The most exciting teenagers in football, from the cornerstones of their clubs to the wonderkids waiting for that big break
40. Myles Lewis-Skelly
Myles Lewis-Skelly of Arsenal during a preseason friendly against Boreham Wood (Image credit: David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
Age: 17 (September 26, 2006)
Club: Arsenal
The Eduardo Camavinga comparisons are apt. Myles Lewis-Skelly is left-footed, thoughtful in possession and shows intensity when he doesn’t have the ball. The Hale End teen has been a huge plus of preseason and has shown the kind of intelligence and work ethic that Mikel Arteta demands from his players.
And now, MLS is training as a left-back: very Cama. Wherever he ends up, he has a solid career ahead of him.
39. Geovany Quenda
Geovany Quenda of Sporting runs with the ball against Porto (Image credit: Pedro Loureiro/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)
While Sporting have risen to the top of Portuguese football with ball-to-feet wingers in Marcus Edwards and Pedro Goncalves, who will want to cut in and playmake, Geovany Quenda is waiting in the wings as a solid Plan B. He’s far more direct, has pace and bullishly bulldoze past defenders inside or out.
Comparisons with other Iberian wingers born in Guinea-Bissau are inevitable (hello, Ansu Fati). Quenda looks to be the next supreme talent out of Sporting – and he could leapfrog Edwards in the team in time.
38. Ivan Fresneda
Ivan Fresneda of Sporting controls the ball (Image credit: Pedro Loureiro/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)
Age: 19 (September 28, 2004)
Club: Sporting
Get FourFourTwo Newsletter
The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.
Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund opted to pass on Ivan Fresneda when he became available at Real Valladolid. It may come back to bite them, too.
The Spaniard has potential to be a complete right-back, equally proficient defensively, overlapping and stepping into the centre of the pitch. Physicality tends to be prioritised at full-back but Fresneda is technically gifted, with the intelligence to read situations as a game develops. He’s due another big move if he continues on his current trajectory.
37. Chido Obi
Chido Obi-Martin with the matchball after scoring a hat trick in the U18 Premier League against Southampton (Image credit: Getty Images)
Age: 16 (December 8, 2006)
Club: Manchester United
Arsenal are gutted to lose Chido Obi-Martin. He netted 10 goals as Arsenal beat Liverpool 14-3 at under-16 level and seven goals in a 9-0 win against Norwich City, earning the opportunity to train with Arteta's senior side at the age of just 15: quite the way to announce yourself.
Now, he’s set for bigger things. A youngster who expected to be a part of Arsenal’s under-21 setup this season has now been given the role of being Manchester United’s third-choice striker being Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee. It’s going to be fascinating to see if this natural-born killer can ascend in senior football at the same rate.
36. Lewis Miley
Lewis Miley in action for Newcastle (Image credit: Getty Images)
Lewis Miley has been lavished with plenty of praise but perhaps none greater than Eddie Howe describing his “brilliant brain”. Physical maturation is to follow: but the fundamentals are already in place for this talent.
Miley broke into the first team at Newcastle United last season to play in a role in which he was responsible for space: defending it and exploiting it. The teenager was dropped in at the deep end but he excelled, showing a knack for drawing opponents towards him and finding the gaps to move the ball on, all the while, screening off the ball, pressing diligently and showing a composure in the pass under pressure. He’s a huge talent for the future, and one that Toon fans hope won’t be sold on.
35. Tyrique George
Tyrique George in action against Wrexham in preseason (Image credit: Lyndsay Radnedge/ISI Photos/Getty Images)
Perhaps Cobham academy’s greatest asset at current, Tyrique George may be fast-tracked this season. After all, some of the players ahead of him in the pecking order are hardly indispensable.
George offers dynamism that the Blues so often sorely lack. He’s explosive over short and long distances, and has excellent ball-striking when he cuts inside from the touchline. While he looks statuesque when his long legs hover over the ball though, he has superb close control: there’s a hint of Rafael Leao in his strides. Whether he remains as a winger or moves to centre-forward will be enthralling to see in the coming years, too.
34. Nico Paz
Nico Paz of Real Madrid celebrates after scoring against Napoli in the Champions League (Image credit: Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images)
He’s already played in the Champions League and he was called up to the long-list of Argentina’s 2022 World Cup squad. Nico Paz has been fought over by the Albiceleste and Spain – where he was born – and now, there’s talk that he could leave the European champions, too. He’s held in very high regard.
It’s as if Florentino Perez hand-crafted a midfielder. Paz is tall, rangy, able to snatch possession back at a stretch, but he’s elegant, too. He floats on the ball when he drives forward and can pick a lock against a block. If he leaves the Bernabeu, he could be the next Martin Odegaard: Los Blancos hope he remains to learn from the best.
33. Stefan Bajcetic
Stefan Bajcetic in action against Leicester City in the League Cup (Image credit: Getty Images)
Age: 19 (October 22, 2004)
Club: Liverpool
Stefan Bajcetic’s absence last term was a disappointment for many. The Spaniard with a Scouse accent won admirers for his off-ball work and his verticality, which was notable in its absence during Jurgen Klopp’s farewell tour.
While he’s been pigeon-holed as a No.6, Bajcetic is so much more. The teen is an all-action affector in the centre of the pitch, with supreme intelligence on and off the ball. With Arne Slot looking for deep-lying midfield talent, Bajcetic’s development over the next couple of years could be stratospheric: Liverpool might well have an Ilkay Gundogan-level talent on their books.
32. Mathys Tel
Mathys Tel of Bayern Munich celebrates after scoring against Manchester United (Image credit: Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)
Balance is key in football. For every action, there must be an equal and opposite: for every Kane, a Tel.
The Frenchman feels like Nicolas Anelka reincarnated, No.39 shirt on his back. Tel is pacy, flickers from left to centre and has impressive hold-up play for one designated to drift into the space that Kane vacates. Bayern Munich will be sure not to lose this guy in the same way that they did Joshua Zirkzee.
31. Angelo Gabriel
Angelo of Santos runs with the ball against América MG (Image credit: Ricardo Moreira/Getty Images)
Age: 19 (December 21, 2004)
Club: Chelsea
It’s unclear whether Angelo will ever play for Chelsea. Such is the surplus of right-wing talents, and a certain Cole Palmer standing directly in the way, the Brazilian may have to find somewhere else in Europe to flourish.
The Brazilian dazzled at Santos and was solid at Strasbourg last term, learning his trade in Ligue 1. Angelo has a wand of a left foot and naturally sees openings that others don’t – so his development is more a case of how he adapts to such an alien environment. Wherever he ends up, the future is bright.
Thank you for reading 5 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Mark White is the Digital Content Editor at FourFourTwo. During his time on the brand, Mark has written three cover features on Mikel Arteta, Martin Odegaard and the Invincibles, and has written pieces on subjects ranging from Sir Bobby Robson’s time at Barcelona to the career of Robinho. An encyclopedia of football trivia and collector of shirts, he first joined the team back in 2020 as a staff writer.
