FM27’s New Faces: 22 Young Talents Rated Out of 100

Every new Football Manager brings a wave of new names into the database, and those names shape the first wonderkid shortlists of the save season. FM27 is no different: the new-player file in sortitoutsi’s FM27 data update holds 8,071 records, most of them aged 15 to 21, and many without an in-game ID yet. We took the 35 players with the highest potential ranges in that file and checked where each of them actually plays today, how old they are and what they did in the 2025/26 season.

The results show how far a game file can drift from reality. One player listed as a forward is described by his own club as a centre-back. A striker shown at Liverpool has moved to Arsenal, and a midfielder shown at Arsenal is now at Manchester City. For 13 players we could not find a reliable record that matched at least two independent identity details, such as date of birth, club, position or nationality, so they were left out. The remaining 22 are rated on a 100-point scale that puts most of the weight on last season.

The GegenSports table: FM27’s 22 new young talents

S: 2025/26 season (45) · I: international (10) · P: FM27 potential estimate (30) · A: age-to-level (15). Ages as of 11 November 2026.

Three takeaways

The first is the gap that first-team minutes create. Only two players appeared for a top-flight first team in 2025/26: Max Dowman, part of a Premier League title-winning squad, and Maki Kitahara, who played ten times for FC Tokyo in the 2025 J1 season. They sit well clear at the top. JJ Gabriel’s 23 U18 league goals are the strongest output on the list, but goals at youth level still count for less than a handful of first-team games. Marc Santos, who has since made his LaLiga debut, will only move up in the next update because the score covers last season alone.

The second is that game data and real data often disagree. Yerevan Barrón is a forward in the file and a centre-back in real life. Vincent Joseph appears as a German player at Liverpool but is an England U16 international with eight goals in nine games who has since joined Arsenal. Liam Kanté is listed at Dortmund II, while the club’s own announcement places him in the U19s. It is a reminder that FM lists are a starting point for research, not a scouting source in themselves.

The third is missing data. For ten of the 22 players we found no public, reliable breakdown of appearances and minutes for 2025/26. Most are academy players aged 15 to 17. Goalkeepers, centre-backs and youngsters in Brazil and Mexico are the worst affected. Read the score as what a player has proven so far, not what he could become.

Player by player

1. Max Dowman (Arsenal) — 83

The clear No 1, and for a simple reason: he spent 2025/26 inside a title-winning first-team squad rather than an academy. When he came on against Slavia Prague on 4 November 2025 he was 15 years and 308 days old, the youngest player in Champions League history, and his goal against Everton on 14 March 2026 made him the Premier League's youngest scorer. He finished with six league appearances and 13 across all competitions as Arsenal won the title. The only thing holding his score back is minutes: most sources give appearances but not time on the pitch, so we used a conservative estimate. This season he has two League Cup goals and, on 27 October against Fleetwood, the first red card of his career.

Potential range in the FM27 data update: 170–200 (game data).

2. Maki Kitahara (FC Tokyo (on loan at Fujieda MYFC)) — 67

Japanese football runs on the calendar year, so Kitahara's 'last season' is the 2025 J1 campaign. His debut off the bench against Kashima Antlers on 1 March 2025 made him the youngest player in J1 history, and he ended the year with seven league games, two in the Levain Cup and one in the Emperor's Cup. There were no goals, but top-flight minutes at 15 and 16 are a strong signal on their own. His breakout came at the 2026 AFC U17 Asian Cup, where Japan won the title and he was named player of the tournament and top scorer; he has six goals in seven games at U17 level. Since July 2026 he has been on a development loan at Fujieda MYFC until June 2027, and how often he plays there is the key question for the next update.

Potential range in the FM27 data update: 140–170 (game data).

3. JJ Gabriel (Manchester United U18) — 53

The best output figures on the list. ESPN credits him with 23 goals in 23 U18 Premier League games by the end of 2025/26 (the league's own figure on 12 May was 20 in 21), and one source has him on 26 goals and four assists across all competitions. He was the first U18 Premier League Player of the Season and the youngest winner of United's Jimmy Murphy award. He opened 2026/27 with a hat-trick on his UEFA Youth League debut against Sabah on 10 September and has two goals and two assists in two Premier League 2 games. He sits behind Dowman and Kitahara only because of level: those goals came in youth football, and we found no record of youth international caps.

Potential range in the FM27 data update: 140–170 (game data).

4. Mishel Nduka (Manchester City U18) — 48

He spent 2025/26 at Arsenal playing above his age group: around ten U18 games, two in Premier League 2 and one in the Youth League. Reaching U21 level at 15 or 16 lifts his age-to-level score, but we could not find reliable goal and assist numbers, so his output score is zero. He joined Manchester City's U18s in September 2026 and has seven caps for England U16. Reported transfer fees come from single sources and we have not used them.

Potential range in the FM27 data update: 140–170 (game data).

5. Luca Eden (Liverpool U18 / U19) — 45

One of the youngest names here, and his score reflects a thin 2025/26 rather than the jump he has made since. Last season, aged 14 years and 263 days, he became Liverpool's youngest U18 player and then their youngest U18 scorer with a goal against Burnley, finishing with two games, a goal and an assist. This season he has two goals and three assists in four U18 games, and a goal and three assists in 308 Youth League minutes; he started against Atlético Madrid to become the club's youngest player in the competition. Those assist numbers stand out for a player listed as a defensive midfielder. It would be no surprise to see him much higher next year.

Potential range in the FM27 data update: 150–180 (game data).

6. Nikostratos Zouridakis (AEK Athens U19) — 42

One of the few players for whom we found a full season of minutes: 22 games, 1,834 minutes, seven goals and two assists in Greece's U19 league. He is right-footed, plays mostly on the right wing and occasionally at right-back. His output and minutes score well, but still playing at U19 level at 19 costs him heavily on the age-to-level measure. He has eight caps for Greece U17, and Flashscore lists his AEK contract as running to 30 June 2027. The numbers come from two sources that differ slightly, which is why his data is marked partial.

Potential range in the FM27 data update: 130–160 (game data).

7. Marc Santos (Levante) — 39

Because the score only looks at 2025/26, Santos may look lower here than he deserves. Last season he played roughly 15 games and 1,089 minutes across Levante's Juvenil B and Juvenil A sides, and started for Juvenil A at 14 in January 2026. The real story came on the opening weekend of this season, when he replaced Iván Romero in the 63rd minute at Espanyol and became, at 15 years and 288 days, Levante's youngest-ever LaLiga player. He is a left-footed left-back with five caps for Spain U16, and his first-team minutes this season will lift his score significantly in the next update.

Potential range in the FM27 data update: 130–160 (game data).

8. Vincent Joseph (Arsenal U18) — 37

The game file has him at Liverpool and with Germany; neither is current. He spent 2025/26 in Liverpool's academy, scoring on his U18 debut at Sunderland in March 2026 and adding two more against Nottingham Forest in April. Eight goals in nine games for England U16 is the clearest evidence of his finishing in his age group. Arsenal confirmed him as a first-year scholar in September 2026. Reports of German youth-team interest come only from tabloids, so we have left them out.

Potential range in the FM27 data update: 130–160 (game data).

9. Yerevan Barrón (FC Juárez (U21)) — 36

The game file lists him as a forward; his club's own release and match records show he is a centre-back. Mismatches like this are a good example of why we checked every player on this list individually. The only concrete 2025/26 record we found is two full games in the Apertura 2025 U21 play-off quarter-final against Santos Laguna. We found no first-team appearances. FC Juárez announced a contract renewal in May 2025, when he captained their U17s. His potential range is high, but a 19-year-old centre-back without first-team minutes will struggle to climb this list.

Potential range in the FM27 data update: 140–170 (game data).

10. Jaden Maghoma (Arsenal U18) — 36

He was 14 when he played 20 minutes against Club Brugge in the Youth League on 10 December 2025, and that is the only official club record we have for 2025/26, so his minutes score is low. This season he is progressing at U18 level: FotMob shows four goals in six games, although its figures are not fully consistent, and he has played twice more in the Youth League. He has four goals in seven games for England U15. Getting Youth League minutes at 15 suggests Arsenal are keeping him ahead of his age group.

Potential range in the FM27 data update: 130–160 (game data).

11. Liam Kanté (Borussia Dortmund U19) — 36

The game file places him at Dortmund II, but Borussia Dortmund's announcement of 10 July 2026 says he joined their U19s from Lokomotiva Zagreb. He is a left-footed centre-back with one goal in six games for Croatia U15 and two caps at U16. We confirmed he played for Lokomotiva's U17s in 2025/26 but could not find appearance or minute totals, so most of his score comes from the potential component. His minutes with Dortmund's U19s will decide where he sits in the next update.

Potential range in the FM27 data update: 150–180 (game data).

12. Emmanuel Dade (Inter) — 35

A forward born in 2009. Soccerway shows him making two appearances in Primavera 1, Italy's U20 league, in 2025/26 at 16; goals and minutes are not clear in the source. He is in Inter's U17 squad and has goals recorded against Mantova and Atalanta, but it is unclear which age group those came in. We could not verify his nationality, so that field is left blank.

Potential range in the FM27 data update: 130–160 (game data).

13. Thâo Mouapa Mwa Meuraillo (Rennes) — 35

One of two goalkeepers on the list. He joined Rennes' academy in 2024 and was part of the youth group that won the Coupe Gambardella. On 15 September 2026 he signed his first professional contract, running to June 2030, and he has been in France's U16 and U17 squads; French federation records list Gabon as his second nationality. Appearance and save data for academy goalkeepers is almost never published, so he scored nothing for minutes. That reflects the data, not a judgement on the player.

Potential range in the FM27 data update: 130–160 (game data).

14. Silva Mexes (Leeds United U18) — 34

An England-born left winger who has chosen Thailand internationally: he has one goal in three games for Thailand U17, scored against Uzbekistan at the AFC U17 Asian Cup. He spent 2025/26 in Manchester United's academy, and with no published appearance data he scored nothing for minutes. Press reports in September 2026 said he had agreed a scholarship with Leeds United; we found no official club announcement. Sources list his height as 178cm.

Potential range in the FM27 data update: 140–170 (game data).

15. Henrique Lemos (Cruzeiro U17) — 32

Brazilian sources describe him as a volante, a holding midfielder. He signed his first professional contract with Cruzeiro in April 2026, running to March 2029, and was in the Brazil U15 squad that won the CONMEBOL Evolution League. An injury kept him out for a long spell after 15 September, and he came on in the second half of the first leg of the Brasileiro Sub-17 final away at Corinthians. We could not find a numerical breakdown of his season, so his score is low, but playing in his age group's final on return from injury is worth noting.

Potential range in the FM27 data update: 140–170 (game data).

16. Rodrigo López Rocha (Club América (U19)) — 30

Several footballers in Mexico share this name, so we checked his identity separately against date of birth, club and position. The player here is Rodrigo López Rocha, an América goalkeeper born on 27 June 2006 and listed at 192cm; Rodrigo López Quiñones, a Pumas midfielder born in 2001, is a different player. He played 360 minutes in the 2025 Apertura U19 tournament. Still being at U19 level at 20 costs him on the age-to-level measure.

Potential range in the FM27 data update: 130–160 (game data).

17. Alexios Georgiou (AEK Athens U19) — 28

An AEK centre-back born on 22 September 2008. We confirmed he was in the club's U17 and U19 squads in 2025/26 but could not find appearance totals. This season he has played 49 minutes across three UEFA Youth League games. We found no youth international record. His score is low because of missing data and should be reassessed as his Youth League minutes grow.

Potential range in the FM27 data update: 130–160 (game data).

18. Leon Westin Bryhn (Real Madrid (academy)) — 28

A central midfielder who moved from Las Palmas' academy to Real Madrid in May 2025. The Spanish press has compared his playmaking style to Toni Kroos; that is their comparison, not ours. He appears in UEFA records for Sweden U17, and a goal he scored for them in March 2026 was reported by Diario AS as a 'golazo'. We found no reliable figure for how much he played in 2025/26 or at which Real Madrid age level, so his score rests on the potential and international components.

Potential range in the FM27 data update: 130–160 (game data).

19. Ada Karatepe (Galatasaray U19) — 26

The only player on the list at a Turkish Süper Lig club. FotMob lists the midfielder, born on 27 January 2007, as a US national and records his move from Achilles FC Academy in the US to Galatasaray's U19s in December 2025. The game file calls him 'Ada Metin Karatepe'; we could not confirm any link to Türkiye in an official source. FotMob also shows two separate season lines (24 games and five goals, and 19 games and four goals), but we could not tell which team or period they belong to, so we left them out of the score. A record from Galatasaray or the Turkish federation could change this assessment significantly.

Potential range in the FM27 data update: 130–160 (game data).

20. Joshua Sesay (Arsenal U18) — 25

A winger-forward who moved from Millwall's academy to Arsenal in October 2024. A secondary report says he scored in the semi-final against Blackburn as Arsenal won the Premier League U16 national finals in November 2025. In July 2026 he was named among Arsenal's first-year scholars for 2026/27. We could not find his date of birth or season statistics; his age is taken from the game file.

Potential range in the FM27 data update: 130–160 (game data).

21. Yulian Mosquera (Valencia (academy)) — 24

A right-footed centre-back born in 2011. Sources list him at 182cm, which is notable for a centre-back of his age. He has played for Spain U15, and Valencia's academy media reported his call-up to the U16 squad for friendlies against Italy. We found no club-level appearance record for 2025/26, so his season score is at the minimum. His position here says more about how little data has been published than about his level.

Potential range in the FM27 data update: 140–170 (game data).

22. Francesco Buondonno (Napoli (academy)) — 24

A Napoli midfielder born in 2011. Italian sources say he played for Italy U15 in 2025/26, twice against Slovenia and once against Czechia. In August 2026 he was called up to the U16 squad for two friendlies against England at Coverciano. We found no club statistics for 2025/26. He is named in reports of Napoli tying three players born in 2011 to binding contracts.

Potential range in the FM27 data update: 140–170 (game data).

Who we left out and why

For several players near the top of the file we could not find records matching at least two independent identity details. They include Ashiah Haughton-Sinclair (Tottenham), Mateo Mora (Puebla), Milan Verhoeven (Ajax), Doruk Kadiroğlu (Galatasaray) and Edgar Saakyan (Krasnodar). We did not score them, so that no player is credited with someone else’s statistics on the strength of a similar name. We will add them once club or federation records appear.

This article is also available in Turkish: FM27’nin Yeni Yüzleri.