Wildcards, breakouts and new faces - 21 Premier League players to watch

You already know about the Premier League's established superstars but what about the wildcards who might make a name for themselves this season?

Whether they are new and recent signings, late bloomers or exciting young academy talents, we are talking about the less familiar faces of all ages who are hoping for a breakout campaign.

Here, BBC Sport's TV and radio commentators pick 21 players who will be worth watching out for in the next few months - and a manager who may surprise a few people too.

1. Estevao Willian - Chelsea

Age: 18 Position: Winger Country: Brazil

 

Estevao, nicknamed 'Messinho' or 'Little Messi', played against Chelsea at the Fifa Club World Cup in June. That was his final game for Palmeiras before moving to Stamford Bridge for an initial fee of £29m, a deal which was announced the previous summer© Getty Images

Conor McNamara: I commentated on Estevao's debut for Chelsea against Bayer Leverkusen last week and the kid is a star.

He showed an excellent poachers' instinct to score his first goal in Chelsea blue, reacting well after Cole Palmer's shot had come back off the crossbar - but Estevao's game is all about running with the ball at high speed.

He only turned 18 in April, but the Brazilian looks the real deal.

It's early days of course, but he already seems to have a telepathy with Palmer - when the England international backheeled the ball on the edge of the area against Leverkusen, Estevao knew it was coming and got his shot away.

Mark Scott: I'm commentating at the Bridge on Sunday and Estevao is the player I'm most excited about seeing.

Regarded by many as the biggest talent to come out of Brazil since Vinicius Junior, he gave Chelsea fans a taste of his ability with a cracker against them at the Club World Cup, and has since impressed in a blue shirt with a sparkling showing in the friendly win over Leverkusen.

That electric performance showcased the abilities that have led to all the hype - immense quality on the ball and extreme confidence and flair driving at defenders with it.

Estevao is versatile as well, able to play on either flank or as a number 10. Chelsea's plan was to ease him in gradually, but they might have to re-think that...

2. Joel Piroe - Leeds United

Age: 26 Position: Striker Country: Netherlands

 

Piroe won the Golden Boot as the Championship's leading scorer last season, with 19 goals to help Leeds win the title and promotion back to the Premier League. His exploits have led team-mates to nickname him 'Goel Piroe'© Getty Images

Guy Mowbray: The very definition of a wildcard, given that he can look like he can do it all AND the total opposite - sometimes within the same game.

I've a feeling Leeds will have brought in a new striker to start ahead of him before the big kick-off, but I wouldn't be surprised to see him come on as an impact sub to get them a point or two early in the season.

3. Cristhian Mosquera - Arsenal

Age: 21 Position: Centre-back Country: Spain

 

Cristhian Mosquera, shown here with Gunners forward Kai Havertz on the club's pre-season tour, is right-footed but is able to play as a right or left-sided centre-half© Getty Images

James Fielden: All of my picks come from the Uefa age-group championships that I covered in the summer and Mosquera looked largely untroubled throughout at the Under-21s tournament in Slovakia.

A front foot and aggressive defender when need be, he was extremely confident stepping forward and helping in attack. With recovery pace to help in rare situations of Spanish panic, he sounds like Mikel Arteta's kind of player

Whether he can dislodge the established elite at Emirates Stadium is another matter, but Arsenal have had injury issues in the middle of defence, and he's only missed three games for Valencia over the last two seasons. For a reported fee of £13m, he looks to be a low risk and potentially high reward acquisition.

4. Dan Ndoye - Nottingham Forest

Age: 24 Position: Forward or winger Country: Switzerland

 

Ndoye's signature goal celebration is a reference to his Senegalese heritage. "Since I was a child, my parents have compared me to a lion and from my Senegalese side, from my father's side, they often say that the Senegalese players are the lions of Teranga," Ndoye explained after scoring against Germany at Euro 2024. "So it was just a little reference to my second nationality. This gesture represents me well."© Getty Images

Steve Bower: Dan Ndoye is new to the Premier League and could be another shrewd piece of business from Nottingham Forest.

He first came to my attention in the Europa Conference League for Basel and subsequently on to the Champions League with Bologna.

I've also covered a fair bit of Switzerland for BBC Sport at the last two major tournaments and he has steadily grown into a crucial player for his country.

After the departure of Anthony Elanga, Ndoye looks an exciting replacement for Forest fans. At 24, he has good experience and looks ready for the Premier League.

5. El Hadji Malick Diouf - West Ham

Age: 20 Position: Left-back or left wing-back Country: Senegal

 

The West Ham website reports that, as a boy, Diouf enjoyed watching Real Madrid and Brazil left-back Marcelo and has worn the number 12 shirt throughout his career in recognition of his hero - that will be his number with the Hammers, too, after his £19m move© Getty Images

Ian Dennis: There were a number of Senegal players who caught the eye when they beat England at the City Ground in June but none more so than El Hadji Malick Diouf.

During my commentary for 5 Live that night I'd mentioned interest from Brighton and Hove Albion so I'm not surprised to see him in the Premier League and West Ham have a real gem.

Diouf can play as a left-back or a wing-back, has an ability to get up and down. He is a dynamic player with excellent crossing ability and somebody who will offer a real threat in an attacking sense.

He scored seven goals for Slavia Prague last season and I think he will become a real crowd favourite at West Ham.

6. Emmanuel Agbadou - Wolves

Age: 28 Position: Centre-back Country: Ivory Coast

 

6ft 4in centre-half Agbadou was captain of his previous club, French side Reims. He was Vitor Pereira's first signing as Wolves manager, for a fee of £16.6m© Getty Images

Tom Gayle: For me, Emmanuel Agbadou was one of the Premier League's best signings during the January transfer window. Wolves had to strengthen defensively and, in the Ivorian, they managed to more than fulfil the need for a top-quality centre-half vacated by Max Kilman's departure five months earlier.

Agbadou's reading of the game and positioning, combined with a heavyweight boxer build and the athleticism of a gymnast, made him one of the league's toughest opponents in a one-v-one situation.

What also stood out was his confidence. Inside his own box he can happily receive the ball and turn while under pressure, spray long-range passes, and drive with possession way past the halfway line. This nonchalant style helped enable Pereira's side to play much more aggressively over the second half of the campaign.

His transition to the English top flight is a sharp poke in the eye to anyone who continues to view Ligue 1 as a 'Farmer's League'. I'm convinced the Agbadou fan club will only grow bigger this season, especially if he continues taking goal-kicks, helping conjure 'proper Sunday league' vibes.

7. Simon Adingra - Sunderland

Age: 23 Position: Winger Country: Ivory Coast

 

Adingra was part of Ivory Coast's 2023 Africa Cup of Nations triumph and provided both assists in a 2-1 victory over Nigeria in the final. He was named best young player at the tournament© Getty Images

Jonathan Pearce: I wish Simon Adingra well at Sunderland. This talented Ivorian had a really good first season at Brighton, famously scoring at Ajax to send the travelling fans there into delirium.

He started last season well too, with four goals in his first eight games, but then the confidence in his tricky dribbling fell away. He seemed to be trying almost too hard to hold off the challenge from Yankuba Minteh for his place and performances suffered.

I hope Sunderland fans are excited by him. £18m is not a lot for a player who deserves to succeed in his fresh start

8. Jhon Arias - Wolves

Age: 27 Position: Winger or attacking midfielder Country: Colombia

 

One of Arias' nicknames is 'The Colombian Pele' but in Brazil he was known as 'The Little Engine' because, according to his former Fluminense team-mate, Marcelo, "he doesn't stop running at all".© Reuters

Conor McNamara: I was in the United States for the Club World Cup and Jhon Arias was one of the standout players of the tournament as he played his final games for his old club Fluminense, picking up three player-of-the-match awards.

He is 27, so should be at his peak, old enough to not be overawed by the Premier League stage.

The Colombian will take the No.10 shirt vacated by Matheus Cunha. He scored his first goal in Wolves' colours in a recent friendly against Girona showing excellent dribbling skills to run deep into the penalty area before shooting from close range.

Arias is my top tip of this summer's new signings to be a big hit.

9. Diego Coppola - Brighton

Age: 21 Position: Centre-back Country: Italy

 

A 6ft 4in defender, Coppola came through the Hellas Verona academy and made his first-team debut a few days before he turned 18 in 2021. He played in 34 of their 38 Serie A games last season as they succeeded in avoiding relegation© Getty Images

James Fielden: I saw Coppola play twice at the European Under-21 Championship in the summer and it was against Spain and Germany, so good games to judge him against top teams.

Brighton had clearly done their homework previous to the Euros with the deal announced mid-competition, and you can see why they're ready to drop him into their evolving backline.

Strong and commanding in the middle, Coppola was also keen to play out over short and long distances and that, along with other metrics clearly impressed the Seagulls.

10. Romain Esse - Crystal Palace

Age: 20 Position: Midfield Country: England

Mark Scott: There was a buzz when Palace made Romain Esse their latest youthful acquisition from the Championship in January. That excitement grew after he bagged his first Premier League goal 25 seconds into his debut, but game time proved limited after that.

It's tough to dislodge Eberechi Eze and Ismaila Sarr in attack, but Esse showed while he was at Millwall how good he can be at both taking on opponents and crossing, as well as cutting in and getting a shot away.

Should Palace get through their Conference League play-off, the extra games in Europe will afford him more opportunities to display those attributes.

11. Harry Howell - Brighton

Age: 17 Position: Midfield Country: England

 

Howell became Brighton's youngest Premier League player when he came off the bench to make his debut in a 3-2 win over newly crowned champions Liverpool in May, aged 17 years and 29 days. He signed his first professional contract, a deal lasting until 2028, in July© PA Media

Guy Mowbray: I must confess to never having seen him play... but he's a name that's been mentioned to me by quite a few people this summer - some of whom I consider to be VERY good judges!

As was once said about another teenager who made his mark on the Premier League - "remember the name".

Jonathan Pearce: Brighton fans will be praying that Carlos Baleba stays put and that Yankuba Minteh continues his dramatic improvement. But there's another youngster ready to leap off the Amex talent conveyor belt.

I was mightily impressed by Howell's cameo debut in the penultimate game of last season. He helped win the game with his front foot, fearless, direct running at the opposition.

His cousin Jack Hinshelwood had a big breakthrough season last time around - 2025-26 could be the year for Harry.

12. Jair Cunha - Nottingham Forest

Age: 20 Position: Centre-back Country: Brazil

 

Cunha signed a five-year contract with Forest in June, becoming their second signing from Botafogo inside a week, after Brazilian striker Igor Jesus joined for a reported £10m© Getty Images

Conor McNamara: Jair Cunha was another player that I saw in action this summer at the Club World Cup. He's 6ft 6in but is strong as well as tall - he is huge for a 20-year-old.

Cunha used his height to score a header for Botafago against Seattle Sounders, but it was his defensive calmness that caught the eye that day, even more than the goal he scored. He's very comfortable taking the ball down and controlling it in tight spaces where others would just boot it clear.

Logic tells us that he should be raw, because he has played so little senior football in his short career so far - only 46 games so far - but this guy has a real presence about him. He was a key player in the Brazil team that won the Under-20 South American Championship this year.

13. Max Dowman - Arsenal

Age: 15 Position: Midfielder Country: England

 

Dowman first trained with Arsenal's first team when he was 14. He came on as a substitute for Bukayo Saka in both of their friendlies on their pre-season tour of Asia© Getty Images

Ian Dennis: I can't wait to see Arsenal's Max Dowman in the flesh because the last time I heard such a buzz around a youngster was Wayne Rooney.

I speak to a lot of scouts and I have heard rave reviews for a while about this 'gifted' attacking midfielder.

So much so, I spoke with Gunners midfielder Declan Rice about him last season, who at the time claimed "Max is the best 15-year-old in the country".

Dowman doesn't turn 16 until 31 December but sounds the real deal.

James Fielden: Maybe not an original hot take that Dowman is going to be much talked about in years to come, but even having seen him play at the Uefa European Under-17 Championship this summer you can see why he'll cause teams no end of problems wherever he plays off the front line.

One of a growing number of English players who glide across the field with grace that we've maybe not been used to seeing over the last couple of decades, it'll be interesting to see what Arteta has planned for him, firstly in terms of game time beyond the domestic cups and also, the position in which he'll be deployed.

Let's hope he fulfils his potential and is managed carefully at domestic and international level.

14. Habib Diarra - Sunderland

Age: 21 Position: Midfielder Country: Senegal

 

Diarra cost Sunderland a reported £30m from French side Strasbourg in July© Getty Images

Guy Mowbray: Can a club record signing be classed as a 'wildcard'? Well, given that Diarra will be new to most Premier League watchers, I'm putting him in that bracket.

Only 21, the midfielder - who Sunderland beat Leeds to sign - captained Strasbourg to European qualification last season, before scoring one of Senegal's three goals against England at the City Ground in June.

His quality stood out when I went to watch Sunderland's pre-season game against Sporting last month.

15. Rio Ngumoha - Liverpool

Age: 16 Position: Winger Country: England

 

Ngumoha impressed in Liverpool's pre-season double-header against Athletic Bilbao, and was given a standing ovation at Anfield when he came off in the second half after starting for their second XI© EPA

Steve Bower: A few people within academy football told me about Rio Ngumoha over a year ago - tales of Chelsea's anger at losing the teenager, and a big gain for Liverpool.

Arne Slot's positive approach was immediate in involving him in first-team training and then we saw him become the youngest player to start a game for the club in January in the FA Cup.

He's not 17 until the end of August but I know internally there's huge excitement about him, and his goals in pre-season have heightened this.

Sometimes a young player sees an opportunity and, with Luis Diaz's departure, Ngumoha looks set to be in the first-team group throughout the season.

Conor McNamara: Back in January I commentated for Match Of The Day when Ngumoha became the youngest player to start a match for Liverpool - aged 16 years and 135 days old - in the 4-0 win over Accrington in the FA Cup.

To make us all feel old, the song that was No.1 in the charts the day he was born was Katy Perry's 'I Kissed A Girl'!

At the time he was so unknown that I needed Slot to help me pronounce his name correctly.

But that FA Cup appearance was his only first-team game and he never made the bench for a Premier League match through to the end of the campaign.

His form this pre-season suggests that should change this term. He is still very young and we know that competition for places will be severe at Anfield, but Ngumoha has a spark about him.

16. Thierno Barry - Everton

Age: 22 Position: Striker Country: France

 

Everton's new £27m striker is nicknamed 'L'Araignee' which translates to 'The Spider'. He scored 11 goals and provided four assists in 38 games for Villarreal last season as the Spanish club finished fifth in La Liga to qualify for the Champions League© Getty Images

Guy Mowbray: Having checked his numbers and seen a few clips online, I'm really hoping he can make a big - and quick - impact for Everton.