December's U23 Hot List: Joao Pedro, Dragusin among stars

Welcome back to the ESPN FC Hot List, which each month highlights some of the most in-form talent aged 23 or under across Europe.

Generally, young-but-established stars like Manchester City‘s Erling Haaland, Real Madrid‘s Jude Bellingham or Barcelona Gavi aren’t included — otherwise they’d be on the list every month — but we’ll shine a light on some of those who deserve praise for their performances and who could potentially be European football’s next big name.

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A €35 million summer signing from Watford, Joao Pedro has progressed rapidly over the past few months. Though the Brazilian has started fewer than half of Brighton’s Premier League matches and most of his goals have come from the penalty spot, his overall impact is becoming increasingly visible.

Despite wearing the No. 9 shirt, the 22-year-old is not an out-and-out centre-forward. In fact, he is close to the perfect “false No. 9” as he is at his best when he can drop deep and create space centrally for teammates. With excellent control on the ball and movement off it, he’s hard to pick up and his attacking nature sees him push into danger areas at any cost (with nearly eight touches in the opposing box per 90 minutes.)

Picking up his first senior Brazil cap in late November, Joao Pedro could soon be a target for the top clubs in Europe, with even manager Roberto De Zerbi admitting it’ll be hard to hang on him in the long term.

As regularly pointed out in this column, left-footed centre-backs are in high demand across Europe. And very few who fit into that category have performed better than the Everton youngster this season. Indeed, his displays have alerted a number of Premier League giants (despite recently penning a new four-year deal) and suggest that a promotion from the England U21 set-up to the senior side is on the cards.

While the 6-foot-4 defender has collected accolades for his resolute tackling (which, at times, can be of a risky nature) and aerial ability, there’s also an impressive maturity to his game. He anticipates well, often high up the pitch, and his natural air of calm allows him to wait out opponents when drawn into wide areas.

Arguably one of Everton’s top performers in the back-to-back wins against Newcastle and Chelsea in December, Branthwaite is undoubtedly one of the most promising young centre-backs in the Premier League.

The 6-foot-2 midfielder was ostensibly signed with a view to the long-term. However, it didn’t take Eintracht Frankfurt’s head coach Dino Toppmöller long to work out that he had a real gem on his hands. In fact, six months later, the €9m signing from Malmö is already a key player for Bundesliga club.

Larsson’s real breakthrough, however, came as he played a pivotal role in the 5-1 home destruction of German champions Bayern Munich on Dec. 9. Not only did the Sweden international outsmart defender Dayot Upamecano to score a crafty individual goal, but his movement caused Bayern issues throughout the game. Practical, energetic and reliable rather than flashy, Larsson — who nearly joined Bournemouth a year ago — has proven himself ideally suited to the Bundesliga.

Thanks to his impressive form on the right of Genoa’s back three this season, the imposing Romania international has attracted the attention of top clubs across Europe and is reportedly on his way to Tottenham in January.

While ball-playing centre-backs have long been in fashion across Europe, Dragusin represents something of a “defence first” throwback. Dominating in the air (no Serie A defender has won more aerial duels this campaign), resolute in duels on the ground (remarkably he’s only been dribbled past once this season) and efficient at clearing the box, the ex-Juventus academy graduate has great charisma on the pitch and clearly loves to defend.

There’s still work to be done when it comes to his distribution, as he usually shifts the ball out to a full-back or a more technically gifted centre-back, but at 21 there’s still time to work on the progressive side of his game. Added to his fine defensive skills, Dragusin also poses a threat from attacking set-pieces. He added his second goal of the season from a header in the 1-1 draw against Inter on Dec. 29.

A revelation in Serie A over the past couple of months, Kayode has now cemented his place in the starting XI of a resurgent Fiorentina side. The enthusiastic and dynamic right-back rose to prominence this summer as he scored the winner for Italy against Portugal at the Under-19 Euros with a late, well-executed header at the back post.

In addition to wonderful athleticism, quick feet and an innate willingness to drive forward, Kayode is also very tidy on the ball and is comfortable enough with either foot to also slot in at left-back when needed.

Once regarded as one of the most promising teenage centre-forwards in European football, the Netherlands U21 international has had to take some sideways career steps to finally arrive where he seemed destined to be.

Having struggled to establish himself at Bayern Munich, Zirkzee spent time on loan at Anderlecht and Parma before signing permanently for Bologna for €8.5m in the summer of 2022. This season, however, the 22-year-old has shown off his outstanding link-up play — he’s so good at picking up the ball between the lines and finding midfield runners — as well as scoring seven goals himself.

Even at 6-foot-4, he is deceptively agile and getting rid of his marker on the half-turn is one of his signature moves. His dribbling skills are strong enough to the point that he can create chances singlehandedly and he resembles a “false No. 9” even though he’s physically built like the archetypal centre-forward.

Indeed, Zirkzee’s positive development this season has seen him recently linked with a January move to Manchester United.