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While players from Europe have flocked to the Premier League since its inception in the early 1990s, English players heading in the opposite direction have always been in the minority. However, that now seems to be changing.
Plenty of English players have flocked to Europe over the last few seasons, and now it’s increasingly common for young talent to move abroad.
And while the likes of Kieran Trippier, Chris Smalling, and Ashley Young have moved to Europe in recent seasons, the younger English players plying their trade there are far more intriguing.
Here are five English youngsters impressing outside the Premier League.
#1 Jadon Sancho (Borussia Dortmund)
There’s probably a fair argument to be made that Jadon Sancho inspired the current trend for young English talent heading to Europe.
The winger made a surprise move from Manchester City to Borussia Dortmund as a 17-year-old in the summer of 2017. And since then, he’s gone from strength to strength in the Bundesliga.
It took Sancho just two months to make his Dortmund first-team debut. And in April 2018, the English forward scored his first goal for the club and registered two assists in the same match.
The 2018-19 season saw him make 34 Bundesliga appearances, scoring 12 goals and registering 14 assists. And in late 2018, he picked up his first England senior caps, too.
Sancho continued to improve at an astonishing rate into 2019-20, scoring 17 goals and registering 16 assists in 2292 minutes of play – meaning he averaged a goal involvement every 69 minutes.
And while those ridiculous standards have dropped somewhat in the current campaign, he’s still scored five and made eight assists.
Perennially linked with a move away from Dortmund, the summer of 2021 could well see Sancho make his much-rumored move to Manchester United.
But even if he does, he’s already made his mark as one of the most successful English exports to Europe – at the age of just 20.
#2 Stephy Mavididi (Montpellier)
Arsenal have garnered a reputation as a club that let young players go too soon, with the likes of Serge Gnabry and Wojciech Szczesny finding success away from the Emirates in recent years.
The latest name to join that list is English striker Stephy Mavididi. The England youth international spent eight years with the Gunners’ academy but left the club in 2018 as a 20-year-old, moving to Italian giants Juventus.
Despite becoming the first English player to play for the Old Lady since David Platt, Mavididi could not succeed in Turin.
But rather than move back to England, he instead headed to France. With Dijon, he scored five goals in 24 appearances during the 2019-20 campaign.
The summer of 2020 then saw the striker move to Montpellier for around €6m, and since then, the former Arsenal man has hit the ground running.
Mavididi has established himself as a regular starter for Michel de Zakarian’s side, making 23 Ligue 1 appearances. Able to play as a central striker or a wide forward, he’s scored six goals thus far, including strikes against Monaco and Paris St. Germain.
With his recent brace against Rennes garnering comparisons to Kylian Mbappe, it’s safe to say that it’s only a matter of time before Mavididi starts to garner some major hype in his native England, too.
#3 Angel Gomes (Boavista)
In May 2017, Angel Gomes made history when he became both the youngest player to represent Manchester United and the first player born in the 2000s to appear in the Premier League.
However, the creative midfielder never got a fair shot at breaking into the Red Devils’ first team, despite fans clamoring for him to be given a chance. And so, in the summer of 2020, with his contract up, he departed Old Trafford.
But rather than look for another Premier League club, the England youth international instead headed to Europe, signing a five-year contract with Lille.
The Ligue 1 side, in turn, loaned Gomes to Portuguese side Boavista for the 2020-21 campaign. And since then, the former Manchester United man has definitely made his mark.
Gomes registered two assists on his Boavista debut, and two matches later, he scored his first goal for the club – a spectacular shot from near the halfway line against Moreirense.
More recently, the former Red Devil scored another spectacular goal – this time a free-kick – to take his overall account for the season to five.
His performances definitely suggest that Lille will likely use him in the 2021-22 campaign once he returns from his loan. And if he can be as impressive there, there can be little doubt that United will regret letting him leave.
#4 Noni Madueke (PSV Eindhoven)
Despite making some major waves in Europe this season, somehow, the name of Noni Madueke has flown under the radar when it comes to attention from Premier League fans.
However, it seems like only a matter of time before the former Tottenham academy product is linked with a return to England’s top flight.
Still just 18 years old, the winger has enjoyed a stunning start to his career with PSV Eindhoven this season following his move from Tottenham in the summer of 2018.
Making his debut for the Dutch side back in September, Madueke shocked everyone by registering two assists in his very first game.
He’s since gone onto score eight goals and deliver six assists in all competitions, in a total of 22 appearances.
The 18-year-old is still not a regular starter for PSV – he’s only made six Eredivisie starts – and a case of COVID-19 has kept him out of recent matches.
But the potential he’s already shown has been scary, and it seems likely he’ll become a key player for the Dutch side in the near future. At his current rate, to see him called up for England soon wouldn’t be a surprise either.
Madueke himself has stated that he has no regrets over leaving Spurs – and that his performances with PSV have proven that he made the right decision. Based on what he’s done so far, it’d be hard to disagree with him.
#5 Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund)
After Jadon Sancho's success, who moved to Borussia Dortmund in 2017, it always felt likely that the Bundesliga side would look to bring in more English youngsters.
And in July 2020, that idea came to fruition when they paid Birmingham City around £25m for midfielder Jude Bellingham – making him the most expensive 17-year-old in football history in the process.
Bellingham had made 41 appearances for Birmingham in the 2019-20 season, and when he was sold, the club controversially “retired” his #22 shirt.
The retiring seemed like a bizarre move, given Bellingham has yet to accomplish anything major in the game. But judging by the start to his Dortmund career, it won’t be long before he does.
Bellingham doesn’t even turn 18 until June, but he’s already made 18 appearances in the Bundesliga – as well as seven in the Champions League – and has registered four assists.
Capable of playing as a deep-lying playmaker as well as a holding midfielder, it’s plain to see that Bellingham’s confident style belies his young age. And at a club like Dortmund, who are renowned for their work with young players, he’ll only get better.
Bellingham has already made his senior England debut, and given his trajectory thus far, it’s safe to say that he could be a staple of the side for years to come – as well as a major success in Europe.
