Adama Traoré

Adama Traoré is a graduate of the Barcelona youth setup at La Masia that has produced players like Piqué, Alba, Iniesta, Messi, Fabregas and many more.

At 19 years old Adama has played two full seasons of professional football largely with Barcelona B. He scored 8 times in 68 appearances for the B team and he made 4 appearances for for Barcelona scoring 1 goal in the Spanish Cup.

Adama is not renowned for prolific scoring but he is excellent at creating chances. He's a winger that hugs the touchline and drives at full backs with speed, cutting inside using skill and drops of the shoulder to leave defenders in his rear view.

On 14 August 2015 Aston Villa signed the Spaniard on a five year deal for €10 million. However, Barcelona weren't willing to part ways with him completely yet and they inserted a buy- back clause in his contract which means Barcelona have the option to take him back after 3 years.

Villa fans should be excited about seeing Adama in the future. Villa manager Tim Sherwood said he is a dynamic player and there are not many like him in the Premier League.

So far he has come on as a substitute twice for the Midlands team and scored in their League Cup tie against Notts County.

Dele Alli

Dele Alli has become one of the most talented and exciting youngsters in English football.

At just 19 years old he has earned a call-up to Roy Hodgson's England squad. He has played for England at under 17,18,19 and with the under 21 team.

He made a name for himself at MK Dons in League One. He played a total of 88 games for The Dons scoring 24 goals. Last season was a breakout season for Alli as he scored 16 league goals and led MK Dons to automatic promotion to The Championship.

He signed a five-and-a half-year deal with Tottenham in February but only joined the team in the Summer. The Spurs faithful have already taken to Alli as they roared their approval when he came on as a substitute in their Capital One Cup game against Arsenal.

Alli is a box to box midfielder and he has already shown that he can get on the scoresheet on a regular basis. He is a tall and skinny looking player but he possesses great skill and control. He is fearless and direct and has shown great ability to show he belongs in the top flight.

Being a Liverpool fan growing up his favourite player was Steven Gerrard and you can see similarities in his play. Having made just 5 appearances for Tottenham so far Mauricio Pochettino is taking it step by step with the young midfielder but his impact on the field may mean he plays a big role for Spurs this season both in the Premier League and the Europa League.

Paulo Dybala

During the Summer Juventus forked out €32 million to Palermo to gain the services of the 21 year old Argentinian, Paulo Dybala.

That is a lot of money to be paying for someone so young but when you look at Anthony Martial going to Manchester United for €48 million maybe it's not.

Before joining Juventus Dybala played four seasons of professional football in Argentina and in Italy with Palermo.

The 2014-15 season was a breakout season for Dybala. In 34 appearances for Palermo he netted 13 times and created 10 assists. During the last season he showcased his pace, dribbling, technical ability and his creativity to earn him a move to the Italian champions.

With Carlos Tevez and Andrea Pirlo both leaving the club this Summer the Italian side will be hoping Dybala can come in and replace the creativity that left.

Since joining Juventus he has shown that he is capable of playing in any attacking position and has scored 2 goals in his first 5 games for the club.

Dybala is heading in the right direction and with continued success at Juventus the world may soon recognise him as one of the best and most exciting players in Europe.

Youri Tielemans

Youri Tielemans is widely regarded as one of Europe's biggest emerging talents.

Tielemans is the next potential Belgian star in what is already turning into a golden era for Belgian football with the likes of Vincent Kompany, Thibaut Courtouis, Eden Hazard and many more developing into superstars already.

Despite being just 18 years old Tielemans has already won Belgian young professional of the year on two occasions. He also holds the record for being the youngest Belgian footballer to play in the Champions League making his first appearance at the age of 16 years and 148 days.

An incredibly sure-footed player, Tielemans is confident and assured on the ball and would remind you of Bastian Schweinsteiger's playing style where the simple ball is almost always the best ball. And just like Schweinsteiger he can spray balls with his right or left foot across the pitch with ease.

The young midfielder is a box to box type of player with an ability to snuff out attacks by simply positioning himself well and applying the right amount of pressure. While on the other end of the pitch he picks his moments to join the attack and possesses composure in the final third.

In his first two seasons at Anderlecht he played in 87 games and scored 10 goals. This season he has started off on goalscoring form scoring 3 in the first 6 games.

As always with young hot prospects Tielemans has been linked to big European clubs but there is nothing but paper talk at the moment so the young starlet who extended his contract at the end of last season will remain at Anderlecht for the foreseeable future.

Bobby Adekanye

Liverpool have just completed the signing of 16 year old Bobby Adekanye.

The Nigerian born winger played as a child in the Ajax youth academy and then moved to Barcelona in 2011. He was one of the five transfers that were banned from playing for the club over claims that they were signed illegally. As a result he played last year for PSV on loan.

Adekanye is a left-footed winger that has a similar style of play to that of Arjen Robben. He is very left sided but he still has the pace and quick feet to beat his opponents even in times where his next move seems predictable.

Ajax wanted to bring the 16 year old back to Holland for at least another year loan but Adekanye announced on his Instagram that he will be moving to Liverpool. He said that he is tired of being moved around on loan and is happy to be at Liverpool.

Martin Ødegaard

The Norwegian wonderkid looks set to make a dream move to Spanish giants Real Madrid just a month after turning 16.

A whole host of clubs have expressed their interest in the youngster including Premier League rivals Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City and Southampton as well as Bayern Munich. However after Ødegaard was spotted watching a game at the Vicente Calderón Stadium, it appears he is on his way to Madrid.

Ødegaard was quickly  thrust into the spotlight after he became the youngest player to play in the Tippeligaen, the youngest player to score in the Tippeligaen and then the youngest player to feature in a qualifier for the UEFA European Championship, all at the age of 15.

Ødegaard has been highly thought of by his current club Stromsgodset IF for quite some time now. He began training with the first team in 2012 and in 2014 he fully merged with the first team squad signing his first professional contract. 

In his first full season with Stromsgodset he played 24 times and scored 5 goals along with more assists helping them to fourth spot in the league and qualification to the 2015-16 Europa League qualifying phase. Having also made 3 appearances for the Norwegian national team there is no surprise that people are saying he is the future of Norwegian football. 

His playing style is very similar to that of Juan Mata's only it appears that Ødegaard has a bit more pace about him. He can play on either wing but his preferred position is in the number 10 spot behind the striker. He has fantastic close control and his first touch is something he has obviously worked on. Having said that he has exceptional natural ability. Former Blackburn Rovers player and Ødegaard's international teammate Morten Gamst Pederson said "For his age he is unbelievable and his technical skills are fantastic".

Ødegaard's footwork around the box, his vision and skill to play through-balls behind the defence and his quick bursts of speed into the box made him hot property in Europe. After Real Madrid said that he would be involved in the first team, it is likely that he will be getting the best help in mastering his skills. A little advice from the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo certainly would do no harm.

Alexandre Lacazette

In-form Lacazette

Is Alexandre Lacazette the real deal or is this seasons goalscoring form an aberration.

At the half way mark in the season Lacazette has scored 20 goals in 25 games for French club Lyon. Only Zlatan Ibrahimovic has scored as many goals as him at this stage in the last 30 years of French football. That's not bad company to be in.

Lacazette has shown real promise since the 2011-12 Ligue 1 season when he became a regular in the side. Now at the age of 23 it looks as though he is finally showing his full potential. Now he is receiving interest from some of the Premier League's top teams.

President of Lyon Jean-Michel Aulas has said on many occasions that Lacazette will not be leaving in January but he knows he will not be able to keep him in Summer if he continues to play as he is. That is the key for Lacazette. For him to get a big move this year he needs to keep scoring goals and putting in consistent performances. If his performance levels drop once the second half of the season gets under way in France then interest in the striker may not be so high.

It is likely that Alexandre is going to end up in the Premier League this offseason and teams such as Arsenal, Liverpool and Man City have sent scouts to France to observe Lacazette. Arsenal are looking for a consistent striker who will score goals on a regular basis but Man City seem to be in pole position for the striker. Manuel Pellegrini has decided to make Alvaro Negredo's loan spell to Valencia permanent and there is also rumours emerging that Stevan Jovetic is on his way to Juventus. Pellegrini has already secured the services of Wilfried Bony and is hoping to add a second striker to his transfer signings. There is also interest in France from PSG, the only French club that would be able to afford him.

Marquinhos

Marquinhos if you haven't heard of him already, will probably become the best centre-back in the game.

At the age of 19 he moved from AS Roma to Paris Saint-Germain for a whopping fee of €31.4 million, after spending just a single year at Roma who spent €3 million to acquire the teenager.

Put simply Marquinhos is the perfect centre-back. The 20 year old has everything the ideal defender needs. It is no wonder then why PSG spent so much to get him and also tied him down to a 5 year contract.

Marquinhos has pace, strength, heading and tackling ability etc. Whatever qualities you think a centre-back should have, he has. But what sets Marquinhos apart is the intangibles. The mental part of the game. Despite being so young he shows incredible temperament and the ability to remain calm and undaunted no matter what challenge faces him. His vision and anticipation of play is also extraordinary. He makes the game a whole lot easier for himself by reading the play, anticipating through balls and attackers' movements.

Moving to such a huge club for the kind of money he did can come with a lot of pressure but Marquinhos seems to handle it with ease putting in consistent performances for the French champions.

Marquinhos is certainly one of the most promising young players in Europe and has the talent to become the best in his position. Definitely one to keep your eye on.

Anderson Talisca

Talisca is a 20 year old Brazilian attacking midfielder who plays for Benfica in the Portuguese Primeira Liga.

He has played in 14 games for the Portuguese league leaders and has scored on nine occasions including one goal in the Champions League against Monaco.

He is one of Brazil's brightest young stars in Europe and has already received a call up to the Brazilian national team.

Having just made the move to Benfica last summer it is highly unlikely that he will be going anywhere until at least the end of the season. However Talisca still attracts plenty of scouts to the Estádio da Luz everytime he plays.

Talisca believes himself that Benfica is a good fit for him now. He told the Portuguese newspaper A Bola, "This is the right club for me to continue to develop".

Chelsea is a club that has been strongly linked with the player as Jose Mourinho is a known admirer of him. In fact Mourinho hinted that Talisca would have been a Chelsea player this year had it not been for work permit issues. Now it seems should Benfica sell their playmaker, they will make a nice profit on their investment having spent just €4 million to get him.

Anderson can play on either wing or through the middle in a supporting role. He is a creative player that can ignite an offence. His passing ability and dribbling skills are to be admired. His style of play mirrors that of Brazilian and Barcelona legend Rivaldo, even down to the great power he can generate in his shots with very little effort.

Talisca has hit the ground running at Benfica and if he continues to perform as he has done he may quickly become a household name. With high praise coming from Jose Mourinho all signs point to future stardom.

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Devante Cole

The son of Manchester United legend Andy Cole is now one of rival club Manchester City's brightest young prospects. 

Devante Cole is following in his father's footsteps playing as a clinical striker. He was on loan at Barnsley FC until the 5th of January. He made 23 appearances for The Tykes since joining the League One side in August and provided seven goals, the second highest goal tally for the team. 

Last season, as an 18 year old he played with Manchester City's under-19 squad in the UEFA Youth League. He led the team in scoring with six goals and helped them get to the quarter finals before being knocked out by runners up Benfica. 

Devante has some characteristics in his style of play that are similar to that of his father Andy. Certainly the poacher trait has been passed on. Devante has a knack for finding himself in the right place in and around the penalty area. It's one thing to find yourself in the right spot but then Devante has the ability to finish with both feet and he his a strong aerial presence too. 

He stands at 6ft 1" and he is physically strong. His long strides contribute to what might be his biggest attribute at this time, his pace. Devante has the ability to run onto long balls and through passes with his speed. If there is anything for Devante to work on it's his hold up play and close control.

Come the end of the season it will be interesting to see where Devante is at. Can he progress through the ranks at Man City, will he be sent out on loan again or by this time next year will he be signed permanently to a new club. 

You can never know a player's ceiling when it comes to their talent but one thing is for sure, Devante Cole is cut out to be a top professional footballer.

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