Fresh Start and on the Rise

When Andriy Yarmolenko made the move to Borussia Dortmund from Dynamo Kiev in late August 2017 much was expected of the winger after a successful spell in his homeland.

Joining the club as a 17-year-old, Yarmolenko would impress in Dynamo Kiev’s reserve team, making his League debut for the first team 18 months later. The winger would shine during his 11 years in the Ukrainian capital, with his agility, speed and powerful shooting ability.

His 99 goals in 228 appearances for Dynamo Kiev would garner interest from several clubs and would sign for Borussia Dortmund at the end of the transfer window. It was hoped that he could replicate his form for club and country on the wing in a 4-3-3 formation.

Those heady heights proved out of reach in Germany, as Yarmolenko would make just 18 appearances for Dortmund in the Bundesliga. Most of his game-time came between late October and late January, when Dortmund won only two of their 11 games, leading Coach Peter Bosz to be sacked in December.

To compound Yarmolenko’s inconsistent form, a foot injury in February kept him out of action for almost two months, and he would be on the bench for much of the rest of the season.

Instead of buckling down under a new boss and trying to salvage his Dortmund career, Yarmolenko instead moved to England to sign for West Ham, where he’s in search of better success.

Marcelo Saracchi

The Uruguayan left-back had such an impressive debut season at River Plate that RB Leipzig swooped in to get his signature this summer. Saracchi’s assured displays in his first few games in the Bundesliga has already led to the 20-year-old being called up to Uruguay’s squad.

Reiss Nelson

The youngster made a hugely positive impression for Arsenal last season at youth level and the first team, a long-term contract showing how highly-regarded he is by the Gunners’ brass. A loan spell at Hoffenheim should benefit Nelson’s development as a player while under the management of Coach Julian Nagelsmann.

Paulinho

Bayer Leverkusen paid Gremio €20m for 18-year-old Paulinho and big things are expected of the striker. He made his League debut for Gremio just before his 17th birthday and didn’t take long for him to break records.

Paulinho became the youngest player [at the time] to score in the Brasileirão and the first player born in the 21st century to score in the League. Few would be surprised if he break records in the Bundesliga too.

Alphonso Davies

He won’t arrive at Bayern Munich until January but Alphonso Davies has already lit up MLS with several outstanding displays. Generally considered the best young talent produced by Canadian football, Vancouver Whitecaps were so taken with the midfielder that they gave him a full debut at 15.

Davies has gone from strength to strength since then and Bayern await his arrival in 2019 with great expectation.

Josh Sargent

The 18-year-old has a bright future ahead of him and signing for Werder Bremen was a result of his efforts last year. Sargent impressed for the United States in the CONCACAF U17 Championships, as well as the U20 World Cup later that year, which led to his debut for the senior national team in May 2018.