The second half of June and first half of July have been slots reserved for international football for decades now. The paradigm might be changing a bit with the introduction of this year’s Club World Cup, but it wild hardly ever live up to the hype of major international competitions. Summer of 2025 is one of those ’empty’ summers, ie, a summer without the biggest international competitions (World Cup, Euros, Copa América). With all due respect to Gold Cup, which is currently underway, it simply doesn’t have the appeal of the rest of the competitions.
One competition that serves nicely for fans and players alike, however, is underway in Europe. Usually, the U21 European Championship offers a decent dose of excitement and quality for the viewer, and for the players, it’s a brilliant opportunity to showcase their skills in front of a broader audience and start building a name for themselves. In 2023, a certain Cole Palmer took center stage for England, with Morgan Gibbs-White and James Trafford in supporting roles. Two years before that, the likes of Florian Wirtz, Karim Adeyemi and Davide Frattesi gave us a hint that we’ll be hearing their names a lot in the years to come.
Even though the rise of the upcoming generation and the likes of Lamine Yamal, Pau Cubarsí, Rayan Cherki and others has been so stellar that they’ve skipped quite a few steps and are already playing with their senior squads, combined with the already mentioned Club World Cup that required some players to travel to the US with their clubs has taken out some of the elite u21 talent from this year’s edition, there’s still more than plenty to look forward to and take a good look at.
This article we’ll go through the players featuring at this year’s tournament with the highest value on the transfer market, position by position. So, without further ado, let’s dive in!
Goalkeeper: Gillaume Restes, France
Toulouse born and raised, the young goalkeeper has been a part of Les Violets’ Academy setup since the age of 11, and has been a part of the first team squad since 2023. Last season was his second full season between the posts for Toulouse who ended the season in 10th place.
It might not have been the best of seasons for him individually, but a being a first-choice goalkeeper at the age of 20 on this level is not a feat many have done. He was also the number one choice for Thierry Henry’s French Olympic team that won silver in Paris last summer.
His price tag of just over €18M, quite a hefty one for a goalkeeper of his age, suggests that a bright future is ahead. The team that decides to make a move for him can Restes assured they’ll have a goalkeeper for the decade to come. Pun very much intended.
Right-back: Valentino Livramento, England
One of those players that’s been around for so long that you sometimes forget how young he is. Seven short of a hundred Premier League matches, boasting Champions League and senior national team experience, Livramento might feel like a seasoned veteran in England’s u21 setup this summer.
A versatile defender that’s been Eddie Howe‘s go-to guy for two seasons now, Livramento has been connected with another step forward in his career for the second year running now. With his price tag currently set at €39M, one thing is sure – Newcastle‘s investment will pay off.
Centre-back: Cristhian Mosquera, Spain
A story similar to Livramento’s, Mosquera has played more than 80 LaLiga matches and has had his fair-share of big battles with the world’s best players. As pretty much any high-level young centre-back from Spain, Mosquera possesses great technical quality and is very comfortable on the ball. But, in his case, his physicality is an equally big asset, standing at 188cm tall.
That combination could provide incredibly useful for some teams in the Premier League, and given that Spain’s big dogs are well-covered in his position, England might be exactly where Mosquera continues his journey.
Centre-back: Castello Lukeba, France
A product of the famous Lyon academy, Lukeba enjoyed two good seasons in Ligue 1 before moving to Leipzig in 2023 to play in a more aggressive setup closer to the requirements of the modern game. Yet another centre-back that’s confident on the ball, strong in duels and has no fear of stepping into the midfield, whether it’s driving with the ball or jumping to intercept an opponent’s pass, he has all the makings of a solid defender and should build a very respectable career in Europe’s top 5 leagues.
The almost €50M price tag and the fact that he’s already made his senior France debut support that claim at the age of 22.
Left-back: Jorrel Hato, Netherlands
Three years younger than Lukeba, another player perfectly equipped for the modern game comes from Ajax‘s famous De Toekomst academy. A left-footed defender equally capable of playing as a left-back and a centreback, Hato appeared six times for the Dutch senior national teams.
Usually, coming up the ranks in Ajax’s system is a foundation for a solid playing career, and when you do it as one of the top graduates, you can be sure that the Europe’s biggest will knock on your door soon. With the price of €36M aged just 19, Hato could be worth a lot more very soon.
Centre-midfielder: Archie Gray, England
Gray broke through at Leeds United as a teenager, featuring both as a right-back and central midfielder. He’s tenacious, technically gifted, and shows a deep understanding of the game—traits that hint at a high ceiling. A ceiling that Tottenham hope will be reached in North London, since he featured heavily in his debut season with Spurs, topping it of with a Europa League win.
At 19 years of age, he still has a lot to work on, and the process of his development could be really exciting, especially under new manager Thomas Frank who could arguably use Gray’s height as a reason to try him out as a progressive, ball-playing centre-back.
Centre-midfielder: Elliot Anderson, England
Nottingham Forest caught the attention of the footballing world with their overachieving campaign in which they’ve looked good for a UCL spot until the very last run of games. Result-wise, they might have missed out on a miracle, but in terms of quality, a lot of new interesting players emerged, one of them being Elliot Anderson, who joined them last summer from Newcastle.
The dynamic, energetic box-to-box midfielder has almost tripled the amount of EPL minutes played and elevated his average Sofascore rarting from 6.89 to 7.04. Certainly a name that we’ll hear a lot in the Premier League.
Right-wing: Ethan Nwaneri, England
Nwaneri made headlines as Arsenal’s youngest-ever debutant at just 15 years old. A technically gifted attacking midfielder, he’s known for his intelligence between the lines, dribbling flair, and mature decision-making beyond his years.
A name that definitely headlines this list, and a generational talent that will have a lot to offer – on the right wing, in the middle, you name it, he’s got it.
Attacking midfielder: Harvey Elliott, England
The previous player, Ethan Nwaneri, is currently the youngest-ever player to appear in the Premier League. The man who held the record before him? Harvey Elliott. He was just a month over 16 years old when he made his debut for Fulham in 2019.
Later that year, he joined Liverpool and has now amassed almost 100 EPL apps, won 7 titles and helped the Reds to a Champions League final.
Oh, and… he won this very competition two years ago!
Left-wing: Geovany Quenda, Portugal
If we dubbed Ethan Nwaneri as the #1 on this list, then this Portuguese gem comes in second. Following in a line of Sporting CP‘s long-lasting history of producing world-class wingers, from Luis Figo and Cristiano Ronaldo to Quaresma and Nani, it’s now the time for Geovany Quenda to take the stage and shine.
Chelsea have already tied him up in a deal worth around €50M before he’d even played 30 matches for Sporting’s first team. He’ll stay in Portugal for another season, then join the Blues in the summer of 2026. And… if Chelsea were convinced enough to pay that amount of money… best believe he’ll be worth double in no time.
Centre-forward: Mathys Tel, Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham have confirmed the signing of this young Frenchman on a permanent deal after he spent a year with them on loan from Bayern München. Pacey, skilled and confident, Tel can work equally well as an offensive line’s focal point as he can on the wing.
Having just turned 20, Tel has a long road ahead of them, and all the tools to make it a memorable one.
Conclusion
From the back line to the front, the u21 Euro is stacked with talented players who will definitely make a name for themselves. Some of them might even start this summer in Slovakia!
