Albion Analytics: Teen superstars' impact

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How do the numbers match up to our youngsters' on pitch success?

Liam Tharme

Albion Analytics

2023-06-06T06:00:00Z

Julio Enciso and Evan Ferguson led the numbers for teenagers in the Premier League in 2022/23.

Brighton are doing a lot to disprove Alan Hansen’s famous 1995 quote that “you can’t win anything with kids”.

Only three sides — Manchester United in 2004-05 (15) and 2019-20 (14), and West Brom in 2012-13 (14) — have had more goals scored by teenagers in a Premier League season, with Brighton’s youngsters netting 11 between them, more than the rest of the entire league combined (nine)!

As per CIES football observatory data, Brighton ranked second in the Premier League in 2022-23 for the proportion of minutes played by club-trained players, which they define as “players who have been at their employer clubs for at least three years between the seasons during which they celebrated their 15th and 21st birthday.” The Premier League average is 11.2%, with Brighton over double that at 22.6%. They handed out six Premier League debuts to teenagers in 2022-23, more than between 2017-18 and 2021-22 combined (four).

11 different under-20 players have featured for Brighton in all competitions in 2022-23, with seven appearing in the Premier League: Julio Enciso, Levi Colwill, Evan Ferguson, Facundo Buonanotte, Yasin Ayari, Jack Hinshelwood and Andrew Moran.

The first four were all in the top 11 of minutes played by Premier League teenagers, while Ferguson, Ayari, Enciso and Buonanotte all started on the final day against Aston Villa, the second-most teenagers in the starting XI of a Premier League team. That line-up had an average age of 24.7 years — only Southampton, Leeds, Chelsea and Arsenal have named younger starting XIs in 2022-23.

Similarly, when Buonanotte and Enciso lined up against Nottingham Forest, it made Brighton the first team in Premier League history to have two South American teenagers in a starting XI — Buonanotte scored the opening goal.

Evan Ferguson (951) was Brighton’s most-featured teenager in the Premier League this season and led all teenagers in the league for expected goals (5.33), big chances (9) and big chances scored (4), as well as overall goals (6). His average shot distance of 14.2 yards was the third-closest to goal of the ten Premier League teenagers with ten or more shots.

Ferguson scored with his left-foot, right-foot and head, the only teenager to manage that feat in the Premier League this season and the first since Bukyao Saka in 2020-21.

The senior Ireland international was aged 18 years and 76 days when he scored against Everton in January, having netted in the match before at home to Arsenal, becoming the youngest player to score in consecutive Premier League matches since Federico Macheda for Manchester United in 2009. That was not the only record Ferguson set at Goodison Park, becoming the second-youngest player after Michael Owen to score and assist in the same Premier League game.

In fact, Enciso and Fergsuon are the Premier League’s top two teenagers this season for shots (38 and 36) and shots on target (18 and 17). Only Leeds’ Wilfried Gnonto (84) attempted more dribbles than Enciso (64) among all Premier League teenagers, though Enciso was clear at the top for dribbles ending in a shot (6), while also being the only teenager to score against Manchester City and Arsenal.

Between them, Enciso and Ferguson scored six match-winning goals, against Chelsea (away), Arsenal, Southampton (home), Bournemouth (away), Stoke (FA Cup) and Everton.

The future is bright — the future is blue and white.