10 Wonderkids You Need to Know Ahead of the Summer Transfer Window
Last week saw the intense chase for 16-year-old wonderkid Jude Bellingham take another twist, as Borussia Dortmund stepped ahead of Manchester United, according to the Telegraph's Mike McGrath.
The week before that, 17-year-old Yan Couto sealed a transfer to Manchester City; and the week before that, Ajax announced they had concluded a deal for exciting 20-year-old winger Antony.
All this follows a frantic January transfer window in which Erling Haaland, Exequiel Palacios, Sander Berge, Reinier and many more switched clubs as a fresh wave of talent earned their big opportunity.
Now more than ever, it really is wonderkid season, with clubs placing a more intense focus on recruiting young (and perhaps then selling high) than ever before. Don't expect this fervorous frenzy to stop anytime soon; in fact, it's best to arm yourself with the knowledge of who is next.
This piece acts as your summer primer: 10 wonderkids you need to be au fait with ahead of the next transfer window. Big clubs will be linked to them, several of them will probably make their moves, and now you'll know exactly who they are and what they can do.
Kai Havertz, 20, Attacking Midfield
Bayer Leverkusen
Havertz has been around for what seems like ages, but at age 20, and given he hasn't yet made his big move from Leverkusen, he's still worth adding to this list.
He experienced a rough patch earlier this term—at one stage he was booed and jeered by his own fans in a home game—but has come out the other side of it and has four goals and five assists in his last seven games in all competitions. It's a ridiculous return, and he once again looks the golden boy at the BayArena.
An incredibly silky, smooth, left-footed playmaker, he just seems seconds ahead of everyone else on the pitch. He plays passes without looking, chips balls into runners no one else sees and returns his fair share of goals.
He'll cost a lot. Last summer Leverkusen rejected a €90 million bid from Bayern Munich, per TZ (h/t Bavarian Football Works), Joao Felix set a benchmark the same summer for €126 million, and Havertz's contract runs until 2022. But he'll probably be worth it.
A good fit for: Liverpool, Bayern Munich, pretty much anyone
Eduardo Camavinga, 17, Central Midfielder
Stade Rennais
Camavinga broke into a good Stade Rennais side at the end of last season, aged 16, and has used this campaign to cement his place. Now 17, he's registered more than 2,000 Ligue 1 minutes in a team that's third in the table.
What makes this feat more incredible is that his role isn't that of a tricky forward or playmaker; instead, he's a crunching, tenacious central midfielder whose bread and butter is ground duels and tackles.
As football coach Harry Brooks stressed on B/R Football Ranks last week, that is an extremely tough thing to do every single week when your body is undeveloped and you're playing against men.
Camavinga won't shower any side with goals or assists, but he'll win you the ball back, close off counter-attacks and sew up the space between your lines.
A good fit for: Real Madrid, PSG, Arsenal
Ferran Torres, 20, Winger
Valencia
The queue of admirers for Torres grows by the month. According to Mundo Deportivo (h/t Daily Mail), Barcelona, Real Madrid and Liverpool are all keeping an eye on the Valencia product.
He represents a slightly rarer breed of winger who plays on the right flank while favouring his right foot, at odds with the modern convention of those who cut inside (like Samuel Chukwueze). To do that you need good feet, a quick burst of acceleration, dribbling skills and an accurate cross; Torres has it all.
Valencia's typical 4-4-2 formation benefits from the natural width he brings, while target striker Maxi Gomez welcomes the constant supply of dangerous balls into the box that he can get on the end of.
In Torres and Carlos Soler (23), Los Che have two academy products running the wings at Mestalla. It's something to be extremely proud of, but it may not last for much longer.
A good fit for: Barcelona, Manchester City
Samuel Chukwueze, 20, Winger
Villarreal
Chukwueze is perhaps the most exciting player to watch on this list. He draws you to the edge of your seat when he latches on to the ball, as he'll always look to drive forward, beat a man or wriggle through a tiny gap.
A speedy, left-footed winger is a precious commodity in football as there simply aren't anywhere near as many of them as their right-footed counterparts, and Chukwueze is exactly that.
He can carry the ball and skip past a man, but most impressive is how quickly he shifts the ball inside. You know he's going to do it, but it happens so fast you can't stop it.
Villarreal are still easing him into their side—he's made as many starts (13) as sub appearances in La Liga this season—but he's still catching the eye.
France Football (h/t the Mirror's Gareth Bicknell) reported Liverpool came in for him in January, and when more goals and assists are pegged on to the end of his mazy runs, more clubs will be added to the pile.
A good fit for: Manchester United, Everton, Borussia Dortmund
Calvin Stengs, 21, Forward
AZ Alkmaar
There's a touch of Havertz about Stengs in a way. Perhaps it should be the other way around, given Stengs is a year older, but the German is a considerably bigger name than his Dutch counterpart.
The AZ forward is 6'0" tall (his hair makes him look even bigger) but plays a masterfully smooth game—often from a wider position—can turn on a sixpence, boasts incredible ball control in tight spots and opens his body up to arc some beautiful passes and shots with his left foot.
This used to be an extremely rare breed of player, but with Stengs and Havertz—and from a deeper position Paul Pogba and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic—it's clear we're trending toward a stage where the taller guys are catching up technically to your David Silva-style creator.
Stengs' ceiling is high, and he's still a pretty mouldable figure with regard to position. Elite teams may be reluctant to take him straight from AZ, opening an avenue for the next tier down to take aim, but that doesn't mean he's not good enough to play for them.
A good fit for: Manchester United, Everton, Borussia Dortmund
Dayot Upamecano, 21, Central Defender
RB Leipzig
Upamecano is one of the most hyped young players in the world. Late last year, Bleacher Report's Dean Jones reported Arsenal and Tottenham were interested in him, while in February, France Football (h/t Get French Football News) suggested Bayern Munich have taken a shine to him, too.
His calling cards have always been his tremendous athletic profile and his mazy dribbling out from the back. His recovery speed is perhaps second to none among centre-backs, making him perfect for a high-press, high-line, modern tactical approach, and his strong build has allowed him to play regular senior football from age 17 without a hitch.
Under Julian Nagelsmann, his passing and on-the-ball decision-making have improved dramatically, and he's put in some immense individual defensive showings in his own box this term.
Perhaps his only weakness is how overly aggressive he can be when hunting for the ball, stepping so far forward that he gets played around or through too easily. It's probably a product of him backing his own recovery speed so strongly that he can take more risks, but there's a finer balance to be struck. That will come with time.
A good fit for: Barcelona, Chelsea, Arsenal
Myron Boadu, 19, Striker
AZ Alkmaar
Moving from the most hyped to perhaps the least hyped, Boadu has put together an incredible goalscoring season for AZ, has debuted and netted for the Netherlands and consistently produced in the Europa League, yet he gets little love.
Surely that will change soon.
His 14 league goals have helped AZ to joint-first place in the Eredivisie with Ajax, and he scored against them at the beginning of the month to win and close the gap.
An unerringly confident, natural finisher off either foot, he spearheads an extremely tidy possession team that can build play without him, which allows him to pick his runs and spots. Some teams will still have concerns over him because of the league he's in, making Euro 2020—should he be called up—a big chance for him to prove his level.
A good fit for: RB Leipzig (if Timo Werner leaves), Leicester City
Sandro Tonali, 19, Central Midfielder
Brescia
It's really, really hard to shake the memories of Andrea Pirlo when you watch Tonali. Some comparisons of this ilk are lazy, but the Tonali-Pirlo ones have legs.
Tonali plays the same deep-lying playmaker role that Pirlo helped bring to prominence, and although his club are rock-bottom of Serie A, he stands out as an individual in most games.
He is so cool and calm on the ball, will play his way out of pressure, can dictate play with ease, scores the odd bullet from range and even has the same shaggy hair as Pirlo. He's a little bit stockier and more robust, though, and perhaps a little more mobile and two-footed, too.
Brescia are nine points off safety and have been mired in the relegation zone since October. If they drop, then Tonali will leave, so he feels like the most surefire mover of the 10 listed here.
A good fit for: Juventus, Roma, AC Milan
Boubakary Soumare, 21, Central Midfielder
Lille
Pick it up, pass it on. Pick it up, pass it on.
We often describe deep-lying playmakers as "metronomic," given their mechanical rhythm in recycling the ball, but that term perhaps applies to Soumare in a different way.
He is a ball recovery machine, always hoovering up possession and starting attacks, or dueling someone for it and ripping it off them. There are games in which he seems to mop up everything: Per Wyscout, he registered 16 ball recoveries against Chelsea in December, then 14 against Amiens and 10 against Lyon in January.
He's shown a good long pass and an equally good through-pass once in possession, and although he's yet to register a Ligue 1 assist this season, that's not really his fault (it's his strikers').
There are so many teams that could use a rangey, athletic, multi-faceted midfielder, Soumare should be on plenty of radars this summer.
A good fit for: PSG, Arsenal, Everton
Jonathan David, 20, Forward
Gent
When football matches become fast and furious, it's those who can slow down and assess that often make the difference. It's the mark of a thoughtful and clever player, often a playmaker, and demonstrates complete awareness and knowledge of what's around them.
Whether David develops into a playmaker or a true forward is hard to say right now, but what you can say is he has that trait of pausing and composing himself, enhancing his chances of making the right move.
He displays that when making that extra pass in a good area to enhance the chances of a goal, and by composing himself for a finish after rounding the goalkeeper. He's fast, but he doesn't play at 100 mph.
His productivity has got people talking: 23 goals and 10 assists this season, per Transfermarkt, is impressive, and he has 11 in 12 for Canada, putting him well on track to be their record goalscorer (by a distance).
Per Goal, Arsenal are keeping tabs on him—but others will be, too. The suggested fee of £17.5 million is cheap for his potential and could make him a bargain buy this summer if he moves.
A good fit for: Bayern Munich, Manchester United
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All statistics via WhoScored.com
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