The Premier League has been the stepping stone for some of the top talents over the years. From Strikers like Wayne Rooney to midfielders like Lampard, Scholes, Gerrard to defenders like Terry, Ferdinand, and more all started as young talents in the league. The Premier League has changed over the years and is now home to some of the biggest footballers on the planet. In spite of all superstars, the youngsters in the league are still managing to prosper. Clubs like Chelsea are heavily dependent upon their young talents all over the pitch. Talented players from the lower leagues and the different leagues across the globe are also drafted into the Premier League sides.

Here are the top 8 young talents in the Premier League:

1. BUKAYO SAKA

Arsenal has had a lot of youngsters over the years who have gone on to become superstars. Cesc Fabregas is one of the biggest names arguably coming out of the Arsenal academy. Bukayo Saka is a top young talent coming out of Arsenal’s academy. The 19-year-old winger has been a regular fixture for the Arsenal team playing as either a Left Back or as a winger. Saka made his senior professional debut aged just 17 against Vorskla Poltava in the UEFA Europa League coming on as a substitute. After making several substitute appearances, he made his first start against Azerbaijan Champions Qarabarg FK in the same competition. Following several good performances in the youth tournaments and in the UEFA Europa League, Saka was called up to play his first Premier League match against Fulham.

His first senior goal came against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League. During the 19-20 season, Arsenal was suffering a series of injuries which sidelined first choice Kieran Tierney and second choice left-back Sead Kolasinac. This led to the breakthrough of Bukayo Saka into the first team. The youngster started several games as a left-back and after impressive displays solidified his position in the first team. His versatility allows the manager to play him on thewings as an attacker or even as a left-back.
Saka signed a new long term contract with Arsenal as he looks to build upon a good 19-20 season with even better Premier League seasons in the future.

2. CALLUM HUDSON-ODOI

Chelsea boasts a rich history of nurturing talents. The Cobham youth academy of Chelsea has produced a lot of young talents and is arguably the biggest and the best youth academy in England. Callum Hudson Odoi is one of the most skillful and talented young talents in recent years with huge potential. Hudson Odoi is just 18 years old and has already made his England debut and has over 50 appearances for Chelsea.

The 19-year-old England international made his first start for Chelsea in a 2-0 home defeat against Manchester City in the community shield. Manager Maurizio Sarri decided to hand the youngster his first start against PAOK in the UEFA Europa League, a match which ended in a 4-0 victory with Hudson-Odoi scoring his first goal for the club. After a brilliant 2018-19 season, he was subject to a lot of speculations regarding a move to Bayern Munich.

However, the youngster ended all speculations by signing a long term contract with Chelsea. On 3 April, he made his first league start for Chelsea and assisted Olivier Giroud for the opening goal in a 3–0 win over Brighton. In doing so, he became the youngest player to assist a goal on his first start for the club in the Premier League era, aged 18 years and 146 days. Hudson-Odoi suffered an Achilles injury against Burnley which kept him out for the majority of the 19-20 season. After making his long-awaited comeback, Hudson-Odoi fell down a bit in the pecking order with Christian Pulisic’s dominant form. However, with an excellent start to the 20-21 campaign, Hudson-Odoi looks set to be a long term player at Chelsea and for England.

3. MASON GREENWOOD

Mason Greenwood is a 19-year-old England International coming out of the Manchester United academy. Standing at 6 and a half feet tall, Greenwood has been labeled as a generational talent following his incredible goal-scoring ability which came in-display during the 19-20 season.

Mason Greenwood is known for his pace and his instinctive finishing ability having developed the habit of scoring goals with either foot. Greenwood made his senior competitive debut in a tough situation up against Paris Saint Germain in the 2018-19 UEFA Champions League in a match that ended up with Manchester United winning and qualifying onto the round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League. He made his Premier League debut from the bench in a 2–0 defeat to Arsenal to become one of the club’s youngest league debutants.

The 19-20 season, however, was the season he really made a mark after having scored 17 goals across 47 matches in all competitions, 10 of which came in the Premier League. His performances earned him a national call up. He made his debut on 5th September in a 1–0 away win over Iceland in a 2020–21 UEFA Nations League A match, coming on as a 78th-minute substitute.

4. PHIL FODEN 

Phil Foden has been one of the brightest players coming out of the Manchester City academy. After David Silva’s departure from the club ahead of the 2020-21 season, the 20-year-old England international has been given the opportunity to fill the gap left by the club legend. Foden’s promise during the early years of his career has made him one of the top young prospects in English football at the moment.

Foden primarily plays as an attacking midfielder but can play as a playmaker who can play in a deeper role. Foden made his Manchester City debut on 21 November 2017 in a Champions League game against Feyenoord, coming on in the 75th minute for Yaya Touré.

He became the fourth-youngest English player to make an appearance in the Champions League (17 years 177 days). Since making his debut in 2017, Foden has made 78 appearances for the club and has scored 17 goals. Foden’s talent has been rated very highly by manager Pep Guardiola referring to Phil Foden as the most talented player he has ever seen.

5. BILLY GILMOUR 

The second Chelsea player on the list, Billy Gilmour is a 19-year-old Scottish International who plays predominantly as a central midfielder. Idolizing former Chelsea player Cesc Fabregas, Billy Gilmour is a deep-lying playmaker who has an eye for a pass. Standing at just 5 feet 7 inches tall Gilmour is not a physical player but his elegance on the ball makes him a beautiful player to watch. In May 2017 he joined the Chelsea academy from Rangers and since then progressed his way on to the Chelsea first team.

Gilmour was given his first start by former Chelsea great and present manager Frank Lampard in a 2-2 draw at home up against Sheffield United. Gilmour made several starts during the 19-20 season. His performances against Liverpool in the FA Cup and Everton in the Premier League raised a lot of eyebrows. Manchester United legend Roy Keane described his talent as the best he has ever seen. Gilmour’s talent is enormous and with more game time he can mature into a top player for Chelsea.

6. KAI HAVERTZ 

Chelsea have a habit of promoting young promising players under their current manager and club legend Frank Lampard and the signing of Kai Havertz from Bayer Leverkusen is just another example of the intent. Just 21, Kai Havertz has already made his mark on both club as well as on the international level. Havertz became the youngest player ever to make both 50 and 100 Bundesliga appearances playing for Leverkusen. In his last season, the German went on to score 18 goals across all competitions making him one of the brightest talents in world football. Chelsea fought off competitions from Real Madrid and FC Barcelona to sign the talented midfield maestro for 72 million pounds.

One of the strong points about Havertz’s game is his versatility in attack and midfield, allowing him to play anywhere in attack and can also slot in as number 10 when required. Havertz has been off to a great start with Chelsea scoring 4 goals already and with the immense talent he possesses, he will be a huge asset for the west London club going forward for the long term.

7. ETHAN AMPADU

19-year-old Wales International, Ethan Ampadu is another young talent coming out of the Chelsea academy. The Welshman has been a regular at the international level but has found game time tougher to come by at Chelsea and RB Leipzig, where he spent the last season at. However, after signing on loan from Chelsea, it will be fascinating to see how Ethan Ampadu gets on at Sheffield United this season There is no defined opening for him at the Blades yet, but his versatility at CB and DM should see him accrue plenty of minutes. It will be another season of education under an established manager for the talented youngster who has huge potential.

8. REECE JAMES

Chelsea has spent heavily this window, which could impact the gametime of Billy Gilmour and Callum Hudson-Odoi. But there is no such concern with Reece James. The right-back made 37 appearances in all competitions last season and finished it as the starter. With Cesar Azpilicueta getting older and playing lesser as a result, James is likely to be one of the few academy graduates to get regular gametime this season. It’s expected that he will push on in his second full season at the club. Reece James

Made quite an impression towards the beginning of the season, earning him a national team call up where he impressed everyone with his defense as well as his deadly crosses. His versatility and ability on the ball make him one of the top young talents to watch out for as the season progresses.