Five young players to make an impact in the Premier League next season

The 2013-14 season of the Barclays Premier League officially kicks off in less than a month. The English league is known for not only its host of established stars, but the rise of youth players who go on to make an impact for both club and country.

Last season we witnessed the establishment of young stars like Christian Benteke, Raheem Sterling and Romelu Lukaku. Here are five players who we can expect to make a similar impact in the upcoming season.

Wilfried Zaha

Wilfried Zaha

The protracted transfer saga in the January transfer window led to the 20-year-old forward to sign for Manchester United from Crystal Palace. He was loaned back to Palace, where he helped the club to attain promotion to the Premier League.

Zaha is an exciting young talent who has raw pace and skill to outfox defenders as well as score goals. His finished product requires more polishing, although that will not be a problem under the tutelage of David Moyes, who has an affinity towards youth. He is a player to watch out for and can definitely become a regular for United in the future.

Luke Shaw (right)

Luke Shaw

The Southampton starlet was subject to transfer interest from clubs like Chelsea and Arsenal for a long period of time until he decided to sign a new contract at St. Mary’s. This was regarded as a wise decision by many pundits as too many youth players get tempted by the riches of deeper-pocketed clubs.

The left-back at the tender age of 18 has already received accolades as the new Gareth Bale, being from the same academy as the Tottenham star. He has pace and accuracy going forward and can tackle as maturely as any seasoned Premier League full-back. He is definitely tipped for the top and is sure to perform at the international level as well.

Yaya Sanogo

Yaya Sanogo

Arsenal plucked the French U-20 international from Ligue 2 side Auxerre in the summer transfer window, so far Wenger’s only signing. Sanogo has impressed at club and has played at every youth international level for France. His non-existent transfer fee is a signature Wenger signing and he has transformed innumerable supposed unknowns from the French league, like Laurent Koscielny and Bacary Sagna, into well-established Premier League stars.

Sanogo has had injury worries in the past, but now claims to have put them behind him. His goalscoring record is impressive (10 goals in 21 league games for Auxerre and is garnering comparisons to Thierry Henry, who joined Arsenal at a similar age. Arsenal fans can only hope that Le Professeur has pulled off another bargain move for a future star.

Jordan Ibe

Jordan Ibe

The Liverpool winger was snapped up for £500k by Kenny Dalglish less than two seasons ago after impressing for Wycombe Wanderers, becoming their youngest ever goal scorer at the age of 15.

He is the latest one of Rodgers’ youth prodigies and has already made his debut against QPR in the final game of the season, providing the match-winning assist to Philippe Coutinho.

Ibe is best known for his pace and strength, key assets in the Premier League but he also shown his impressive finishing in the recent friendly against Preston North End, scoring an incredible goal from outside the box.

Liverpool fans believe Jordan Ibe is destined for the stars and next season could be his breakthrough season as he could make the left wing spot his own as Liverpool’s attacking options are limited at the moment.

Nathaniel Chalobah

Nathaniel Chalobah

The Chelsea youth player was a regular captain of their youth and reserve sides. His leadership skills belie his young age of 18. He caught the eye of Watford manager Gianfranco Zola who signed him on loan for the 2012-13 season.

Chalobah’s versatility of playing in both midfield and defence and his untiring work rate, as well as his imposing tackle, led Watford to the Championship playoff which they lost 1-0 to Crystal Palace in extra time. Nevertheless, Chalobah was impressive throughout the season and Chelsea can confidently say that they have a great talent to add to their already crowded midfield.