurate up until game week 8)
Liverpool – Harvey Elliott, Fabio Carvalho, Bobby Clark and Stefan Bajcetic
Probably the most familiar name on the list, Elliott was signed by Fulham’s academy at under-18 level and became the youngest player to play in the EFL cup, aged just 15. Less than a year later he created even more history when he became the youngest ever player to play in the Premier League at age 16, despite interest from some of Europe’s giants including PSG and Real Madrid. Liverpool’s central midfielder is currently the most fielded teenager in the Premier League, scoring once in six appearances.
Liverpool appear to have a knack for snapping up Fulham’s young talent with Portuguese winger Fabio Carvalho also emerging from The Cottagers academy.
Prior to his move to England, the Torres Vedras-born forward began his career playing at the youth academy of Olivias Sul before moving to Benfica, one of the most successful academies in the footballing world - producing some of Europe’s best young talent (Bernardo Silva, Joao Felix and Renato Sanches to name a few).
Carvalho massively impressed at Fulham when producing his breakout season scoring 11 goals and providing 7 assists in the 2021-2022 EFL campaign at just age 18.
The son of former Premier League footballer and manager Lee Clark, is one of the youngest players to feature this season at just 17-years-old.
In August 2021 the striker moved to Liverpool academy for a fee of around £1.5M. After impressing in training and engaging in Liverpool’s trip to Asia, he received a personal guarantee from Jurgen Klopp that there would be a route to the first team available for him.
The 17-year-old Serbian centre-back began his career at a young age playing for Celta Vigo academy before moving to Liverpool for £224,000, just a day before a new rule was integrated that clubs from the UK would be unable to sign any overseas players under the age of 18.
Bajcetic spent just over a season playing for the academy before being promoted to the first-team squad. He became one of Liverpool’s youngest ever players when he made his professional debut for The Red’s in their impressive 9-0 victory over Bournemouth.
Coaches at the club believe the defender is ‘well ahead of his long-term schedule’ and are ‘delighted with his progress’. The binational currently represents Spain, but also has the option to represent Serbia, the country his father, Srdan Bajcetic formerly represented.
Southampton – Romeo Lavia and Samuel Edozie
The 18-year-old, who currently has the second highest minutes played this season by teenagers, is one of the many top graduates of Anderlecht Academy.
The defensive midfielder was scouted by Pep Guardiola himself when he was just 15-years-old when competing in the ‘KDB cup’, a local international youth tournament. At age 16 Lavia signed his first professional contract with Premier League champions, Manchester City.
After a series of exceptional performances for the under-16s he was soon promoted to the under 18s after only 11 appearances, he was once again on the up, featuring for the under-23s. After joining Southampton in the summer transfer window, his goal in the Saints 2-1 victory over Chelsea prized him with the record-breaking award of the only player born in 2004 to score in the Premier League.
The 19-year-old winger began his career at Millwall academy before moving to Manchester City in 2019. The England youth international impressed Pep Guardiola in the pre-season of their 2021-2022 campaign and was awarded by being named in the starting XI for the 2021 FA Community Shield against Leicester.
The teenager born in Lewisham, signed a 5-year contract with Southampton in the summer transfer window as Saints boss Ralph Hasenhüttl looked to bolster his attack after losing: Nathan Redmond, Shane Long and Nathan Tella.
“Samuel is another promising young player who brings good attacking qualities to us, and he is someone who fits very well with our philosophy. He is a quick player who has impressive technical ability, so he will be able to help our squad immediately, but we also see a lot of potential in him for the future.”
Fulham – Jay Stansfield
The son of former English Football player, Adam Stansfield, the 19-year-old started his career at the academy of Exeter before making a permanent move to Fulham and completing a cyclical transfer trilateral when being loaned back out to Exeter this season.
The forward was the first player to wear the no.9 shirt for Exeter since his father’s death in 2010.
Newcastle United – Elliot Anderson
Despite only playing 32 minutes this season, the Tyne and Wear born teenager has impressed many fans with his technical dribbling ability and his habitual play style of carrying the ball forward.
The winger descends from former Newcastle player Geoff Allen, who happens to also play left-wing, the position Anderson has impressed in the most so far. In 2022 the 19-year-old moved to, now, League One club Bristol Rovers where he stunned League Two fans after registering 7 Goals and 6 Assists in just 21 games.
Perhaps the most marquee moment for Anderson was when he was part of one of the most dramatic promotions in EFL history when Bristol Rovers beat Scunthorpe United 7-0. Prior to the game, The Pirates were sitting in 4th place with a 5-goal difference to overcome if they were to gain promotion – the Newcastle starlet scored the seventh goal that secured Bristol their place in League one, his 4th goal contribution of the match.
Brighton and Hove Albion – Levi Colwill
The 19-year-old centre back, born in Southampton, started his career off at Chelsea academy at under-9 level, the Chelsea youngster made his first move in June 2021 on loan to play-off finalists Huddersfield where his progress was stagnated due to a plethora of injuries.
In the summer transfer window Colwill joined Brighton on loan from Chelsea and made his debut for the Seagulls in their 2-1 victory against Man Utd. Ex-Brighton manager Graham Potter believes the player has ‘enormous potential’ as he has already ‘shown his ability in the Championship and at International (youth) level.’
Manchester City – Rico Lewis
The youth England International began his career at just 8-years-old when he was scouted for Manchester City’s academy. This time last year Lewis had made just four appearances for the under-18s squad and had just signed his opening scholarship deal.
Just 12-months later the versatile defender won 2 academy titles, was named in Guardiola's starting XI in City’s draw against Barcelona and made his Premier League debut this season against the newly promoted Bournemouth.
City’s boss confirmed earlier this season that Lewis would be staying at City after there were rumours the player would be loaned out. The right-back impressed the Spaniard at the Camp Nou with his versatility after adapting to the inverted wing-back role which see’s City’s full-backs drift into the centre of the pitch in build-up play.
Crystal Palace – Malcolm Ebiowei
Ebiowei is one of the latest products of the Eagles perpetual growing ‘contingent of talent’, the 19-year-old striker has been involved in football from the age of 5-years-old when he was scouted by Chelsea academy before representing Arsenal and Rangers up until the age of 18.
The starlet made his professional debut a year after he signed for Derby County in early 2022, before signing for Crystal Palace on a 5-year contract just four months later. Palaces Chairman, Steve Parish believes he is a, “highly coveted young player” further going on to say he expects him to flourish at the highest level.
The trinational has the ability to play for the Netherlands, Nigeria and England, making him the only player in the Premier League who has represented three countries. England have recently upped the ante in trying to secure the teenager over the break, inviting him to their international campaign in the under-20 squad.
Bournemouth – Owen Bevan
The 18-year-old from Wales has only made a short cameo this season in Bournemouth’s 9-0 defeat to Liverpool. However, coaches have reported that Bevan has made ‘eye-catching progress since joining the club as a 9-year-old’.
Originally the youngster was a central midfielder, but when he turned 14-years-old the player was converted to a centre-back due to his physicality and has ‘revelled’ in that position ever since.
The player has been previously loaned out to Truro City and is currently on loan at Yeovil Town until the end of the 2022-2023 season. (Brother to Taylor Bevan, English Amateur boxing champion who represented Wales at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, winning silver)
Manchester United – Alejandro Garnacho
The Madrid-born player joined Manchester United youth system in October 2020 before playing a major role in helping United’s under-18s win the FA Youth Cup and bagging himself the ‘Jimmy Murphy Young Player of The Year award’.
The winger has represented Spain at under-18 level as well as making his debut for Argentina’s youth team in 2022, he has since been called up to the senior team but as of yet has not made an appearance. The teenager made his debut for Manchester United at just 17-years-old against Chelsea in April making him one of the youngest ever players for the Red Devils in recent times behind Angel Gomes and Shola Shoretire.
Wolverhampton Wanderers – Chem Campbell
The Welsh youth international is the second ever youngest player to make an appearance for Wolverhampton Wanderers (behind Jimmy Mullen) aged 17-years-old when the central attacking midfielder made his debut against Aston Villa in the EFL cup in 2019.
Despite Wolves fans only seeing him for a glimpse this season the player has already made his mark in the Premier League 2 – netting 12 goals and accumulating 9 assists over 42 games.
With the high-scale of international games that have been played over the last week in Europe and around the world, the pool of young talent will only multiply. We have reached a stage in football where academies are brimming with talent, club visions are centralised about bringing in youth, and the general playing age is becoming younger; is football in fact becoming a ‘teenaged’ game, or has the beautiful game simply advanced to the highest level we’ve ever seen it?