Premier League 2 players who could step up in 2025/26

It’s easy for fans to be caught up in the excitement of a transfer window, with the possibility of finally signing the one missing piece that gets your team into Europe, or even to the top of the Premier League table.

But it’s also important to recognise the quality that already exists within each club at academy level, as we often see in Premier League 2 (PL2).

We can never predict exactly who it will be, but young players break through every season in the top flight. Just look at the likes of Myles Lewis-Skelly, Ethan Nwaneri and Dean Huijsen in the 2024/25 campaign.

Following the release of the PL2 fixtures for 2025/26, we look at 10 prospects who seem set to step up from that competition into the Premier League this season.

Rio Ngumoha (Liverpool)

Age: 16 | Position: Forward | Players compared with: Luis Diaz

The excitement about Ngumoha's prodigious talent has increased this summer, in the wake of his pre-season performances for Liverpool.

Still only 16, the lively left-sided forward scored a stunning opener and assisted his side's second goal for Darwin Nunez both inside the first five minutes - as the Premier League champions beat Athletic Bilbao 4-1 at Anfield on Monday.

Ngumoha's showing was the talk of the Liverpool supporters, however, and it follows another assist and goal on the club's pre-season tour of Asia, against AC Milan and Yokohama F. Marinos respectively.

The England Under-17 international is heading into his second season at Liverpool, having joined them from Chelsea's academy in September 2024.

In his first campaign with the Reds, he featured for the Under-18s - scoring against his former club in the Premier League Cup - as well as playing for the Under-21 side.

Ngumoha scored both of his Premier League 2 goals last season in a 2-2 draw away to Aston Villa.

Slot gave Ngumoha his first-team debut in January when he started against Accrington Stanley in the FA Cup in January 2025.

To date, it's his only competitive appearance for the club at senior level but based on his displays in pre-season, it seems it won't be long before he builds on that promising outing.

Watch Ngumoha's goal v Athletic Bilbao

Trey Nyoni (Liverpool)

Age: 18 | Position: Central midfielder | Players compared with: Thiago Alcantara, Angel Gomes

Nyoni joined Liverpool in 2023 from Leicester City, for whom he was playing Under-18 football at the tender age of 15.

A player of incredible composure, agility and guile, it’s easy to see why he was comfortable playing with an older group.

Chiefly a sitting midfielder with metronomic tendencies, Nyoni is also capable of playing higher up the pitch, such is his immaculate close control and deftness around the box.

Only four players created more chances in open play than Nyoni in PL2 last season, despite him usually dictating play from a deeper position.

Nyoni has been a regular in England’s youth set-up from the Under-16s through to the Under-20s, and he's the type of player that English football has struggled to produce in recent times – one that can control the tempo.

Nyoni made five appearances for Liverpool’s senior side last season, with two starts in domestic cup competitions.

Though he is yet to make his Premier League debut, manager Arne Slot made him Liverpool’s youngest ever player in European competition when he appeared from the bench against PSV Eindhoven in the UEFA Champions League in January.

Nyoni featured in all of Liverpool's first four pre-season friendlies this summer, and scored their equaliser in the 3-1 win over Yokohama F. Marinos in Japan.

Watch Nyoni's goal in Japan

Surely it won’t be long until Nyoni is involved in Premier League matches too.

Max Dowman (Arsenal)

Age: 15 | Position: Attacking midfielder | Players compared with: Cole Palmer, Kaka

The youngest player on this list, Dowman could go down as one of the greatest talents ever produced by Arsenal’s Hale End academy.

Dowman only turned 15 on the final day of 2024, yet he already looks too good for the U18 Premier League, registering 15 goals and five assists in just 15 appearances in the competition last season.

Most goals + assists in U18 PL 2024/25 

Player	G + A	Age
Divine Mukasa	31	17
Nicholas Oyekunle	31	18
Luca Williams-Barnett	27	16
Reigan Heskey	26	17
Marcus Neill	22	17
Sufianu Sillah Dibaga	21	18
Max Dowman	20	15
Justin Oguntolu	20	18

Although the Arsenal hierarchy will be keen not to put too much pressure and expectation on Dowman’s young shoulders, manager Mikel Arteta has been glowing when offered the chance to talk up the teenager's qualities.

"He's very impressive," said Arteta, during a press conference earlier this year. "Some of the things he does are unbelievable.

"We have a lot of belief we can develop him into one of our own."

Dowman glides effortlessly with the ball, while always keeping it at close proximity and out of reach of bamboozled defenders. He has been compared with many famous players, from Cole Palmer to George Best, but one reference point that has stuck is former Ballon d’Or winner Kaka, a comparison offered up by one of Arsenal’s youth coaches, Gustavo Oliveira.

"He plays in the style of Kaka," said Oliveira. "One day he will play for the England national team and in the Premier League."

Dowman will be too young to truly stake a claim in Arsenal's squad next season, but he is expected to be given ample time around the first team. As we have seen with Lewis-Skelly and Nwaneri, Arteta isn’t afraid to platform precocious talents.

The 15-year-old featured as a substitute on the club's pre-season tour of Asia and impressed in their 3-2 victory over Newcastle United, earning the match-winning penalty when he was fouled by Joelinton.

England legend Gary Lineker was impressed by Dowman's performance against Newcastle, commenting on The Rest Is Football podcast: "He was doing some amazing stuff. He looks like a man already and he’s got so much talent. He beats people effortlessly and he can finish, and he looks incredibly confident."

Chido Obi (Manchester United)

Age: 17 | Position: Forward | Players compared with: Hugo Ekitike, Alexander Isak

Obi is one of the most dominant forwards at youth level in recent times, scoring 32 goals in 18 games in the Under-18 Premier League for Arsenal during the 2023/24 campaign, with 28 of those goals coming during the final nine matches of the season.

That’s why his move to Man Utd in 2024 made shockwaves at academy level.

Losing a player of such great potential to a major rival was a huge blow for Arsenal, and a major coup for Man Utd.

Obi, who is eligible to play for England and Nigeria but is expected to represent his country of birth, Denmark, stands at six feet two inches tall and is likely still growing. Nonetheless, he has the balance and footwork more associated with players of a lesser height, and that’s why it’s easy to draw parallels to forwards like Ekitike and Isak, who have more in common with a diminutive winger than they do your average target man.

Obi makes good use of his physical advantages at youth level, and that’s why there will need to be patience as he transitions into the senior game, where those advantages will not exist at first.

Liam Delap, for example, has had to walk that same trajectory, and is now flying.

Man Utd boss Ruben Amorim is of course well aware of Obi’s potential and used him eight times for the senior side last season, including making him the club’s youngest ever starter in the Premier League.

Those appearances totalled just north of 200 minutes - you can expect to see a lot more of Obi in 2025/26.

Lewis Orford (West Ham United)

Age: 19 | Position: Central midfielder | Players compared with: Declan Rice, James Ward-Prowse

London-born and raised, Orford has been a part of the setup since he was just five years old.

He was a key player in the Hammers' FA Youth Cup triumph in 2023, when the team thrashed an Arsenal side containing Lewis-Skelly and Nwaneri to lift the trophy for the first time in 24 years.

Two years on, Orford is coming off the back of a dominant season in PL2 and is ready to add to the two substitute appearances he made in the Premier League last season under Graham Potter, a manager who has always had a keen interest in developing academy players.

Orford has often drawn comparison to Declan Rice, and though the West Ham factor has a large role to play there, there are myriad on-the-field similarities too.

With broad shoulders and an elegant gait, Orford often looks a cut above players of the same age and he was nominated for the PL2 Player of the Season in 2024/25.

Showcasing his two-way capabilities, Orford led all players in PL2 last season for both assists (nine) and possession recoveries (142), while he also created the most big chances of any player (12).

Most assists in PL2 2024/25 

Player	Assists
Lewis Orford	9
Alfie Harrison	7
Salah-Eddine Oulad M'hand	7
Emilio Lawrence	7
Hindolo Mustapha	7

Most possession wins in PL2 2024/25 

Player	Possession Won
Lewis Orford	142
Hindolo Mustapha	138
Cameron Bragg	121
Henry Cartwright	120
Jimi Gower	119

West Ham struggled to find a fruitful double pivot combination last season under Potter – Orford may well be half of the solution.

Shumaira 'Shim' Mheuka (Chelsea)

Age: 17 | Position: Forward | Players compared with: Son Heung-min, Sergio Aguero

The latest jewel from Chelsea's famed academy at Cobham, Mheuka is a forward with a rare concoction of abilities that should combine to give him a long and successful career at the top level.

Previously part of Brighton’s academy, Mheuka joined Chelsea in 2022 and has been a force to be reckoned with at youth level ever since, often playing an age up for both Chelsea and England.

Mheuka ticks almost every box – he has incredibly quick feet, strong ball control, he can come deep to connect play, he can play off the shoulder of the last defender, he can play wide, and most importantly, he can finish.

None of this is news to Chelsea of course, and Mheuka’s promise was rewarded with some first-team action by manager Enzo Maresca. He made his Premier League debut against Southampton in February, and became Chelsea’s youngest ever starter in major European competition in March.

Mheuka was named as Chelsea’s Scholar of the Year last season and the expectation will be that he still spends the majority of his time with the Under-21s in the upcoming campaign, but you can expect to see him given an increase of usage with the senior side too.

Harry Howell (Brighton & Hove Albion)

Age: 17 | Position: Attacking midfielder | Players compared with: Tyler Dibling, James McAtee

Although he was only 16 years old for the majority of the campaign, Harry Howell spent all of last season as a starter for Brighton’s Under-21 side – and he was arguably their best player.

Howell is a versatile attacker, comfortable playing behind the striker, sometimes as the striker, but mostly and to greatest effect from the right.

Able to dribble with the ball at great speeds, Howell is a sharpshooter who needs no time at all to get a powerful shot off, finding it easier than most to create half a yard of separation from his opposition full-back.

Despite playing predominantly against players a year or two older than him, Howell finished fourth for expected assists (4.39) and fifth for dribbles completed (36) in PL2 last season.

Most dribbles completed in PL2 2024/25 

Player	Dribbled Completed
Hindolo Mustapha	63
Jay Robinson	54
Terrell Works	48
Kamarai Swyer	41
Harry Howell	36

Most expected assists in PL2 2024/25 

Player	Expected Assist
Jay Robinson	4.82
Lewis Orford	4.67
Ato Ampah	4.67
Harry Howell	4.39
Cameron Peupion	4.32

Howell made his senior debut in Brighton’s come-from-behind victory over Liverpool in last season’s penultimate match, becoming the club’s youngest player in the Premier League in the process.

In the 84th minute, with the scores level at 2-2, Howell entered the pitch alongside his cousin, Jack Hinshelwood.

Only 78 seconds later and Brighton were ahead, with the two cousins celebrating together at the corner flag.

The young attacker did enough to earn credit from manager Fabian Hurzeler: "Harry did an incredible job, he put in a really good performance against Liverpool.

"Now he has to be humble, stay grounded, keep working hard, and then I'm sure that he can be a role model for all the other young players in the academy, to show that if you work hard, you have a chance to be a first-team player."

Howell was among 13 players who signed their first professional contract with Brighton last month.

Hindolo Mustapha (Crystal Palace)

Age: 18 | Position: Central midfielder | Players compared with: Kobbie Mainoo, Elliot Anderson

Mustapha was the youngest of the eight nominees for PL2 Player of the Season in 2024/25, and given the strength of his campaign with Crystal Palace, he can count himself unlucky not to have won the award.

Already capped at senior international level and with a goal to his name for Sierra Leone, Mustapha can play almost anywhere in midfield.

He spent the majority of last season in an advanced position that mirrors the way Oliver Glasner uses No 10s for the senior team.

Mustapha has wonderful ball control, he can stride purposefully with the ball while utilising his physical attributes to hold players off and then create separation, he has an excellent eye for a pass, and he can strike a ball powerfully and cleanly.

The only player with more combined goals (10) and assists (seven) than Mustapha in PL2 last season was Manchester City’s Divin Mubama, who is a striker.

Most goal involvements in PL2 2024/25 

Player	Goals	Assists	G+A
Divin Mubama	17	3	20
Hindolo Mustapha	10	7	17
Khayon Edwards	12	4	16
Nathan Butler-Oyedeji	10	6	16
Donnell McNeilly	13	2	15
Ademola Ola-Adebomi	12	3	15

Mustapha led all players in the division for goals scored from outside the box (five), dribbles completed (63), and chances created from open play (48), while he was second for possession won (138) and fourth for progressive carries (191).

Most goals scored from outside box PL2 2024/25 

Player	Goals (outside box)
Hindolo Mustapha	5
Sam Mather	3
Salah-Eddine Oulad M'hand	3
Callum Olusesi	3
Cole Deeming	3

Most dribbles completed in PL2 2024/25 

Player	Dribbles Completed
Hindolo Mustapha	63
Jay Robinson	54
Terrell Works	48
Kamarai Swyer	41
Harry Howell	36

Most chances created from open play PL2 2024/25 

Player	Chances created from open play
Hindolo Mustapha	48
Lewis Orford	35
Harrison Jones	34
Ben Middlemas	33
Emilio Lawrence	30
Trey Nyoni	30

Most progressive carries in PL2 2024/25 

Player	Progressive carries
Max Alleyne	340
Jahmai Simpson-Pusey	268
Derrick Abu	224
Hindolo Mustapha	191
Triston Rowe	184

Mustapha is yet to make an appearance above youth level for Palace, but make no mistake, he is ready to make his mark in senior football.

Finlay Herrick (West Ham)

Age: 19 | Position: Goalkeeper | Players compared with: James Trafford, David Raya

Herrick was the only goalkeeper to be nominated for PL2 Player of the Season in 2024/25, which is no mean feat in a high-scoring league that often highlights the quality of attackers more so than defensive players.

Although on the shorter side for a goalkeeper, standing at just over six feet tall, Herrick nonetheless has a great command of his area.

As is now expected with modern-day goalkeepers, he’s comfortable on the ball and has no issues with finding the right pass while under pressure.

In what was his first season at Under-21 level, Herrick kept the most clean sheets of any goalkeeper in PL2 last season (seven), although he knows he didn’t accomplish it alone.

"As much as I want to take credit for all the clean sheets, and I celebrate like I did all the work, you’ve got to give credit to my defence," he told West Ham's official website, prior to joining the England squad for the Under-19 European Championships.

Goalkeepers with most clean sheets in PL2 2024/25 

Player	GK clean sheets
Finlay Herrick	7
Spike Brits	5
Oliver Whatmuff	4
Louie Moulden	4
Aidan Harris	4

Although Herrick is yet to make his senior debut for West Ham, the club clearly see a bright future for him at the club, tying him down until 2028 with a bumper contract last October.

It’s not common for young goalkeepers to be given a chance straight away at the top level, so the expectation will be that Herrick goes on loan to a club in the EFL in 2025/26, but you can expect to see him lining up for West Ham’s senior side down the line.

Josh King (Fulham)

Age: 18 | Position: Central midfielder | Players compared with: Vitinha, Youri Tielemans

In May 2018, when King was 11 years old, he walked out as a mascot alongside Fulham captain Tom Cairney for a Championship play-off semi-final match against Derby County.

In December 2024, when King was 17, he made his full Premier League debut alongside Cairney in Fulham’s midfield.

Although possessing a slight frame and a height of five feet eight, King has typically played in a midfield two at youth level for Fulham, whose academy setup he has now been part of for 10 years.

Fulham manager Marco Silva has not historically been forthcoming with minutes for youth players, usually electing to stick with a tried and tested senior group, so it has not gone unnoticed that he fast-tracked King into the senior squad for much of last season, awarding him two starts in all competitions as well as a smattering of substitute appearances.

Silva spoke highly of King after his first start in the Premier League, against Southampton: "It was a good performance for him. It was a surprise for some people that he was so composed, but it wasn't a surprise for us.

"I took the decision [to start him] because I saw that he is ready. He is a really good boy who is focused on his goals [objectives] and the team's."

King’s appearances at youth level were simply too good to ignore, earning him Fulham's Scholar of the Year award in 2023/24, ad regular starts for England’s youth teams.

Don’t be surprised if he becomes a regular starter for Fulham before long, too. King signed a new long-term contract in July, committing himself to the club until June 2029.