The 20 Premier League youngsters with the most potential

Martin Macdonald

Updated: 25 Apr 2022 14:22 BST
3 min read

Phil Foden, Man City, 2021/22 — © ProShots

Phil Foden is the Premier League player at the age of 21 or younger with the most potential, according to SciSports.

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Using in-game data to calculate the performance of every Premier League player, the Manchester City star has statistically the highest ceiling of any youngster plying their trade in England's top flight.

Under the careful tutelage of Pep Guardiola, who initially received criticism for not sending Foden out on loan, the attacking midfielder has emerged as one of the most talented players of his generation and is also a key member of the first-team squad at Man City.

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In the 2021/22 campaign, he has scored 12 goals and recorded nine assists in all competitions, and the scope is there for him to improve on these stats in the years ahead.

In second is Arsenal's Bukayo Saka. After breaking into the squad on a consistent basis in the 2019/20 season, the England international has arguably developed into the Gunners' most important player.

The world seems to be waiting for Callum Hudson-Odoi's career to truly catch fire, as the potential is there for him to become a star, even if he is in and out of the Chelsea team under Thomas Tuchel. He has the third-most potential of any young Premier League player.

Another player linked to Chelsea is in number four, as the Blues will likely be regretting allowing Marc Guehi to leave for Crystal Palace in the summer. He has been a revelation under Partick Vieira at Selhurst Park, and Chelsea could certainly be doing with him as they face a defensive exodus in 2022.

Rounding out the top five is Leicester's Wesley Fofana. Widely considered to be one of the best central defensive prospects in the world, he has successfully recovered from a serious knee injury to find his best form again for the Foxes.

Player	Parent Club	SciSports Potential
1. Phil Foden	Man City	158.8
2. Bukayo Saka	Arsenal	149.8
3. Callum Hudson-Odoi	Chelsea	146.6
4. Marc Guehi	Crystal Palace	135.8
5. Wesley Fofana	Leicester	128.4
6. Emile Smith Rowe	Arsenal	127.2
7. Tino Livramento	Southampton	124.4
8. Brandon Williams	Man Utd	121.7
9. Curtis Jones	Liverpool	120.5
10. Rayan Ait-Nouri	Wolves	116.8
11. Ryan Sessegnon	Tottenham	114.5
12. Oliver Skipp	Tottenham	114.1
13. Gabriel Martinelli	Arsenal	114.1
14. Luke Thomas	Leicester	114.0
15. Cole Palmer	Man City	113.5
16. Michael Olise	Crystal Palace	110.6
17. Jacob Ramsey	Aston Villa	109.6
18. Fabio Silva	Wolves	108.1
19. Armando Broja	Chelsea	107.5
20. Joao Pedro	Watford	106.2

How is the SciSkill ranking calculated?

SciSports explains how our development ratings are gathered:

“Among others, a positive development could be boosted by more playing time, playing time on a higher level or better performances on the pitch.

“A negative development could be due to the player being active on a lower level than he used to play, bad performances or the fact that he does not play that often as he used to do.

“A SciSkill Development of 0.0 could indicate that a player is performing exactly like our algorithm expects him to do. Another reason could be inactivity (e.g. a long-term injury or suspension).”

Read more about: Premier League Arsenal Chelsea Leicester Liverpool Man City Man Utd Tottenham Armando Broja Bukayo Saka Callum Hudson-Odoi Cole Palmer Curtis Jones Emile Smith Rowe Fabio Silva Gabriel Martinelli Harvey Elliott Jacob Ramsey Luke Thomas Marc Guéhi Michael Olise Oliver Skipp Phil Foden R. Aït-Nouri Ryan Sessegnon Wesley Fofana