13 Premier League breakout stars to watch this season
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- BBC Sport commentators selected 13 players to watch in the upcoming season, ranging in age from 17 to 27 and spanning new signings, academy products, and late bloomers.
- Sean Steur joined Newcastle from Ajax in a deal worth up to £23m, with Steve Bower noting the 18-year-old Dutch midfielder is two-footed with 'lovely passing ability' and could feature under a new manager.
- Caleb Yirenkyi signed for newly promoted Coventry City from FC Nordsjaelland for a club-record ~£25m after featuring in all four of Ghana's World Cup matches and being named Young Player of the Year in the Danish Superliga.
- Brian Madjo, a 17-year-old Aston Villa striker signed for ~£10m in January, scored against PSG in the Super Cup on his competitive debut and is drawing early comparisons to Erling Haaland.
- Oscar Mingueza joined Crystal Palace on a free transfer from Celta Vigo and could replace Daniel Munoz, with Conor McNamara calling the signing potentially 'one of the signings of the summer.'
- Veljko Milosavljevic is Bournemouth's latest defensive recruit following the Huijsen-Kerkez-Zabarnyi model of low-profile arrivals sold on for significant fees, though a pre-season knock may delay his start.
- Lucas Herrington becomes Hull City's young Australian center-back after becoming Australia's youngest World Cup starter, while Trey Nyoni has impressed Liverpool in pre-season enough that Arne Slot may reconsider loan offers.
- Bazoumana Toure, a 20-year-old Ivorian left-winger, arrives at Newcastle from Hoffenheim where he recorded 15 assists and five goals in the Bundesliga.
Why it matters: Premier League clubs are increasingly identifying value in teenage signings from continental Europe and beyond, with Newcastle, Coventry, and Villa all paying £10m-plus for teenage prospects. The pattern of low-profile buys at Bournemouth (Huijsen, Kerkez, Zabarnyi, now Milosavljevic) being sold on for large fees shows a viable recruitment model that other clubs will attempt to replicate this window.
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