BBC Sport Names 13 Rising Stars as Potential Premier League Breakouts

Herz — Sport Desk · 18 August 2026 at 06:29 · 30s summary · 3 min read

What we know

BBC Sport's television and radio commentators have selected 13 players they believe could break through during the upcoming Premier League season.

Last season, Eli Junior Kroupi, Igor Thiago and Nico O'Reilly emerged as breakout stars in the English league.

Steur: Versatile midfielder for Newcastle

Newcastle signed 18-year-old Dutch midfielder Steur before Eddie Howe's departure. The deal could reach £23 million.

Steur made 25 appearances across all competitions for Ajax last season. He can play as a defensive midfielder or in a more advanced role.

The midfielder is two-footed and stands out for his passing quality.

In 2025, Steur won the Abdelhak Nouri Award, Ajax's annual award for the best player from their academy.

Wesley Sneijder, Rafael van der Vaart, Christian Eriksen and Ryan Gravenberch are among previous winners of the award.

Yirenkyi: Coventry City's record signing

Newly promoted Coventry City signed Ghanaian midfielder Yirenkyi from FC Nordsjaelland for approximately £25 million.

The fee represents a club record for the English side. At just 20 years old, Yirenkyi primarily plays as a central midfielder.

He can also play on the right side of a defensive line. At the World Cup, he featured in all four of Ghana's matches.

Yirenkyi started as a right-back in a five-man defence against England. He scored in the 95th minute against Panama.

That goal secured victory for Ghana. In June, the midfielder also scored against Wales in a friendly preparation match.

Yirenkyi was developed at the Right to Dream Academy, an international football academy based in Ghana.

With FC Nordsjaelland, he was named the best young player in the Danish Superliga, the country's top division, last season.

Mingueza strengthens Crystal Palace defence

Óscar Mingueza joined Crystal Palace on a free transfer after his contract expired at Celta Vigo. The Spanish defender is 27 years old.

He came through La Masia, Barcelona's academy. After making his debut in 2020, he made 66 appearances for the club's first team.

Mingueza joined Celta Vigo in 2022. He has four caps for the Spanish national team.

He was not included in Spain's 26-man squad for the World Cup won by the national team.

Pedro Porro was Spain's first-choice right-back. Marcos Llorente and Marc Pubill could also play that position.

Mingueza can play in any defensive position. BBC Sport believes he could replace Daniel Muñoz if the player leaves Crystal Palace.

Madjo injured after competition debut

Madjo is a 17-year-old striker born in London to Cameroonian parents. He grew up in Luxembourg.

He made his senior international debut for Luxembourg last year. During pre-season, he scored for Aston Villa.