The Bundesliga‘s growing reputation for attracting raw teenage talent from around the world was reinforced this week when RB Leipzig signed highly-rated 16-year-old Danish midfielder Mads Bidstrup.
The club reportedly paid FC Copenhagen €2million for the junior international in the deal announced on Thursday.
Leipzig are also reportedly close to signing Portugal under-17 midfielder Umaro Embalo from Benfica, who like Bidstrup, will join RB’s academy.
These five youngsters are currently impressing in Germany’s top flight:
JADON SANCHO (Borussia Dortmund)
Dortmund reportedly paid €8million last August for the England junior international who was signed from Manchester City‘s academy.
Sancho broke into the first team this month and has impressed on his two Bundesliga starts.
The 17-year-old winger hit the post against Wolfsburg a fortnight ago, causing havoc on the left wing, and set up Shinji Kagawa’s equaliser in last Friday’s 1-1 draw at Hertha Berlin.
Jadon Sancho has impressed at Dortmund since moving form City.
LEON BAILEY (Bayer Leverkusen)
The Jamaica winger, 20, back-heeled an audacious seventh league goal and set up another when Leverkusen crushed Hoffenheim 4-1 last weekend.
He also has six assists this season to help Bayer climb to second and is currently believed to be worth double the €13.5million Leverkusen paid Belgian club Genk for him in January 2017.
Speculation has already begun that Bailey is off to a bigger club.
JANN-FIETE ARP (Hamburg)
After scoring two hat-tricks for Germany at last year’s European Under-17 Championships, Arp made his Hamburg debut aged 17 in September, becoming the first Bundesliga player born this millennium.
The Hamburg academy product scored two goals in two games last October to become the club’s youngest scorer in the Bundesliga.
Having only turned 18 this month, Arp wants to help relegation-threatened Hamburg stay up while studying for his ‘Abitur’ – Germany’s university-entry exams.
Jann-Fiete Arp starred at the U17 Euros last year, and has only gotten better.
CHRISTIAN PULISIC (Borussia Dortmund)
Still only 19, but already a US international and first-team regular having broken through from Dortmund’s academy in January 2017.
The attacking midfielder, born in Hershey, Pennsylvania, has hit three goals in 17 league games this season.
He scored and provided an assist in a 3-0 win over Wolfsburg on the opening day.
Just like his team, Pulisic‘s form dipped in Germany’s autumn as Dortmund dropped down the table having led by five points in September.
Pulisic is already established as one of the game’s biggest young stars.
MICHAEL CUISANCE (Borussia Moenchengladbach)
‘Gladbach paid just 250,000 euros for the France under-19 talent from Nancy’s academy, but Cuisance, 18, has already made 12 appearances in Germany’s top flight.
He has started four Bundesliga matches and plays either in central or defensive midfield and showed his promise when he set up a goal in last September’s 2-0 win over Hanover.
Cuisance has quickly begun to show his potential.
