Since last summer, Mail Sport has been looking closely at some of the best young players across the world, profiling them and assessing which Premier League clubs would help their talent flourish.
We have examined the best players in the Nordic countries, Italy, Spain and Portugal, as well as selecting some targets for Manchester United and highlighting the deals on offer at French club Lyon. Some members of top-flight recruitment departments already read our lists and have complimented us on them.
Now Mail Sport, in partnership with scouting platform Eyeball, has gone a step further.
Thanks to Eyeball’s fascinating approach to youth football, we can present an exclusive list of players most fans will not be aware of, but whose names are on the lists of the smartest clubs.
These players have still to make their senior debuts yet it is only a matter of time before they take that step – and when they do, we believe their progress will be swift.
As in all our previous lists, we give an indication of which Premier League clubs would suit these players best. Perhaps we can even find them a signing or two.
Since last summer, Mail Sport has been looking closely at some of the best young players in the world – PSV starlet Noah Fernandez (above) is one who appeared in our detailed study
Finding the next Lionel Messi (left) or Cristiano Ronaldo (right) is the dream for football scouts
Mail Sport’s Tom Collomosse takes a look at some of the best players you’ve never heard of
Ibrahim Yayiya Kante
Age: 18
Club: Brest
Country: France/Mali
Position: Winger
The kid with the eye-catching name has eye-catching roots: his younger brother, Cheick, is also on the books at Brest and their father, Mamadou, is a former Mali international.
A quick, powerful winger, Kante still has to iron out some rough edges to his game but there is a lot to like, especially in a player who has not yet turned professional and who already has a queue of high-profile clubs following his progress closely.
‘He still needs to improve in the final move to be more decisive in the finishing zone,’ says Brest academy chief Nicolas Mariller. ‘But he has everything he needs to succeed.’
Kante is as comfortable in the classroom as on the pitch and excels at maths. It all adds up to an exciting career in prospect.
Mail Sport predicted landing spot: Aston Villa
Ibrahim Yayiya Kante is a quick and powerful winger who is impressing on the books at Brest
The 18-year-old Frenchman has a queue of high-profile clubs following his progress closely
Igor Oyono
Age: 17
Club: Athletic Bilbao
Country: Spain
Position: Centre-forward/winger
Virtually every club in Europe wanted Oyono when he was leaving Villarreal a year ago – but the pull of home was too strong. Born in Barakaldo in the Basque Country, Athletic Bilbao was the only choice for Oyono, who has a strong chance of making his first-team debut this season as Athletic push for a place in next season’s Champions League.
The progress of Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsi, who were both regulars for Barcelona before they turned 18, has brought extra scrutiny on talented teenagers across Spanish football and so far, Oyono has not convinced Ernesto Valverde to bring him into the Athletic senior set-up.
Yet there is serious competition ahead of him and it may be better for Oyono’s development to play regularly in the lower categories. Either way, the Premier League is watching.
Mail Sport predicted landing spot: Tottenham, Newcastle
Igor Oyono, 17, is the latest impressive talent to emerge from Athletic Bilbao’s youth academy
Virtually every club in Europe wanted Oyono when he was leaving Villarreal a year ago
Guille Fernandez
Age: 16
Club: Barcelona
Country: Spain
Position: Attacking midfield
In Yamal and Cubarsi, Barcelona already have two teenagers who could walk into any team in the world, and there are plenty at the Catalan giants who believe Fernandez can follow in their footsteps.
Like his cousin, Toni, Fernandez has been at Barcelona since he was 10 after crossing the city from Espanyol and though he has yet to make a competitive senior appearance, he featured for Hansi Flick’s team against AC Milan and Real Madrid in friendlies last summer.
A powerful midfielder who is technically impressive and travels smoothly with the ball, Fernandez trains regularly with Flick’s squad and after securing him on a contract until 2027, it seems a matter of time before he is given his debut, probably before the end of the season.
When he appeared for Barca’s ‘B’ side – Barcelona Atletic – aged 15 years, nine months and 13 days, he became the youngest player to appear for that team, beating Yamal’s mark.
Both players are represented by Portuguese ‘super-agent’ Jorge Mendes. Matching Yamal’s impact is a near-impossible task but Fernandez has the talent to give it a shot.
Mail Sport predicted landing spot: Manchester City
Guille Fernandez has been at Barcelona since he was 10 and has a bright future ahead of him
He’s youngest player to appear for Barcelona’s B team, aged 15 years, nine months and 13 days
Lucas Jetten
Age: 17
Club: Ajax
Country: Netherlands/South Africa
Position: Left-back
To win the Abdelhak Nouri Trophy at Ajax is no mean feat. Rafael van der Vaart, Wesley Sneijder and Christian Eriksen have all landed the award for the most promising player in the Ajax academy, and last summer Jetten added his name to that list.
Jetten has the attacking qualities of the modern full-back and, unlike many of his peers, is impressive defensively too, possessing the pace to get him out of trouble when his positioning is awry.
Born in South Africa but eligible for the Netherlands, Jetten has already represented the Oranje at Under-18 level and is a regular for Jong Ajax, the final stop on the road to the first team.
Providing he stays healthy, Jetten should cross the finishing line this season – although for any young player, that is really the beginning of the journey.
Mail Sport predicted landing spot: Manchester United
Lucas Jetten has all the attacking qualities of the modern full-back and is solid in defence too
The 17-year-old left-back won the Abdelhak Nouri Trophy at Ajax last season, an award previously claimed by the likes of Rafael van der Vaart, Wesley Sneijder and Christian Eriksen
Gassimou Sylla
Age: 16
Club: Anderlecht
Country: Belgium/Guinea
Position: Centre-forward
From the youth system that produced Jeremy Doku and Borussia Dortmund forward Julien Duranville, Sylla is the latest speedy young Anderlecht forward to make European scouts sit up and take notice.
Anderlecht fought off strong interest from Ajax to persuade Sylla to sign his first professional deal with them and for Anderlecht’s second team, he has three goals in as many starts. Although his full name is ‘Gassimou Sylla’, he prefers to be addressed simply as ‘Sylla’.
Though he has the pace, athleticism and agility to prosper, Sylla’s decision-making needs to improve to take the next step.
‘He is a talented attacking player who can play in several positions,’ said former Anderlecht academy chief Mikkel Hemmersam, when Sylla signed his first professional deal last July. ‘We are curious to see what steps he can take.’
Mail Sport predicted landing spot: Chelsea
Gassimou Sylla is the latest speedy young Anderlecht forward making an impression in Europe
Though he has the pace and athleticism to prosper, Sylla’s decision-making needs to improve
Matias Satas
Age: 17
Club: Boca Juniors
Country: Argentina
Position: Centre-back
The Premier League market is changing. Instead of waiting for the best South American prospects to prove themselves in Europe, English clubs are going straight to the source, where they can locate top talent at lower prices.
In Brazil, they have cottoned on to this and valuations are rising quickly. But bargains can still be found, particularly in Argentina – and Satas, a left-footed centre-back, is among them.
At the start of the year he was promoted to Boca’s Under-20 squad and is already part of the Argentina squad at junior levels, captaining the Under-15 side. While he idolises Lionel Messi, Satas has said in interviews that he models himself on Tottenham defender Cristian Romero and recruitment experts from across the globe are weighing up whether Satas he the ability to emulate him.
Mail Sport predicted landing spot: Manchester City
Boca Juniors defender Matias Satas, 17, is already part of the Argentina squad at junior levels
Despite idolising Messi, Satas models his game on Tottenham star Cristian Romero (above)
Alexander Odefalk
Age: 16
Club: IF Brommapojkarna
Country: Sweden
Position: Midfield
Every talented player in the Nordic countries ends up on the radar of the strongest clubs in Denmark and, sure enough, Odefalk has already agreed a deal to join FC Copenhagen on July 1.
Odefalk is an agile midfielder who has trained regularly with the Bromma first team and will now link up with FCK’s youth squad. Copenhagen are experts in the transfer market, with the recent sales of Orri Oskarsson and Hakon Haraldsson bringing £35million.
‘He is a top international talent, a dynamic midfielder with a good eye for the game and has really good technique,’ said FCK head of recruitment Mikkel Kohler. ‘Together, we will ensure that he takes the right steps.’
Mail Sport predicted landing spot: Tottenham
Swedish midfielder Alexander Odefalk has already agreed a deal to join FC Copenhagen in July
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Noah Fernandez
Age: 17
Club: PSV Eindhoven
Country: Belgium
Position: Attacking midfield
Fernandez has been with PSV since he was six but in his homeland, there are those who compare him to one of the finest attacking talents Belgium has produced – Kevin De Bruyne.
The left-footed playmaker, whose father is Jamaican, is an elegant mover with excellent close control and an eye for a pass. He is among the top youth talents at PSV and has been capped twice by Belgium’s Under-17 side.
Before he settled in midfield, Fernandez played mainly in defence, operating at centre-back and left-back. He also speaks English, Dutch, Flemish and French fluently, and knows some German.
With modern football dominated increasingly by one-on-one duels, perhaps Fernandez needs to improve physically to compete regularly in the senior game. If he does, the sky is the limit.
Mail Sport predicted landing spot: Brighton
PSV’s Fernandez (left) is an elegant mover with excellent close control and an eye for a pass
The teen is already drawing comparisons to Manchester City superstar Kevin De Bruyne
Mikkel Bro Hansen
Age: 16
Club: Bodo/Glimt
Country: Denmark
Position: Centre-forward
Hansen has only just turned 16 and joined Bodo/Glimt in February, but he has already been on the bench for the first team and a senior debut beckons. These are exciting times, too, with the Norwegians in the quarter-finals of the Europa League after despatching Olympiacos so impressively in the last 16.
While he was at Danish club Aarhus, Hansen had trials with Ajax and Borussia Dortmund, even attending Dortmund’s Champions League meeting with Paris Saint-Germain in December 2023.
So what is all the fuss about? Hansen captains the Denmark Under 16s and is an imposing, mobile striker with impressive finishing ability. Although a little raw technically, there is nothing wrong with Hansen’s mentality, which is why so many experts in the Nordic countries are optimistic about his prospects.
Mail Sport predicted landing spot: Manchester United
Despite only just turning 16, a senior debut beckons for Mikkel Bro Hansen (left) at Bodo/Glimt
Ibrahim Kanate
Age: 18
Club: Anderlecht
Country: Mali
Position: Winger
Anderlecht fought off competition from Chelsea to sign Kanate in January. The winger was one of the stars of the U17 World Cup in 2023 and is a product of top Ivory Coast academy ASEC Mimosas, which produced Yaya and Kolo Toure as well as former Arsenal forward Gervinho.
Kanate will play initially with Anderlecht’s youngsters in the Belgian second division but the path to the first team is clear.
‘Ibrahim is a right-footed winger who excels in explosiveness and technical ability in 1-v-1 situations,’ said Anderlecht academy chief Tim Borguet. ‘Ibrahim is a specific profile that we have been looking for and who fits into our plans both for the RSCA Futures (Anderlecht academy) and the long term.’
Mail Sport predicted landing spot: Chelsea
Ibrahim Konate was one of the stars of the U17 World Cup in 2023 and is already being scouted
Anderlecht fought off competition from Chelsea to sign the 18-year-old winger in January
Benjamin Bjornsson
Age: 14
Club: Stjarnan
Country: Iceland
Position: Winger
They start them young in Iceland. If Bjornsson makes his first-team debut before he turns 15 in May, he will not even be the first 14-year-old to do so this season. Midfielder Alexander Rafn Palmason, who was born in April 2010, has already made six senior appearances for KR Reykjavik and is coveted by half of Europe, with Club Bruges and Real Sociedad just two of the clubs showing an interest.
It is not unusual. Orri Oskarsson, a centre-forward now with Real Sociedad, first played senior football 11 days before his 14th birthday.
Iceland’s greatest player, Eidur Gudjohnsen, had to wait until he was 15 – practically veteran status.
Bjornsson is not yet at Palmason’s level but is still considered a superb prospect. He has scored twice in three games for Iceland’s Under 15s and has already featured in the UEFA Youth League. A grander stage than Iceland’s Premier League surely beckons.
Mail Sport predicted landing spot: Everton
To find out more about how Eyeball have changed youth football scouting, visit https://www.eyeball.club/company/
