Gaming
Games
The Premier League’s brightest hopes in FIFA 19
You’ll never win anything with kids -– unless they’re the stars of the future on this list.
It’s not easy to make it as a young player in the Premier League, so you can be pretty sure that the ones who do get game time are the real deal. That makes it a great place to go shopping on FIFA 19’s Career Mode, even if the prices you have to pay might be slightly higher than elsewhere on the continent.
We’ve picked out 11 players aged 21 or under, one for each position in a 4-3-3 formation, who all have big things ahead of them. In fact, they’re the ones with the highest potential ratings in the division, and they can all be had for less than €20m – many for significantly less.
The prices listed are all figures we settled on in the game, so we know these players can be bought for that much, but you might be able to drive a harder bargain, or throw in sell-on clauses to bring the cost down a bit more. All are available from the very first transfer window of a FIFA 19 Career Mode game.
FIFA 19’s Premier League Wonderkid XI
© EA Sports
Goalkeeper
GK: Pontus Dahlberg (Watford)
With Manchester United’s Dean Henderson on loan at Sheffield United there’s not a huge amount of young goalkeeping talent in the Premier League this season – but Watford’s Pontus Dahlberg looks like one to watch. Measuring 1.95m tall at just 19 years old, the former IFK Göteborg stopper clearly has the stature to succeed, plus all his goalkeeping stats stretch into the high 60s already. Watford don’t want to sell him but if you trigger his €2.8m release clause they won’t have a choice. For a goalkeeper who can reach 80 overall that’s not a bad price, even if he probably won’t go on to be a world beater.
Defence
LB: Ben Chilwell (Leicester City)
Ben Chilwell’s rise to first-choice left-back at Leicester is a relatively recent development but that makes him an excellent FIFA 19 purchase: not too expensive, with loads of potential, but also ready to play first-team football. Quick, strong in the tackle and with 81 for stamina he doesn’t tire easily, plus 76 for control and crossing mean he’s a potent attacking force when he gets on the ball. With the potential to reach 84 overall, you can be pretty sure that by the time FIFA 20 rolls around Leicester will be looking for far more than the €12.5m they’ll currently demand for the 21-year-old.
CB: Joe Gomez (Liverpool)
Liverpool’s Joe Gomez is another one who’s probably had more minutes than anyone expected at the start of the year, but he’s proved himself to be a reliable centre-back who doesn’t panic in possession. With 78 for marking and 79 for interceptions he’s a good reader of the game, although with tackling stats and acceleration in the high 70s, plus 80 for strength and sprint speed, he’s got the right attributes to get himself out of trouble when necessary. Like Chilwell his overall rating of 78 means he’s ready for first-team football but with 88 for potential Liverpool will be reluctant to sell for anything less than €16m.
CB: Ethan Ampadu (Chelsea)
Even if you’ve never heard of Ethan Ampadu, chances are you’ve seen his wild hair in the background on match days at Stamford Bridge. At just 17 years old and with a current ranking of 65 he’s got a way to go yet before he’s ready for Premier League football, but with defending stats in the mid 60s and 70 for short passing, the signs are there that he’s on the way to becoming a very competent ball-playing centre-back. It might take a little while, but with the potential to hit 86 overall, Chelsea will want just under €1m to secure his services.
RB: Aaron Wan-Bissaka (Crystal Palace)
Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold is comfortably the most promising right-back in the Premier League but Liverpool won’t let him go for less than €20m, so you should probably turn your attentions to Crystal Palace’s Aaron Wan-Bissaka instead. With 86 for acceleration, 87 for sprint speed and 83 for agility, plus 81 for sliding tackles, and 76 for marking and standing tackles, the 20-year-old is a tough opponent for most wingers, although you’ll probably want to work on his crossing to make him more of a threat on the ball. Ignore the €16.8m release clause and you should be able to snap him up for around €9m.
FIFA 19’s Premier League Wonderkid XI
© EA Sports
Midfield
CM: Tom Davies (Everton)
He still needs a haircut but Everton’s Tom Davies remains one of the most promising players in the Premier League. A hard-working, box-to-box midfielder, Davies makes his presence known in the centre of the park with 83 for aggression, 80 for short passing and 77 for ball control, so he’s certainly not going to go missing. His tackling could be a bit better but with no major weak areas and good positional flexibility, he’s the kind of player you can mould into exactly the kind of midfielder you want. Rated 75 overall now but with the potential to reach 84, Everton will accept offers of around €10m for the 20-year-old’s services.
CM: Ainsley Maitland-Niles (Arsenal)
While team-mate Reiss Nelson has been sent out on a very successful loan to Hoffenheim, Arsenal’s Ainsley Maitland-Niles remains at the Emirates trying to get as many minutes as he can. With 82 for acceleration and 85 for sprint speed he’s quick for a central midfielder, while 77 for composure and 74 for short passing mean he’s happiest when operating in the final third. An overall rating of 71 means he’s a decent squad player, at least until he’s closer to fulfilling his potential of 84, and with his contract expiring in summer 2019 the Gunners will let him leave for just over €3m.
CAM: Phil Foden (Manchester City)
While Jadon Sancho left the current Premier League champions in search of regular first-team football – and found it to quite spectacular effect at Dortmund – Phil Foden’s future looks set to be in Manchester. With 86 for both balance and agility, plus 76 for short passing and ball control, the 18-year-old is most definitely shaping up to be David Silva’s successor in Pep Guardiola’s all-conquering team – that is unless you pay City the €8m asking price and steal him away before he gets the chance. For that you’ll get a cultured playmaker with the ability to reach 88 overall - and by then €8m will seem like an absolute bargain.
Attack
LW: Ryan Sessegnon (Fulham)
Even as a full-back Fulham’s Ryan Sessegnon turned heads, but since converting to a winger he’s been able to put his attacking talents to even better use. The 18-year-old has pace to burn, with 85 for acceleration and 87 for sprint speed, while balance of 85 and agility of 79 mean he can be a real danger with the ball at his feet. With finishing of 75, 77 for positioning and 79 for composure you’d back him to finish any chances that come his way too. Fulham will ask for around €14m for him, which isn’t that cheap for someone rated 75 overall, but his potential rating of 88 makes it a very decent deal indeed.
RW: Callum Hudson-Odoi (Chelsea)
Only 17 years old but already rated 70 overall, Callum Hudson-Odoi could quite easily start for plenty of second-division sides. As you’d expect from a player of his age he’s still very raw, with physical stats such as 86 for pace, and 84 for both sprint speed and agility the standouts for now, but with 77 for dribbling it’s clear that he likes to run at defences. He can play on either wing or behind the striker and has the potential to reach 87 overall with the right training. Snap him up for just under €2.5m, before he follows Jadon Sancho and Reiss Nelson to Germany on loan.
ST: Dominic Solanke (Liverpool)
Dominic Solanke left Chelsea in 2017 in search of more first-team football but things haven’t exactly worked out for him at Liverpool – hardly surprising given he’s only rated 70 overall right now and the quality of the attacking talent available at Anfield. But the 20-year-old has the kind of attributes you’d look for in a young target man: 72 for strength, 75 for ball control and, most importantly, 71 for finishing. Obviously he’ll need significant development if he’s to reach his potential rating of 84, but at just €3.5m the U20 World Cup winner is a very affordable investment.
