Top 10 listed
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When it comes to developing young players, few leagues around the world can match the quantity and quality of talented stars that the Bundesliga offers up each and every season. Whether it be the biggest clubs in England, Spain or indeed in the Bundesliga itself, each squad is packed full of German players or young stars that were educated on the fundamentals of the beautiful game at a German club. And this season’s Bundesliga has been no exception. So which U21 stars have stood out the most in German football in the last eight months? Based on the players that gained the most market value since the start of the season, here’s a breakdown of the top 10 prospects.
Oscar Højlund | Eintracht Frankfurt | +€6.8m
Few in German football are as smart operators in the Bundesliga as Eintracht Frankfurt and the latest example of that is undoubtedly midfielder Oscar Højlund. The 20-year-old talent was signed from FC Copenhagen last summer for just €1.35m, but quickly broke into Dino Toppmöller’s team towards the end of last year and proved to be a handy option to bring off the bench in the middle of the park. A starting role for the Eagles next season beckons and as such Højlund’s market value has soared this season to keep up with his performances.
Johan Manzambi | Freiburg | +€7.8m
Freiburg went into the final matchday of this season’s Bundesliga chasing the dream of Champions League qualification and while they ultimately fell short, Julian Schuster’s side were considered by many to be the most improved team in the German top-flight. At the heart of that team was young central midfielder Johan Manzambi, who made the step up from the club’s second team to make 11 appearances in the league, bagging two goals and two assists. As a result, Manzambi’s market value rose dramatically from just €250k at the start of the season to where it now stands at an impressive €8m.
Jean-Mattéo Bahoya | Eintracht Frankfurt | +€9.5m
Another young player from Frankfurt makes the list in the form of Jean-Mattéo Bahoya. Having joined the club in January 2024 for €8m, Bahoya has taken to German football with relative ease and become an invaluable player in Toppmöller’s squad due to his ability to play on either wing. As such, the 20-year-old forward found himself starting almost a third of Frankfurt’s league games this season, bagging five goals and assists along the way.
Bence Dárdai | Wolfsburg | +€10m
After breaking into Hertha Berlin’s first team last season, Bence Dárdai made the move to Wolfsburg in the summer on a free transfer and has quickly made a name for himself as an exceptional attacking midfielder with plenty of potential. Born and raised in Germany but having recently opted to play for Hungary, Dárdai wasted no time staking a claim for a starting role in Wolfsburg’s starting XI this season. Despite the club’s troubles on the pitch, the young talent was always a source of excitement for the club’s fans and will likely be on the radar of bigger clubs this summer.
Paul Wanner | Bayern Munich | +€10m
It’s rare that academy players make a name for themselves at Bayern Munich but in the case of Paul Wanner the Allianz Arena side may have another young prospect that’s ready for the first team. After a season on loan at lowly Heidenheim, Wanner earned his stripes playing in a number of positions across the team’s front line and midfield, bagging three goals and two assists in 29 league games. Such performances had Austria and Germany fighting for his allegiances at international level, with the latter ultimately winning out. Now we just need to see what he can do in the colours of Bayern next season.
Hugo Larsson | Eintracht Frankfurt | +€13m
Frankfurt are no strangers to selling young stars for huge sums of money and while Hugo Ekitke may be taking up most of the room on the rumour mill, there’s every chance that young Hugo Larsson could be the club’s next big star. Signed from Malmö FF for just €9m in 2023, Larsson has gone from strength to strength as an exceptional box-to-box midfielder for the club and is now one of the first names on Toppmöller’s team sheet every weekend. As such, his market value has now risen to an impressive €40m, but if the likes of Real Madrid are as serious about signing him as reports would suggest then he could end up being sold for much more this summer.
Antonio Nusa | Rb Leipzig | +€13m
Signed from Club Brugge last summer for €21m, Antonio Nusa likely thought he was joining a club with clear ambitions of challenging for the Bundesliga and making waves in Europe. That didn’t really work out, with RB Leipzig sacking head coach Marco Rose during the season, but to the young winger’s credit he looked like money well spent, with three goals and four assists in his first 21 league games, prior to a lengthy knee injury. There’s little doubt that the Saxony club will get back on their feet next season and that Nusa will be a vital player in their first team plans.
Finn Jeltsch | Stuttgart | +€15m
Whether it be Can Uzun or Stefanos Tzimas, FC Nuremberg have developed a reputation in recent years for unearthing remarkable young talents and another example of that is Finn Jeltsch. Signed by Stuttgart in January for €8m, the young central defender went from thriving in the 2.Bundesliga to thriving in the top-flight with relative ease. With a German senior call up beckoning, Jeltsch will likely be considered one of German football’s most promising defensive talents in the year to come and as such his market value has soared this season.
Jamie Gittens | Borussia Dortmund | +€22m
When it comes to young wingers there are few with the remarkable potential of Borussia Dortmund star Jamie Gittens. Despite only being 20 years old, the Englishman has now played under four head coaches at the Westfalenstadion and varied his game from being a traditional winger to a more direct inside forward. His game time under new head coach Niko Kovac has wavered in recent months, and there’s now little doubt that Gittens will likely leave Dortmund this summer for a sizable sum. But that hasn’t stopped his market value rising to €50m – making him the fourth most valuable 20 year old in the world.
Tom Bischof | Hoffenheim | +€26.5m
It may seem odd to see a Hoffenheim midfielder outperforming all other U21 stars in the Bundesliga this season but that’s only because Tom Bischof seems to specialise in dumbfounding expectations. Despite playing in a truly abject team for much of the Bundesliga campaign, the box-to-box talent still managed to bag five goals and two assists. Such performances have earned him a move to Bayern this summer, where he’ll likely become the long-term successor to Leon Goretzka’s spot in Vincent Kompany’s team. As such, his market value has risen in line with what’s expected of him in Munich in a few months time.
