The Best U23 Wonderkids in the Premier League - Who Makes the Cut?

Who Are the Premier League's Best U23 Wonderkids?

The Premier League has never been short on top young talent - over the years, teenagers have consistently burst onto the scene in spectacular fashion, including the likes of teenage Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo, Alan Shearer and, more recently, talents such as Reece James, Bukayo Saka, and Trent Alexander-Arnold.

But the conveyor belt never stops - just when one young starlet has started to take the limelight, it shifts to another up-and-comer with even more time to develop into a star of the future. The future stars of last season have already been forgotten, and the next gen are already in procession.

So many players hit their developmental ceiling at around 25 years of age - so who are the players with time on their side, time that could see them morph into world-beaters and title winners? Let’s find out.

The Premier League’s Best U23 Wonderkids

Josh Acheampong (19), Chelsea

The only out-and-out defender on the list, Acheampong’s rise from academy talent to Chelsea regular has been meteoric; he played 12 times for the Blues in all of last season – this campaign, he is well on his way to doubling that figure and then some.

Trained as a right-back, it was Enzo Maresca who initially shifted him across to centre-back, and Acheampong hasn’t looked back since: a brave runner with the ball, an eye for a line-breaking pass, and fearless in the tackle, the 19-year-old has all the tools to become England’s next best centre-back.

🔵🚨𝐓𝐀𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐖𝐀𝐓𝐂𝐇: "𝐉𝐎𝐒𝐇 𝐀𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐌𝐏𝐎𝐍𝐆 𝐆𝐎𝐓 𝐈𝐌𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐒𝐄 𝐏𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐀𝐋"-𝐋𝐈𝐀𝐌 𝐑𝐎𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐈𝐎𝐑🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🗣️

Top 1% of Progressive Carries for defenders in Europe✨

The Way He Drives The Ball Ahead Should Be A Midfielder🥶
pic.twitter.com/4Ot4q4Ai3C

— The Stat Guy (@The_Stat_Guy_10) February 9, 2026

Liam Rosenior agrees – the teenager has played in all of Chelsea’s last three games and, for the most part, has done an admirable job, having not played in any of the previous four fixtures. Even more importantly, his new manager concurs with Maresca’s decision to play him in the centre of defence – consistency in this position can only boost his development.

Already a Club World Cup and Conference League champion, Acheampong has won silverware early, but something tells us he is nowhere near done winning.

Eli Junior Kroupi (19), Bournemouth

Talk about bursting onto the scene – when Bournemouth purchased the Frenchman in the summer for £10.5 million, there was no fanfare, no hype, no discussion, nothing. How the tables have turned.

With eight Premier League goals, the most clinical finisher in the top flight by conversion rate, and his market value growing by millions each week, the striker has surpassed all expectations and in January even led the way for goals by teenagers in Europe’s top five leagues.

Lamine Yamal is the only U21 star with more top five league goals than Eli Kroupi this season ✨

And Real Madrid, PSG, Liverpool and Chelsea are all monitoring the Bournemouth starlet pic.twitter.com/UQYHbqxRL5

— Transfermarkt.co.uk (@TMuk_news) February 10, 2026

Realistically, we should have seen this coming – 22 goals for Lorient in the French second division last season; it was only a matter of time until Kroupi announced himself on the big stage. But the pressure of a top-flight league is a different animal, and many young players fall at the final hurdle, unable to establish themselves in the big time.

However, Kroupi appears to feel about as much pressure as a deflated balloon, underlined by the fact that French giants PSG are already sizing him up for a move. A testament to Bournemouth’s remarkable recruitment strategy, expect to see the forward playing Champions League football all too soon.

Charalampos Kostoulas (18), Brighton and Hove Albion

The youngest player on this list, the glorious Greek had a low-key start to life in the Premier League considering his £35 million summer purchase by the Seagulls. However, that changed in the blink of an eye with his extra-time bicycle kick against Bournemouth this time last month.

It was a finish dripping in style, finesse and raw talent, and it underlined exactly why he was Brighton's biggest outlay in the summer – like Kroupi, he simply did not feel the pressure of chasing an equaliser at home to their south-coast rivals. Though youth and inexperience can sometimes work against a side, the Greeks’ sheer audacity benefited Fabian Hurzeler’s team in a big way.

🇬🇷⭐ Charalampos Kostoulas (18) with an incredible equaliser for Brighton in the 91st minute. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/yLuP8A1mm1

— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) January 20, 2026

Comfortable either up front or just behind the striker, the 18-year-old’s versatility will be a vital trait in his career – if one role isn’t clicking for some reason, the Greek can chop and change as he pleases, either dropping deep to get more involved or staying high and providing a pacey, intelligent, stylish goal threat.

The Greek football scene has not seen anything like him in years, and the teenager has already been compared to the man often labelled as the “Greek Maradona”, Vasilis Hatzipanagis, who wowed Mediterranean fans in the 70s and 80s. High praise, and deservedly so. Though Kostoulas is not yet a regular scorer or starter, I ask you to watch this space.

Lucas Bergvall (20), Tottenham Hotspur

Despite Tottenham’s dire struggles over the last 18 months, one player who signifies everything the club is trying to be is Scandinavian sensation Lucas Bergvall. Brought in from the Swedish side Djurgården in 2024, he was listed as a prospect for the future, one to watch after a couple of loan moves.

How wrong the analysts were – thanks to disastrous injury crises at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium, Bergvall was thrown straight into the first team and has not disappointed. 71 games in one and a half seasons, which have featured two goals and six assists – the recently turned 20-year-old has wowed onlookers with his precision, composure and control in midfield, traits so rarely seen in one so young.

This is NUTS… 18 year-old Swedish international Lucas Bergvall scored this Djurgården 👀🤯

Reminder that he signed for Tottenham in January… Spurs have secured a gem 💎 🇸🇪

pic.twitter.com/twLRCwhtpK

— Rising Ballers (@RisingBallers_) February 25, 2024

Moreover, Bergvall is something of a Swiss army knife, able to play in six different positions ranging from CDM to left wing, and despite Ange Postecoglou and Thomas Frank’s radically different styles, the youngster was a constant throughout both of their spells in charge.

Regardless of who arrives next in North London, they already have one foot out the door if they don’t make the Swede a focal point of their system – his energy, control, quality on the ball and decision-making all have world-class potential, and any manager who fails to see his potential can be made fully liable for ruining one of English football’s finest talents.

Elliot Anderson (23), Nottingham Forest

The oldest player on this list by some margin, his 23 years also mean that Anderson is by far the most complete player too, and that has shown in his performances for Nottingham Forest over the last 18 months or so.

An engine room, creator-in-chief, and defensive mop on-field leader all rolled into one, Anderson is a proper old-school central midfielder – no messing around, no nonsense, just get the job done to the highest of standards and look good doing it.

Elliot Anderson has won possession 204 times in the Premier League this season. That’s 77 more times than any other player in the division.

World class ball-winning midfielder. 💥 pic.twitter.com/YNGQ4P0TD3

— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) February 2, 2026

His £34 million move from Newcastle to Forest was initially branded as a rip-off; he was a squad player at best in Eddie Howe’s Newcastle side and didn’t yet have a senior top-flight goal to his name. Either Howe had no idea the type of player he had on his hands, or Nottingham Forest knew exactly what they were playing for.

Anderson has quickly become Forest’s most important player, both in their battle for survival and the challenge for Europa League silverware – should they prove unsuccessful in both, expect a big-money summer move; the likes of Manchester United and Manchester City have both been sizing him up over the course of the season, and even in relegation, he won’t come cheap.

Rayan Vitos (19), Bournemouth

Arriving in England just under three weeks ago, Rayan is the newest addition to this list. In the case of most new teenage signings, they are given some leeway and time to find their feet in the Premier League, and more often than not their first few months are sprinkled with uninspiring performances as they adjust to the tempo and physicality of the English top flight.

However, two and a half weeks is all the Beast from Brazil has needed to make his mark on the Premier League – the right-winger has played three games for the Cherries so far and has notched a goal contribution in every single one. Those are Haaland-level numbers for a player debuting in Europe’s top five leagues. Utterly outrageous.

19-year-old Rayan joins Robbie Keane and Anthony Martial as just the third teenager to have a goal or assist in each of his first three Premier League games 💥 pic.twitter.com/NuDDVXChlt

— B/R Football (@brfootball) February 10, 2026

He’s not just a goal and assist merchant either; a stupendous dribbler, rapid sprinter, lethal finisher and ambidextrous two-footer, Rayan is everything a modern winger should be and, despite his tender age of 19, already seems like the complete package.

Of course, there is much development to be done, but the early signs suggest that Brazil has a ridiculous talent on their hands. If he isn’t poached by another club in the summer transfer window, expect Bournemouth to be unexpected high-flyers next season – that is the quality that Rayan possesses.

Lewis Hall (21), Newcastle United

Though Newcastle made the critical mistake of allowing Anderson to leave, they brought in the perfect replacement in Lewis Hall. Acquired on a loan spell from Chelsea the previous campaign, the Magpies liked what they saw, so much so that they were willing to splash £27 million on the then 19-year-old.

Things didn’t initially go to plan – trained as a midfielder at Chelsea Cobham Academy, Hall was forced to play left-back as injury after injury left the spot vacant. However, to everyone’s surprise, Hall took to the unfamiliar left flank like a duck to water.

Lewis Hall, the best left back I've seen in 40+ years of supporting #NUFC got to be in the England squad for the world cup pic.twitter.com/SIcUAGue5a

— Barnesy 🎱 (@BARNE5Y79) February 8, 2026

He doesn’t get the best numbers for a full-back – the lack of assists could fool you into thinking he just can’t cut it. But with Hall, it’s about the all-round presence: the relentless harrying in defence, the endless running, the quality of pass, and the danger of the delivery when he does get forward.

He is the complete modern full-back – excellent in defence and competent in attack – the Englishman has the left side locked up each and every week, and his consistently high level and ever-improving ability have led to louder calls for him to travel with the England squad to the World Cup. He’s not far away from making the left-back position his own on the international stage now.