As the January transfer window is drawing to a close, I have picked some under-23 players who have been on the move this winter.
See: Young January 2020 signings
Leon Dajaku
Born: 12 April 2001
Nationality: German
Position: attacking midfield
From: Bayern Munich
To: Union Berlin (loan)
The highly-rated teenager made two substitute appearances for the European Champions last season, having signed for Bayern from VfB Stuttgart in July 2019. However, he followed it up with just a single German Cup first-team cameo in the first half of this season, so has now been loaned out to surprise Bundesliga-package Union Berlin, where he immediately played half an hour in a narrow, away defeat to RB Leipzig. Dajaku – of Kosovo Albanian descent – comes from the densely-populated Stuttgart region and joined VfB from local club FSV Waiblingen at the age of 13. He is reportedly a goalscorer, quick and with an eye for a pass.
Amad Diallo
Born: 11 July 2002
Nationality: Ivorian
Position: winger
From: Atalanta
To: Manchester United
Another teenager on this list, Diallo became the first player born in 2002 to score a goal in Serie A when he came off the bench for his senior debut and completed Atalanta’s emphatic (7:1) win over Udinese with a solo effort last season. The left-footer, a younger brother to Sassuolo’s Hamed Junior Traoré, was born in Abidjan and moved to Italy around the age of 10. “From the very first moment, it was evident the kid was special”, remembered Denis Cerlini, Amad’s coach at local club Boca Barco. “He was very bold and quick, possessed great technique and a strong shot, and executed everything at great speed. Amad was popular in the dressing room. He made a lot of friends, learned Italian and seemed to be a very determined guy who knew exactly what he wanted.” Diallo spent just a season at Boca Barco, before joining Atalanta at the age of 13. Manchester United have reportedly paid up to a staggering £37 million pounds for him.
Krépin Diatta
Born: 25 February 1999
Nationality: Senegalese
Position: winger
From: Club Brugge
To: Monaco
Also a winger, the 2019 African Cup of Nations best young player cost Monaco an impressive €20m, having spent the last three calendar years in Belgium and one in Norway before that. Diatta heavily featured in the Champions League group stage over the course of the last two seasons and is already on nine goals scored in the 2020/21 Jupiler Pro League campaign. Deployed at wing-back, too, he can be equally dangerous using either foot.
Michał Karbownik
Born: 13 March 2001
Nationality: Polish
Position: central midfield
From: Legia Warsaw
To: Brighton & Hove Albion
The 19-year-old was always expected to make it, according to one of his former coaches I spoke to at the Legia Warsaw Academy last season, once he joined the Polish Champions from local club Młodzik 18 Radom at the age of 14. The technically proficient Karbownik is a central midfielder by trade, although he has heavily featured at full-back in senior football so far. Versatility may aid his cause, as Brighton have perhaps surprisingly decided to bring the three-time Poland international over to England six months earlier than initially planned.
Kouadio Koné
Born: 17 May 2001
Nationality: French
Position: central midfield
From: Toulouse
To: Borussia Mönchengladbach (in the summer)
Another central midfielder here, Koné had already made 12 Ligue 1 starts by the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. He comes from the biggest talent pond in the world, one he left to join Toulouse no sooner than at the age of 15, having also trained at the prestigious Clairefontaine Academy. Tall, athletic and skilful on the ball, he will move to the Bundesliga in the summer for a reported fee of 9 million euro. In the meantime, he will be keen to drive his current club back into the top-flight.
Takefusa Kubo
Born: 4 June 2001
Nationality: Japanese
Position: attacking midfield
From: Real Madrid
To: Getafe (loan)
The former Barcelona youth team player scored once and provided three assists in the Europa League group stage, but made just two La Liga starts for Villarreal in the first half of the season. This was not enough for Real Madrid who brought the loan spell to an end and sent the young Japanese out to another Spanish top-flight club for the remainder of the campaign. A sign of high hopes and big things expected of Kubo in the future. For now, he has made a promising first impression at Getafe.
Jakub Moder
Born: 7 April 1999
Nationality: Polish
Position: central midfield
From: Lech Poznań
To: Brighton & Hove Albion
“WOJTEK!”, the 21-year-old midfielder shouted at Juventus goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny in one of his first training sessions with the Poland national team. The reason behind an animated reaction? He just wanted to get on the ball and start an attack from deep. Brighton reportedly paid €11m for Moder – who spent a season on loan at my hometown, second-tier club Odra Opole just two years ago – at the end of the previous transfer window and, having followed his progress in this season’s Europa League group stage, will now be hoping to integrate the central midfielder into the first-team set-up. He will certainly need to bulk up physically, but opponents will already have to beware of his strikes from outside the box!
Martin Ødegaard
Born: 17 December 1998
Nationality: Norwegian
Position: attacking midfield
From: Real Madrid
To: Arsenal (loan)
This is arguably the most high-profile signing of this January transfer window, even though, at least for now, only a loan one. Having been widely regarded as one of the best players of La Liga last season, the former Real Sociedad loanee did not manage to break into the Real Madrid starting line-up in the first half of this campaign. As a result, he will now be looking to refind his form in the Premier League. Ødegaard is said to be a product of his father, a former professional footballer and now a coach Hans Erik, whose then innovative individual training sessions were to propel his son into becoming one of the most talented teenagers in European football. Now it is time for the 22-year-old Martin to truly cement his reputation as a world-class player.
William Saliba
Born: 24 March 2001
Nationality: French
Position: central defender
From: Arsenal
To: Nice (loan)
Having somewhat bizarrely still not made his first-team Arsenal debut, the teenage centre back is back in Ligue 1. And already making an impression on loan at Nice. The early developer, who played at the under-15 level aged 12, was born in the suburbs of Paris and joined the Saint-Étienne Academy at the age of 15. Like Ødegaard, Saliba will be now hoping to restore his reputation before taking up a challenge of breaking through into the Premier League once more next season.
Dominik Szoboszlai
Born: 25 October 2000
Nationality: Hungarian
Position: attacking midfield
From: Salzburg
To: Leipzig
The impressive 20-year-old would have surely already made his Bundesliga debut had he not suffered an injury which ruled him out of action until at least the beginning of February. This has been a step by step career so far. Szoboszlai joined Salzburg via their feeder club Liefering at the of 16, having previously spent just a single season at MTK Budapest. The technically proficient difference-maker – especially at international level, youth and senior – will become another weapon for Julian Nagelsmann’s side in the years to come.
BREAKTHROUGH 