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Every season, there are names that seem to crop up out of the blue and players that take the spotlight having appeared seemingly out of nowhere. Yet, for those who look closely, there are always indicators of players who seem to be on the cusp of making the move from youth level football to the first teams.
Last season saw the likes of Ajax's Matthijs de Ligt take centre stage as the Dutch champions beat Real Madrid and Juventus to make it as far as the Champions League semi-finals. The big defender scored 7 goals and made 4 assists in Ajax's 2018/19 season - an impressive tally for a 19-year-old centre-back.
Also See : La Liga Transfer News, EPL Transfer News, Manchester united Transfer News.
It wasn't 20-year-old Trent Alexander-Arnold's breakout season but it saw him reach new heights in Liverpool's Champions League-winning campaign and missing out on the Premier League by a hair's breadth. The right-back made 16 assists for the Reds and is a starter for the national side.
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As followers of different leagues you often come across players who stand out as youngsters, they mostly tend to be midfielders or attackers. Young defenders are often treated with a high level of caution as errors and miscalculations in defence tend to end in conceded goals.
Defenders usually fully come into their responsibilities and mature as players much later in their career, but we're seeing defensive talent being spotted much earlier now and being given chances as fully mature defenders seem to be knocking on the door at the €100 million club with every transfer that is made.
There have been plenty across Europe who're worth a shout out, however, let's take a closer look at some of the best prospects under the age of 20.
#1 Ethan Ampadu (18 years old, CB/CDM)
The Welsh international first made waves as a 17-year-old substitute coming on for his 10-minute cameo in the Premier League against Huddersfield Town for Chelsea under Antonio Conte in the 2017/18 season.
Ampadu has consistently impressed playing at centre-back or as a defensive midfielder within the youth set-up as well as in his appearances for the senior Chelsea team in the FA Cup, Carabao Cup, and the Europa League over the past two seasons.
Having played for both England and Wales at youth level, he chose to play for Wales and made his senior debut for them under Chris Coleman's tutelage in November 2017. He has since made appearances for the national team in Euro Qualifying, friendlies, and the Nations League competitions. He appears to be making more progress under Ryan Giggs and could soon be a regular for his national team as well.
Over the summer, he turned out for Chelsea in their first pre-season game and gave a good account of himself and has since earned a loan move to RB Leipzig in Germany. Ampadu is likely to play a rotational role under RB Leipzig's new boss Julian Nagelsmann who prefers centre-backs that are comfortable bringing the ball out from the back and have a good range of passing.
#2 Luca Pellegrini (20 years old, LB)
A club like Juventus going into the market for a 20-year-old left-back and paying €22 million for him always makes the news.
Juve's options at left-back last season were Alex Sandro and Leonardo Spinazzola. The latter had an injury-riddled time in Turin before he was let go this summer and headed to Roma for €29.5 million. Which then freed up the club from the capital to let go of Pellegrini who impressed at Cagliari on loan last season.
Pellegrini was the blue-eyed boy of Roma having been a local boy who made it to the first team, but he has had some run-ins with injuries of his own. When free of injuries, he's a swashbuckling full-back with a keen work rate and can be seen going up and down the wing at abandon.
He made a few appearances for Roma last season in the league as well as the Champions League before going on loan to Cagliari and becoming a fixture in their line-up. He's poised for some great performances for the defending Italian Champions as long as he can stay fit.
#3 Kik Pierie (19 years old, CB/LB)
How do you replace a 19-year-old leader of your team when he leaves for Juventus? Well, Ajax are going with as many capable young centre-backs as they can find. The signing of the young Mexican Edson Alvarez has been the highlight, but they also have another 19-year-old Perr Schurrs in reserve.
Yet, one of the exciting buys for Ajax is the low profile transfer of 19-year-old American/Dutch Kik Pierie, who plays both at centre-back and left-back. He's featured for Ajax already in pre-season at the full-back position.
Pierie has been immense in the Heerenveen defence for the last two seasons. He's eager to step out of defence with the ball and does well spraying it around and breaking lines with his passing. His great vision earned him 3 assists last season and he bagged a couple of goals for Heerenveen as well.
There's no doubt that the youngster will face stiff competition from the likes of Alvarez, Schurrs, and Blind, but with two seasons of top-flight experience in the Eredivisie, we can expect to see a fair bit of him at Ajax.
#4 Ryan Sessegnon (19 years old, LB/LM/LW)
Fulham may have had a terrible campaign and got relegated despite spending a fortune on players that they simply didn't seem to be able to work together as a cohesive unit, but there were players that shone through the campaign.
The one to keep your eyes peeled for is the 19-year-old left-back, Ryan Sessegnon. He played a key role in their rise up to the Premier League and was expected to make the step up to the big league with ease.
A number of Premier League clubs were linked with him as Fulham prepared for their season but he decided not to move at the time. Now, with the London side going back to the Championship, another London club, Tottenham Hotspur seem to be vying for his signature.
Despite limited time on the pitch, Sessegnon registered the second-most assists for a teenager (6) across all European League (only trailing Jadon Sancho who had 14 assists). It's easy to see why Mauricio Pochettino sees value in the versatile fullback. Especially since they've let go of Danny Rose and Kieran Trippier this summer as well, Spurs seem to be adding youth and skill to their wings.
#5 William Saliba (18 years old, CB)
A giant at just 18 years of age, William Saliba has drawn immense attention in his first year playing for the Saint Etienne senior team in Ligue 1. Though he's technically still contracted to the French side, he's likely to become an Arsenal player this summer.
It has been an interesting summer for the French youngster with Tottenham and Arsenal both vying for him. He reportedly has chosen Arsenal over Spurs but is set to be loaned back to St Etienne for 2019-10.
The fee Arsenal have offered for the defender is believed to be in the region of €30 million, which is the highest St Etienne will have received for a player ever (beating the €15 million Chelsea spent on Kurt Zouma).
Amid Arsenal's restructuring and trying to raise the profile of the club once again, this is a signing that should give them stability at the back for years to come even though Saliba's arrival would be delayed by a year.
Keep a lookout for:
Eric Garcia (18 years old, CB/RB) - The Spanish defender made 3 EFL Cup appearances for Manchester City last season. If this season of the Premier League isn't as closely contested as the last one, we could possibly see him make a few appearances in the league. Importantly, both for City and the player, he has the backing of manager Pep Guardiola.
Benoit Badiashile (18 years old, CB) - The youngster plies his trade for AS Monaco and started 20 games for them last season both under Henry and Jardim. He's been linked with Manchester United this summer but is more likely to stay in Monaco and develop for another year at least.
Lloyd Kelly (20 years old, LB/CB) - Bournemouth's new signing from Bristol City, Kelly was brought in for £13 million. Given that Eddie Howe prefers a mobile backline with the presence of mind to pass out of the back, he may be a key player. It could allow Howe to play Ake on the left or in midfield as well.
Reece James (19 years old, RB) - Chelsea player Reece James spent last season on loan at Wigan Athletic and ended the season as their Player of the Year, Player's Player of the Year, and also scored their Goal of the Season. He's been massively impressive, and barring injury would have been a part of Frank Lampard's Chelsea pre-season and could still potentially play with the Chelsea first team this season.
Yasser Larouci (18 years old, LB) - In the news recently for being scythed down by Joris Gnagnon in Liverpool's pre-season, Larouci has been impressing at youth levels and maybe a fringe player for the Liverpool first team this season, considering that they will be competing for 7 trophies.
Juan Miranda (19 years old, LB) - Barcelona have long been on the lookout for Jordi Alba's heir. They've experimented plenty in the past but having made a single appearance for Barcelona last season, Miranda seems like he could be the long-term successor for the Catalan club at Left Back.
