The top 10 best young EFL League One players to watch this season | OneFootball

Football League World looks at some of the brightest young stars in the third tier currently

There have been numerous exciting young stars who have broken out in League One so far this season, and the future is definitely in good hands.

It'll be some shock if any of these 10 players don't end up playing near the top of the Championship, or even the Premier League, in the future, and, hopefully, when that happens, third-tier fans will relish the fact that they were able to see them in the infancy of their careers.

Picking a definitive top 10 of the best players aged 21 or under in the third tier has been extremely difficult, but here's our attempt at doing so. This has taken into account the impact on a team and the number of games they've been trusted to play, too.

So, without further ado, here are the 10 best young stars to watch in League One this season.

10 ? ? Patrick Kelly - Barnsley

There have been a lot of young, impressive players at Barnsley this season under the tutelage of a young, budding manager in Conor Hourihane, and it's probably not a surprise that Patrick Kelly isn't the only Tyke on this list.

The Irishman impressed on loan at Doncaster Rovers last season in League Two, but not enough to make West Ham want to keep him on. Ultimately, Barnsley have been the main benefactors of that.

The 20-year-old has played in several positions across the attacking midfield three at Oakwell this season, and Barnsley have one of the best attacking returns in the division, even with up to four games in hand on some sides around them.

An impressive debut campaign at the level for Kelly, and he'll be one to watch for the future.

9 ? ? Cameron Ashia - Huddersfield Town

Cameron Ashia has had a true breakout campaign for Huddersfield Town this season, having played just once senior game for the Terriers in the EFL Trophy before 2025/26.

His starts have been limited, which stops him from truly making inroads further up this list, but off the bench, there arguably hasn't been a better impact sub in League One this season.

His energy and ability to get into shooting positions from wide areas have resulted in him being near the top for shots on target and goals in the per 90 stats in the third tier this season, and many at the Accu Stadium are excited to see what he can do in the future.

They'll hope it's for them, though, as Championship clubs have already been sniffing around the 20-year-old's services.

8 ? ? Jake Richards - Luton Town

Jake Richards made his League One debut just a month after his 16th birthday, and just over two years on, he's now lining out regularly for one of the top clubs in the division, Luton Town.

The former Exeter City academy graduate has added goals to his game this season, netting three times in just nine starts, and if it wasn't for injury taking him out of action for a couple of months in December and January, he'd likely have a lot more, too.

The 18-year-old has plenty of room to grow, and under Jack Wilshere, someone who also enjoyed early success as a midfielder, he has a great manager to act as a mentor to see that potential realised.

7 ? ? Ronan Kpakio - Cardiff City

Aged 18, Cardiff City's Ronan Kpakio already has three senior caps for Wales, and he may well end up heading to the World Cup if the Red Dragons can get through their play-off qualifying campaign in March.

If that doesn't single him out as a young player to watch in League One, nothing will. However, his incredible creative numbers from full-back will help, too, notching up six assists and completing crosses at a rate that puts him in the top 3% of full-backs in the entire division.

If it wasn't for Joel Bagan and Perry Ng, the Welshman would certainly have more games under his belt, and that's arguably what's keeping him from climbing further up this list. But there's no doubt that he'll be a first-choice player at the Cardiff City Stadium in years to come.

6 ? ? Brad Hills — Stockport County

Brad Hills spent the second half of the season on loan at Stockport County last year, and he impressed so much that the majority of the Hatters fan base were expecting him to break into the Norwich City fold this year.

Therefore, it was a pleasant surprise that they were able to get him back permanently in the summer, and he's been immense at the heart of the Stockport backline, winning battles, breaking up play and playing out sufficiently from the back, too.

The towering centre-back doesn't turn 22 until March, so he just qualifies for this list as of writing, and Stockport will be hoping that they can achieve promotion so as not to risk losing him back to the Championship this summer.

5 ? ? Jenson Metcalfe - Bradford City

Bobby Pointon turned 22 back in January, so unfortunately, he doesn't make this list. However, fellow midfielder Jenson Metcalfe does, and it's clear to see why.

Like Kelly, the 21-year-old impressed on loan in League Two with Chesterfield last season. The only goal contributions he registered while at Paul Cook's side were against Bradford City, and the Bantams decided that was a good enough audition to bring him to Valley Parade this season.

Playing next to Max Power, one of the third tier's more successful veteran heads, has done him the world of good, and while it may have taken the Everton academy graduate a little while to get into the side, he's made that midfield position his own over the past months.

And, playing a little deeper has allowed him to score a couple of worldies from outside the box, which just correlates with being fun to watch.

4 ? ? Omari Kellyman - Cardiff City

For the most part, I've tried to ignore loan players, as these likely do have a future in the Premier League or the Championship, given that they are already under contract at one of those teams.

However, it's hard not to ignore the sheer class that Chelsea's Omari Kellyman oozes onto the field every time he plays for Cardiff.

More recently, he's added several goals to his game too, as Brian Barry-Murphy has turned to him up front in the absence of Yousef Salech, and given his goalscoring record in 2026, many have been wondering if he could have been up there for golden boot conversations if played in this role throughout the entire campaign.

The 20-year-old cost the Premier League side £19 million when they bought him from Aston Villa in 2024, and it's clear to see why. This evidently will be the only campaign he spends in League One in his career, if he remains fit.

3 ? ? Amario Cozier-Duberry - Bolton Wanderers

Copy and paste regarding loan players on this list, but again, before his form dipped slightly, leading to his injury, Bolton Wanderers' Amario Cozier-Duberry was one of the best players, not just in League One, but in the entire EFL.

Six goals and six assists in the opening 15 games had the 20-year-old Brighton loanee on track for player of the season accolades en route to a Trotters promotion.

Unfortunately for him and for Bolton, that seems to be petering away, and Cozier-Duberry is actually not set to return to training from a knee injury until the end of March.

But that doesn't dim his shine too much, and it's easily enough to get him in the top three of this list — and he's the final loanee we'll talk about, too.

2 ? ? Dom Ballard - Leyton Orient

Dom Ballard is near the top of the goalscoring charts in League One and has multiple hat-tricks to his name already this season. At just 20-years-old, how couldn't he appear on this list?

The former Southampton youngster always had that goalscoring pedigree at the youth level, but in loan moves to Reading, Blackpool and Cambridge United, it never really worked out.

Now, he's found a home at Leyton Orient, and even if Richie Wellens' side is battling relegation, it's not to do with Ballard's difficulty in scoring goals.

As a striker, he's not just a poacher, either; he can move with the ball and create chances for others, and it's clear that the 20-year-old has the world at his feet and Premier League potential.

However, there is just one other who is just a little more entertaining to watch.

1 ? ? Reyes Cleary - Barnsley

The fact that Reyes Cleary was riding the bench for the first two months of the campaign is insane to look back at, as the 21-year-old Barnsley wideman is by far and away the most entertaining on-ball player, arguably in the entire third tier, but definitely of those 21 and under.

As a neutral, he's incredible to watch. Almost every time he gets the ball out on the left, you know he's going to be going full steam ahead towards the goal, and more times than not, it results in a chance.

He's likely to finish the campaign near the top of the assist charts in League One this season, and he may end up contributing double-digit goals, too.

It's been incredibly impressive to watch him week in, week out in the third tier, and there's no doubt that the 21-year-old will be playing higher next season, with the view of even cracking into the Premier League sooner rather than later.