The Premier League's teenage sensations are making headlines after Max Dowman's starring display for Arsenal and JJ Gabriel's revelation that he wants to leave Manchester United. Dowman, 16, scored twice in Arsenal's Carabao Cup win over Ipswich, only hours after 15-year-old Gabriel had stunned Manchester United with his request to cancel his registration at the club. Dowman's breakthrough and Gabriel's desire for first-team opportunities show how the stars of tomorrow are starting younger, but which Premier League clubs have the most valuable teens?
For this week's Between the Lines, we use Transfermarkt valuations to rank Premier League clubs by teenage value, albeit with the caveat that Transfermarkt does not assign valuations to young players with no first-team experience such as Gabriel. According to Transfermarkt, Manchester City have the most valuable teenagers at a combined £122.6m, putting them just ahead of Chelsea on £121m, and Arsenal in third on £102.4m. Brighton have the fourth-highest teenage value at £100.7m, reflecting their knack for identifying high-potential young signings in the transfer market, and putting them well ahead of fifth-placed Liverpool, who have a teenage value of £64.3m.
Manchester United set the standard for youth development in the Sir Alex Ferguson era but their teen value of £48.1m suggests they are no longer a top destination for young players and leaves them sixth, just ahead of Hull, who punch above their weight in seventh. Ipswich have no teenagers assigned Transfermarkt values, leaving them bottom of the rankings, while Newcastle and Everton also stand out in the lower half of the rankings with teen values of only £9.9m and £10.5m respectively. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Spurs have the lowest teenage value of the traditional big six clubs, their total value of £23.1m putting them 11th.
Ayyoub Bouaddi, signed from Lille in August, accounts for over half of Manchester City's total, with a Transfermarkt value of £68.6m. The 18-year-old midfielder sits alongside Chelsea winger Estevao as the most valuable teenager in the Premier League. The next-most valuable teenager is centre-back Luka Vuskovic, who joined Brighton from Spurs for £50m in the summer and is valued by Transfermarkt at £51.4m.
Arsenal's total teen value is spread wider than their rivals'. In Myles Lewis-Skelly, Ethan Nwaneri and Max Dowman, who are valued at £38.6m, £30m and 25.7m respectively, the Gunners have three players among the 10 most valuable teenagers. Dowman, who became the Premier League's youngest goalscorer aged 16 years and 73 days last season, is the only 16-year-old at any Premier League club with a Transfermarkt valuation.
Liverpool's 18-year-old winger Rio Ngumoha also features among the top 10, with the same Transfermarkt value as Dowman at £25.7m, along with Manchester United's Ayden Heaven, 19, and Aston Vila's Ibrahim Mbaye, 18. The only five other teenagers with Transfermarkt values of over £20m are Brighton's Charalampos Kostoulas, Fulham's Josh King, Hull's Christos Mouzakitis, Liverpool's Giovanni Leoni and Sunderland's Chris Rigg. Bouaddi and Estevao account for over half of Manchester City and Chelsea's total teenage values having been signed from Lille and Palmeiras at considerable expense, but Arsenal seemingly have an edge when it comes to generating value from their academy.
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