Most Exciting Young Players In Serie A So Far This Season

It would be seriously hard to start anywhere else when looking at the brightest young players in Serie A than Dusan Vlahovic. The Fiorentina striker is one of the hottest properties in world football at present, and is being linked with moves to huge European clubs such as Manchester City and Manchester United. The 21-year-old scored 21 goals in 37 league games last season, but already looks to be on course to eclipse that tally at the half way stage this term.

Vlahovic has already scored 16 goals and recorded two assists in the league this season, which makes him the highest scorer in Serie A. He averages a goal every 101 minutes, and has recorded a goal conversion rate of 32% so far this season. It looks extremely difficult to see Fiorentina keeping hold of the 21-year-old if they don’t finish in a Champions League position this term.

There are absolutely no surprises that Napoli’s form has dipped slightly in the absence of 22-year-old striker Victor Osimhen. The Nigerian striker joined the Italian giants for a club-record fee of £70 million back in 2020, and scored ten goals in 24 games in his first season in the Italian top-flight. He was in stunning form over the first six months of the season, and is expected to be a huge player for Nigeria at the World Cup in 2022. Osimhen has scored five goals in eleven league games so far this term, as well as four goals in three appearances in the Europa League.

When the Nigerian was fully fit, Napoli were the side to beat in Serie A, as they were unbeaten and held a healthy advantage at the summit. He was injured in Napoli’s fixture against Inter Milan earlier in the season, as he suffered a fractured cheekbone and eye socket. However, latest reports have claimed that he is back in training and looks set to return in early 2022.

This year has been a massive breakout 12 months for Sassuolo’s Giacomo Raspadori. The 21-year-old old made his debut for his boyhood club in May 2019, before last season taking the Italian top-flight by storm. He scored six goals in 27 games in the 2020-21 season, as he quickly became the club’s first choice striker. That run of form also saw him named in the Italian squad for the European Championships, and he made his major tournament bow in the second half of the group stage game against Wales. Those were the only minutes that he played during the EUROs, but he has since scored his first goal for the national side against Lithuania.

In Serie A, he is on course for his best goalscoring season to date, as he has already scored four goals in 17 games in the Italian top-flight. However, it’s also his ability to create chances for his teammates that has enabled him to capture the imagination this season. Raspadori has already recorded four assists in the games that he has played, and is averaging a chance creation at an average of 0.89 per 90 minutes. He is a brilliant all-round modern striker, and has averaged a pass accuracy rate of 83% to this point in Serie A.

Musa Barrow is a player that is improving season on season in Serie A. Last season, he finished the 2020-21 season with eight goals and eight assists from 38 games played. He looks a pretty decent bet to improve on that this season, having already scored five times and recorded three assists in 17 matches. Barrow has a shot accuracy rate of 52% this season, and averages a goal every 0.36 minutes per 90 minutes.

The 23-year-old also has shown throughout the season that he is the main attacking outlet for Bologna, having contributed 1.4 key passes per game, and attempted 0.9 dribbles per game. He has averaged an overall rating of 6.89 with WhoScored so far this season, and could be one of the young stars that may have his eyes set on a move away from his current club in the summer transfer window, with a number of the biggest clubs around Europe monitoring his situation in Italy.

Eljif Elmas is one of the most talented young midfielders in Serie A this season, and has quickly become a fundamental part of the Napoli team. The 22-year-old has been with the club since moving to Serie A from Fenerbahce in 2019. To this point in Serie A in 2021-22, he has scored two goals and recorded two assists in the 18 games that he has played. The Macedonian is one of the main chance creators playing for Napoli this season, and averages 1.3 key passes per game, and has a pass completion rate of 89%.

He is also skilled at playing long balls over the opposing defensive, having averaged 1.5 in Serie A so far this season. Elmas also fulfils his defensive responsibilities for the Italian giants, as he makes an average of 0.7 tackles per game, 0.3 interceptions and 0.9 clearances. The central midfielder is likely to be an instrumental part of the Napoli side in the second half of the season, as the Italian giants look to get a foothold back in the Serie A title race.