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After a couple of months without competitive football, we are now less than three weeks away from the start of the new Premier League season.
Without a doubt, Manchester City will go into the season as favourites for the title, having won it in each of the past two seasons, accumulating a quite incredible 198 points. They have strengthened as well this summer, breaking their transfer record to sign midfielder Rodri from Atletico Madrid.
Liverpool came closest to dethroning them last season, finishing just a point behind. They will hope to go one better this time around, and potentially win their first Premier League title.
This will also be a big season for Manchester United under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, after his side struggled in the final couple of months of last season, and eventually finished a disappointing sixth.
Another manager who faces a big season is Frank Lampard, who has taken over at his former club Chelsea after a season at Derby County, and he faces the challenge of a transfer ban at Stamford Bridge.
As a result, Lampard will be one of many managers who will be looking to bring through young players into the first team. Although big money has continued to be spent across the league, on the likes of Tanguy Ndombele, Mateo Kovacic and Aaron Wan-Bissaka, teams are still looking to bring through home grown talent.
Here are five young players to look out for in the Premier League this season.
#1 Emile Smith Rowe (Arsenal)
It has been a frustrating summer for Arsenal so far. They have failed to reach an agreement to sign their number one target, Wilfried Zaha, and given Crystal Palace’s valuation of £80 million, it looks like it is a saga that could run and run. It has been a similar story in the pursuit of Celtic’s Kieran Tierney, although the Gunners are expected to complete a loan move for Real Madrid’s Dani Ceballos in the coming days.
Arsenal’s lack of activity could open up opportunities for their younger players, and one of those hoping to take advantage will be Emile Smith Rowe. The 18-year-old midfielder appeared four times in the Europa League last season, scoring two goals, before spending the second half of the campaign on loan at RB Leipzig. His time there was interrupted by injuries, but he is a serious talent, and will be looking to break into the Arsenal side this season.
#2 Mark Travers (Bournemouth)
Throughout his time in charge of Bournemouth, Eddie Howe has always tried to give young players a chance. This has already been made clear by his transfer business this summer, which has seen the Cherries sign 20-year-old Lloyd Kelly from Bristol City, and 23-year-old Jack Stacey from Luton Town. In recent seasons, Howe has also shown faith in the likes of Lewis Cook, David Brooks and Ryan Fraser.
The next man to be given the opportunity looks likely to be goalkeeper Mark Travers. The 20-year-old made his Premier League debut in May, and gained a lot of plaudits after an impressive performance, for which he was named Man of the Match. Bournemouth may be looking to move on last season’s number one Asmir Begovic after he fell out of favour in the latter stages of last season, while 39-year-old Artur Boruc is now seen very much as a backup option, meaning Travers could have a chance to stake a claim to be the number one.
#3 Mason Mount (Chelsea)
One of the teams who will certainly have to rely on youth this season is Chelsea, who have been hit with a transfer ban for the next two windows. They have also lost star man Eden Hazard to Real Madrid for a fee of around £100 million, which leaves them short of firepower going forward. Having also chosen not to make the loan signing of Gonzalo Higuain permanent, the Blues’ have just Olivier Giroud, Michy Batshuayi and Tammy Abraham available up front.
One man who will be hoping to take advantage of Chelsea’s transfer ban is Mason Mount, who spent last season on loan at Derby County under Frank Lampard. The 20-year-old will hope he impressed his new manager enough to earn a spot in the side this season, having helped Derby to the Championship play-off Final. He scored nine times and provided four assists for the Rams, showing he is someone who can provide goals from midfield, something Chelsea were lacking at times last season.
#4 Mason Greenwood (Manchester United)
There is a big challenge for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer coming up at Old Trafford this season, after a quite shocking end to last season, that saw them win just two of their final nine Premier League games, and none of their last five. He may still face the prospect of having to replace some of his more important players before the new season gets underway, with Juventus and Real Madrid both interested in Paul Pogba, while Inter Milan are still attempting to get a deal across the line for Romelu Lukaku.
This could potentially open the door for 17-year-old Mason Greenwood, who has impressed in pre-season. The striker made his debut for United in the win away at PSG in the Champions League in February, and then made his Premier League debut four days later in the 2-0 loss to Arsenal. He has been in good form in pre-season, scoring against Leeds United and Inter Milan, and he has certainly staked a case for a place in Solskjaer’s side when the season gets underway.
#5 Oliver Skipp (Tottenham)
Another team who have been rather quiet in the transfer window thus far are Tottenham, who have bought in Tanguy Ndombele as their new record signing as their only major piece of business this summer. With a squad that was often stretched with injuries and suspension, this lack of business suggests that Mauricio Pochettino is willing to trust in some of the younger players already at the club, rather than investing in those from elsewhere.
18-year-old Oliver Skipp was one of those who made the breakthrough last season, and eventually made ten appearances in all competitions, with six of those coming in the Premier League. He is a more cultured centre midfielder than some of the other options Pochettino has available to him, such as Victor Wanyama, Eric Dier and Moussa Sissoko. He will have to fight for his place in the side, but Pochettino has shown before that if you’re good enough, you’re old enough.
