Yearender 2021: Three emerging players

We have seen some excellent young players making a strong impression during this calendar year and here, we look at three of the best young players to have made the most solid impression in 2021.

Adam Hlozek – Sparta Prague

Czech Republic have produced some wonderful talents over the years such as Pavel Nedvěd, Petr Čech, Tomáš Rosický among others and Hlozek is a player who has been widely tipped to follow the footsteps of those greats in years to come.

Already linked with some of the biggest clubs in Europe such as Liverpool, Manchester United, Juventus and many more, Hlozek is a versatile attacker who can slot in across all three attacking positions. The 19-year-old started his footballing journey as a winger but has been gradually shifted to a more central position by the manager. The wonderkid has a total of six goals and 12 assists this season in 27 games having scored 15 times while creating nine last season in 27 showings.

Gavi – Barcelona

Barcelona have fallen from their pedestal in recent times and owing to their financial woes, it will be quite a difficult road for them if they have to reclaim their place at the zenith of Spanish and European football. Amid all the negative vibes at Camp Nou right now, one big positive for the Blaugrana is some of the young players they have in their roster. The likes of Ansu Fati and Pedri already made their names quite some time ago and a player who has recently made a strong impression is Gavi. A wonderfully gifted central midfielder, Gavi looks like a perfect La Masia graduate and could be the next big thing. Just 17 years of age, the Spaniard already has four senior caps for Spain to his name and could become one of the best in his position in years to come.

Karim Adeyemi – Red Bull Salzburg

Red Bull Salzburg have produced some remarkable talents over the years and their star forward Karim Adeyemi looks like the next in line to take the leap to the next level. With the departure of Patson Daka to Leicester City in the summer, the 19-year-old has become the main man in the attack for the Austrian giants and he has thrived. The wonderkid already has 18 goals in all competitions to his name this season having scored nine last season. Adeyemi’s good run of form has earned him a place in the German senior side and he already has three caps to his name. With the likes of Liverpool and Bayern Munich desperately chasing his signature, the German international could well be the next big export from the Red Bull Arena.