Welcome back to the ESPN FC Hot List, which each month highlights some of the fittest talents aged 23 and under across Europe.
Generally, young but established stars like Manchester City's Erling Haaland, Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham or Barcelona's Gavi are not included; otherwise they would be on the list every month. But we will shine a light on some of those who deserve praise for their performances and who could be the next big names in European football.
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The Turkish international, who arrived from Fenerbahçe in 2023 for around €20 million, was sidelined for most of the season due to injuries. But the Bernabeu crowd finally got a taste of what was to come when he unleashed it towards the end of the campaign. The left-footed midfielder, inevitably nicknamed “The Turkish Messi” due to the similarities in style, scored in Real Madrid's last three games, including a brace against Villarreal.
Arda's exceptional one-on-one skills, low center of gravity and intelligent combination play are well known, but his calmness and confidence in finishing are also something to be praised. The same applies to his quick adaptation to Madrid's attacking movements, as he perfectly times his runs from his favorite position on the right. Arda is certainly worth following as a standout teenager at Euro 2024.
Signed from Almería for €6m last summer, the former Real Madrid attacker closed out a reasonably successful season in style with nine goals, most of which were tap-ins, with three of them coming in May.
Arribas, who stood 5ft 7in, was seen as too light to become a key player at Madrid. But he showed that he can still be a more than useful player at the highest level with Almería and will surely leave the club a season after relegation. His touch on the ball is exquisite and he moves with elegance and with little effort, creating walls or advancing towards the area with the ball at his feet. He is left-footed by nature, but has skill with both, and the 22-year-old appears to have a lot more potential in his locker.
One of LaLiga's standout defenders of last campaign, the Girona left-back will have a big summer as interest from Premier League clubs has increased.
A physical defender with a penchant for powerful attacking runs, Gutierrez has a keen understanding of tactics, comprehensive technical skills, consistency and the added versatility to get into central areas during build-up. The former Real Madrid player scored his second goal of the season in early May in the famous 4-2 home win against Barcelona, and his contribution in attack is demonstrated by his 0.2 expected assists (xA) throughout the season, which is an impressive number. for a side.
Doué, the latest in a superb crop of Stade Rennais prospects, replaced Jérémy Doku when he left to join Manchester City for €65m before the season began. The pair share certain similarities and Doué has the same relentless will as Doku to beat his man one-on-one, as well as the need to push into the box.
While Doué may still lack some of Doku's strength, the Frenchman arguably possesses a better touch and is more comfortable playing through the middle. Doué is also avid in his defensive work (7.1 defensive duels every 90 minutes, of which 54% are won). And, as he has become accustomed to playing the full 90 minutes, he has also added a greater degree of concentration to his game.
Doué, who is likely to become one of the top transfer targets in the summer, already has Arsenal and Manchester United interested in signing him.
The Greek international winger may not have impressed at Norwich City when he joined in 2021, but his career took off while on loan in the second tier of German football.
Although Düsseldorf accepted the €5m option to sign him permanently, they could quickly trade him this summer for a profit, especially given their dramatic penalty shootout loss to Bochum (after winning the first leg 3-0) in promotion to the Bundesliga. . relegation playoff.
In fact, Tzolis' performances have been of such a high standard that top-tier German clubs are likely to start a bidding war to sign him. The fiery winger was phenomenal in the first leg of the playoff, providing three assists and tormenting the opponent from his position on the left wing. Additionally, during the regular season he scored 22 goals (joint top scorer for the club) and made a huge impact with his excellent finishing skills. His 43% accuracy rate on 2.6 crosses per 90 minutes also underlines his ability to help his teammates.
Beyond the main European leagues, it is a mystery why the Danish midfielder continues to ply his trade in Norwegian football. Sure, he's winning titles, he can play in European competition (he even advanced to the Europa Conference League playoffs before losing to Ajax) and he turned down the chance to join MLS side Charlotte FC earlier this year. However, it is rare to see a young man of such quality stay long in Norway.
After a magnificent 2023, Grønbæk is the league's top scorer with seven goals after 10 rounds, four of which came in May. He is essentially an attacking number 8, is exceptionally good at pushing into the attacking area (4.2 touches per 90 minutes) and is an expert finisher. Furthermore, the 23-year-old likes to advance with the ball from the center of the field and his acceleration and dribbling ability also make him very useful in wide areas.
