Wednesday Wonderkids

Take a look at a deep dive into three promising young talents as part of our ongoing 'Wednesday Wonderkids' series.

Filippo Terracciano

💎 U21 Leaders for Duels Won (Defensive + Offensive), Top 5 Leagues

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Jude Bellingham - 226
🇧🇷 Sávio - 221
🇮🇹 Giorgio Scalvini - 219
🇦🇷 Matias Soulé - 190
🇳🇱 Xavi Simons - 189
🇦🇷 Alejandro Garnacho - 183
🇪🇸 Christhian Mosquera - 182
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Levi Colwill - 179
🇮🇹 Filippo Terracciano… pic.twitter.com/7DqiUGZoUR

— DataMB (@DataMB_) February 10, 2024

A versatile full-back who can play in midfield, Filippo Terracciano is a name that European football fans are bound to learn in the coming years. Playstyle-wise, Terracciano is a modern full-back with similar traits to those of Trent Alexander-Arnold or Oleksandr Zinchenko. However, the youngster has a hint of his homeland and influence from some of the great Italian defenders, as Terracciano has a great emphasis on his duties at the back.

Born in 2003, the full-back joined AC Milan in the summer of 2023, signing for a reported fee of €5.5m. Terracciano has been gradually pushed into the Milan step-up, making a total of 24 appearances within his first two seasons with the Italian giants. Following a tough season in Serie A, Milan have lost several players in the summer transfer window, with Theo Hernandez, Alessandro Florenzi, and Tijjani Reijnders all departing the club. That means opportunity will be handed to young talent at the San Siro, and Terracciano is a prime candidate for this.

A perfect right or left back for possession-based football, Terracciano moves into the midfield, providing support in attacking play and creating chances in front of goal. He might not be the player to score or assist. However, he’s not afraid to pick up the ball in the midfield of the pitch, spraying the ball to his attacking trio. Terracciano has fantastic vision and technical ability for a defender, having a pass accuracy of 89.7%. His ability to get forward also gives the Italian the chance to overlap his winger or cut inside, but with a cross accuracy of 33.3%, if the 22-year-old wants to become a top full-back, that is something that he needs to improve over the off-season.

On the other hand, Terracciano is solid and agile defensively, averaging 3.54 recoveries, 1.01 interceptions, 66.7% of tackles won, and 66.7% aerial duels won, per 90. As the next generation of wonderkids come through, the Italian is a defender to keep an eye on and watch out for.

Hugo Larsson

Top deep-passing U2⃣3⃣ big-5 league midfielders 🏹
🥇 #AdamWharton 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 19.8%
🥈 #BilalElKhannouss 🇲🇦 15.9%
🥉 #JaviGuerra 🇪🇸 & #HugoLarsson 🇸🇪 15.6%#Enciso 🇵🇾 #Anderson 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 #Berisha 🇦🇱 #Kemlein 🇩🇪 #Magassa 🇫🇷@CIES_Football analysis powered by @impect_official 🤝 pic.twitter.com/cbU9XCIv81

— CIES Football Obs (@CIES_Football) July 7, 2025

Recently linked with Liverpool and Tottenham, Hugo Larsson has taken the Bundesliga by storm, making a name for himself as one of the most exciting young midfielders in European football. Not the most conventional six, but more of a box-to-box player in the middle – Larsson is a superbly talented player who, at the age of 21, has already played over 80 games in the top tier of German football.

A Sweden international, Larsson scored three goals and assisted once in 33 Bundesliga appearances for Frankfurt last season, with the Swede also averaging 40.1 successful passes, 1.69 accurate long balls, and 4.53 recoveries per 90. Larsson is the ideal player for a double pivot role, being able to progress the ball through either passing or dribbling, alongside being versatile enough to be able to play as an attacking or defensive midfielder.

A similar player to the Carlos Baleba’s or the Adam Wharton’s of the Premier League, at 1.87m tall, Larrson is not the tallest of midfielders, but his technical and agile style of play allows for the youngster to almost effortlessly glide across the pitch. Compared to the two other players in this list, Larsson is the most established and appears to be more than ready to join one of football’s elite clubs, with several European giants already linked with his signature this summer.

Whether his future is at Frankfurt or elsewhere, Larsson is a player that those who enjoy the simplistic aspects of football will fall in love with.

Cher Ndour

🚨🟣 Fiorentina have signed all documents for Cher Ndour deal from PSG, sealed and confirmed.

€5m plus 50% sell-on clause and also buy back clause for Paris Saint-Germain. pic.twitter.com/YTyrmQrUC0

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) February 3, 2025

Another Italian, Cher Ndour’s young career has had a plethora of changes, with the 20-year-old having played for five clubs in the past three seasons. Ndour began his career at Benfica, coming through the academy system and making his senior debut in the 2022/23 season. The Italian would then move to PSG in the summer of 2023, joining the French champions as an exciting wonderkid in the middle of the park.

Ndour’s career at PSG did not exactly ignite - the midfielder moving on loan to Braga and Besiktas over two seasons. However, after struggling for game time out on loan, the Italian finally moved permanently in the January transfer window, signing for Fiorentina for a fee of around €4.5m. As a player, Ndour is a rangy midfielder similar to the likes of Paul Pogba, who is able to stride from box to box, showcasing fantastic athleticism and creative ability.

Not a goal-scorer or an individual that registers assists, Ndour’s underlying numbers are where his success is seen, with 62.5 touches and 40 successful passes averaged per 90. The 20-year-old also had an impressive pass accuracy of 82.9%, cross accuracy of 42.9%, and a dribble success of 66.7% for Fiorentina in Serie A last season.

Ndour’s intangibles and physical attributes give him huge potential, but the player is a long way away from playing for one of the top teams in Europe, with the Italian superb on the ball and when controlling the ball, alongside his passing range, but the midfielder has a skinny frame and still needs to strengthen physically.

All three players are still developing and far from finished articles. But talent offers something different for football fans – Terracciano, a full-back who can step into and play in midfield, compared to Larsson’s effortless technical ability, and Ndour’s similarities to Pogba. If the 2025/26 season brings the correct opportunities and platform, we may be hearing a lot more about this player next year.