Premier League 2019-20: 3 under-20 players to watch out for

Bryan
Premier League clubs are always on the hunt for new and young talent.
Premier League clubs are always on the hunt for new and young talent.

Football is built on giving young up and coming talents a chance and every season we always see several unknown young players who get a chance with the first team and a lot of them always go on to impress. Apart from just promoting from within their youth system, clubs also tend to invest in young talents from around the world. These investments are from huge transfer fees to relatively small amounts.

To some extent, clubs are always taking a huge risk when they invest in young players. Even though they have been impressive and shown glimpses of what they can do, there is no guarantee they will succeed in the future. And that is the risk football clubs have to live with especially when they spend huge transfer fees on young players.

The Premier League has always seen new young players come up every season and this season is no different. Here is a look at three players under the age of 20 who are worth keeping an eye on. The players on this list vary from being promoted from the youth team to a big-money signing to signing an unknown player.


#1 Ryan Sessegnon (Tottenham Hotspur)

Ryan Sessegnon is just finding his feet at Tottenham since his move from Fulham.
Ryan Sessegnon is just finding his feet at Tottenham since his move from Fulham.

Ryan Sessegnon made his debut for Fulham aged just 16 and the left-sided player has only gotten better ever since. Before Fulham was promoted to the Premier League in the 2018/19 season, Sessegnon was already making a name for himself with The Cottagers in the Championship having scored 20 goals and assisted nine goals in 71 appearances.

This resulted in several Premier League clubs showing an interest in him but with Fulham being promoted to the top flight the following season, he decided to stay at Fulham. His first season in the Premier League was not as impressive as everyone thought it would be. Fulham ended up getting relegated as Sessegnon ended up with two goals and six assists.

While things did not go the way Sessegnon wanted in his first season in the Premier League, several clubs saw his potential and knew he was a future star in the making. Clubs knew they would have to pay a hefty amount for Fulham to let him go and Tottenham Hotspur won that race for the 19-year-old after they agreed to a fee of £25 million.

Sessegnon arrived in Tottenham with a hamstring injury and only just made his first-team debut for them. In his second appearance for the North London club, he registered an assist and while it's still early days there is no denying Tottenham has got a future star on their hands.

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#2 Gabriel Martinelli (Arsenal)

Gabriel Martinelli has already become a fan favourite at Arsenal.
Gabriel Martinelli has already become a fan favourite at Arsenal.

Arsenal signed Gabriel Martinelli from fouth tier Brazilian club Ituano for just around £6 million this summer. Not a lot was expected from the 18-year-old Brazilian with almost every Arsenal fan expecting him to mostly play for the Arsenal Uner-23's this season but he has proven himself to be much better and he has been a shining light in what has been a disappointing season for Arsenal so far.

Although he has only featured for Arsenal in the League Cup and the Europa League, Martinelli has not wasted his chances. The young Brazilian has made a total of nine appearances for the Gunners and has already scored seven goals and assisted one. His pace on the ball, his dribbling, his quick feet, and his skills are what make him such a dangerous and unpredictable player.

Before joining Arsenal, he made his debut for Ituano aged just 16 and became the youngest player to debut for the club in this century. He was then promoted to the first team ahead of the 2019 Campeonato Paulista, Sao Paulo's state championship and ended that competition with six goals. After the competition, Martinelli was named best newcomer and was named in the team of the year.

Even before joining Ituano, Martinelli was a futsal player for Corinthians where he scored more than 200 goals for them and that impressive goal scoring form continued at Ituano as he ended his time with the Brazilian club with a total of 64 goals in 92 appearances.

Arsenal have a real gem on their hands in Martinelli and if his time in Brazil and his start to his Arsenal career is anything to go by then he is one player every football fan needs to watch out for.

#3 Phil Foden (Manchester City)

Phil Foden is regarded as the brightest prospect in England at the moment.
Phil Foden is regarded as the brightest prospect in England at the moment.

Phil Foden has made a total of 45 appearances for Manchester City with eight goals and four assists to his name so far. For a 19-year old that seems impressive but given his talent and the quality he possesses, one would expect him to play more regularly. When one considers the plethora of talent at Manchester City, the young Englishman was always going to find it difficult to get regular first-team football.

Now in normal circumstances, youngsters who don't get regular playing particularly at Manchester City end up leaving the club most notably like how Jadon Sancho did. The winger found huge success at Borussia Dortmund and Manchester City want to avoid a similar situation when a youth prospect goes on to find success at another club.

There is no denying that Foden is one of the brightest young prospects in world football at the moment. With David Silva set to leave Manchester City at the end of this season, Foden will and should be his suitable replacement instead of City dipping in the transfer market and spending a lot of money. Guardiola had this to say earlier when asked about the young midfielder:

“He is the only player that can’t be sold under any circumstances – the only one. Not even for 500m euros.Phil’s going nowhere – Phil IS City. We won’t be signing anyone else for that position.When David Silva leaves, we know exactly who our new magician will be.He’s grown up with us. He’s one of us and he’s going to be brilliant – one of the Premier League’s best."

There is no denying that Pep Guardiola rates him very high and if the best manager in the world thinks Foden is one of the Premier League's best then he must be and is a player to keep a very close eye on.

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Edited by A. Ayush Chatterjee