The 2023/24 Premier League campaign has been breathtaking so far. In what no one could have ever imagined, the season has provided the biggest upsets and shocks riveting every echelon of the division.
With Manchester United and Newcastle United struggling, Aston Villa has romped through the league to the top, while Liverpool and Arsenal are vying for City’s throne. With that said, it has seen many youngsters rise to the challenge and prove to be crucial to their team’s effort or be the only spark of a dimming season.
Cole Palmer
The former Manchester City youth prospect stepped away from the Etihad earlier this year to seek first-team football. Under the lights of Stamford Bridge at Chelsea, Palmer has proven the quality many believed and expected of him.
In 16 appearances so far this season, Cole Palmer has scored eight goals and provided four assists in a middling Chelsea side. He has backed it up with an expected goal and assists (xAG + XG) tally of 0.97 per 90, amazing for a first-season impact at Chelsea. But his plaudits do not stop there, as he is taking 2.68 shots per 90, with 4.96 shot-creating actions per 90 to add to his enthusiasm.
Nicolas Jackson
Joining Chelsea at the same as Palmer, Nicolas Jackson has not had as hard an impact as Cole Palmer. He has managed to contribute seven goals and nine assists from 19 appearances so far this season, but boasts a mighty impressive 0.81 expected goals and assists per 90. Alongside a career-high 2.8 shots per 90, it should be believed that there is much more to come from the Senegal forward this season, and beyond.
João Pedro
The former Watford prospect joined Brighton earlier this year after failing to secure promotion with the Hornets. And he has joined the Seagulls with a bang so far, with seven goals and two assists in 19 appearances, in a season not many would have expected much from.
Yet, he has found his place in the Brighton attack as he has contributed 2.9 shots per 90 alongside 0.77 xAG and xG this season. With 4.27 shot-creating actions per 90, he could be an amazing acquisition amidst an incredibly threatening and potent Brighton side.
Michael Olise
The young forward attracted quite the interest from Chelsea in the summer, but chose to stay at Crystal Palace. Over the years, he has managed to cement his place in the starting lineup at Palace, and 2023/24 has been his most productive in terms of goals scored. Olise has scored five goals in nine appearances so far this season, more than the previous two seasons combined.
Although his assists have fallen drastically, with just one so far, he is performing at an exceptional rate with 0.75 xG + xAG per 90 this season. To add to his plaudits, he is taking a career-high 3.46 shots per 90 alongside exceptional shot-creating actions of 5.85 per 90. Olise has flourished into an exceptional forward, and will inevitably secure a move away if he keeps up his numbers going forward.
Anthony Elanga
The Manchester United prospect moved away from Old Trafford this past summer seeking first-team football. And so far, this season with Nottingham Forrest, he has delivered on the promise that was once expected of him while with the Red Devils.
In his 20 appearances for Forrest, he has contributed to four goals and six assists, while maintaining a respectable 0.52 (xG + xAG) per 90. He is contributing to the attack with 2.31 shots per 90, alongside a decent 2.44 shot-creating actions per 90. If he continues to operate at the level he is currently at, he will finish the season as Forrest’s most creative player in his debut campaign in Nottingham.