The average age of every Premier League squad | OneFootball

​​​​​Some fans might believe that football teams ‘can’t win anything with kids,’ but that has not stopped Premier League clubs up and down the country from giving it a go. Teams are always on the lookout for bright young talent that can make an impact from the off, and we have seen a whole host of young players on the move in the January transfer window.

Valentin Barco has joined Brighton & Hove Albion, while wonderkid Claudio Echeverri has now become Pep Guardiola’s latest project: unknown prospect to a world-beater. So, with a litany of young talent being brought into nearly every club in the top flight, the team at GIVEMESPORT thought we would rank every team in the Premier League based on their average age.

And while one of the aforementioned teams do not claim the top spot here, it’s surprising just to see how clear the youngest squad in the league are of everyone else. A quick caveat: all statistics have been taken from Transfermarkt and are correct as of 02/02/24. Without further ado, let’s kick off with the oldest squad in the English top flight and eventually finish on a side who are heavily reliant on youth.

West Ham United

Average age: 28.3

Coming bottom of the list and taking the title for biggest granddads in the Premier League is David Moyes’ side. West Ham United’s squad is one full of top division experience, but their average age is significantly raised by the likes of Luis Fabianski and Angelo Ogbonna, who are 38 and 35 respectively.

Five other players in the squad are 30 and above, which bumps the average age up just a little more. A few players, like Kurt Zouma and Said Benrahma, are entering their primes, while they also have their fair share of youngsters in their ranks. Only four players are 25 or younger, providing more dynamism to the aging legs mentioned above.

Fulham

Average age: 28.0

There are a few players the wrong side of 30 years of age involved in the Fulham squad, including the likes of Willian, Tim Ream, and summer 2023 acquisition Raul Jimenez. That experience is offset by just a few youngsters, with just five players 25 or younger.

The know-how of the more seasoned professionals might come in useful if the Cottagers find themselves in a relegation fight come the end of this season. Realistically, however, with the loan addition of 22-year-old striker Armando Broja, they could push for a top-half finish, especially if the Albanian can find his feet at the Craven Cottage outfit.

Luton Town

Average age: 27.4

Summer recruit and Premier League veteran Tim Krul became the oldest man in the Hatters squad at 35 years of age upon joining, with Rob Edwards praying that the Dutchman’s experience and top flight know-how, despite being an eternal substitute, can help his side maintain their Premier League status.

Interestingly, only four other players in that team are older than 30, with most of Luton Town's squad at the higher end of the 25-30 bracket. They will also be hoping that some talented youngsters can step up in the second stage of the current season, including ex-Red Devils man Tahith Chong and Manchester City loanee Issa Kabore.

Newcastle United

Average age: 27.3

Eddie Howe’s side is brimming with much-needed experience, with 11 players 30 or older. Fabian Schar and Kieran Trippier are mature, level heads at the back, capable of guiding younger players through difficult spells in games, though the likes of Lewis Miley, 17, and Lewis Hall, 19, are there to keep their average age lower than it would be.

Alongside the aforementioned youngsters, there are some other exciting young talents in the Newcastle United ranks, though, including Tino Livramento and Elliot Anderson – both 21 years of age. Their squad, full of 28 stars, is definitely a case of two extremes, with 18 years being between the oldest and youngest member.

Everton

Average age: 27.1

Theoretically, Sean Dyche’s Everton squad should be at the peak of their powers. Yes, there are a few at the older end of the spectrum in the roster, such as Ashley Young (38) and Andy Lonergan (40), but the best part of the Toffees squad are in their 20s.

The likes of Jarrad Branthwaite, James Garner and Nathan Patterson are all 22 and below and have all played a pivotal part this season. Branthwaite, admired by a host of top clubs, may be on his way out of Goodison Park in years to come and, as a result, Everton’s average age may begin to rise.

Nottingham Forest

Average age: 27.1

Nuno Espirito Santo has had just one transfer window to address any issues after he was forced to pick up where Steve Cooper left off. As such, he adopted a team that has a nice balance of youth and experience in their ranks. Summer signing Anthony Elanga and mid-season coup Giovanni Reyna are both 21 years of age – and the Tricky Trees have 10 players that are 25 or younger.

Interestingly, Nottingham Forest might have recorded an even lower average age were it not for Wayne Hennessey (37), Felipe (34) and Cheikhou Kouyate (34) dragging up their overall average. Santo will be looking to bring that down in the future, of course, especially given his bunch of players is the second-biggest in the league with 32, but did boost it up a tad with the January coup of 31-year-old Matz Sels.

Manchester City

Average age: 26.7

Guardiola has assembled an absolutely monstrous squad, one which includes several promising youngsters. Josko Gvardiol, Phil Foden, and Erling Haaland are the most exciting of them all, all 23 or younger, and all vital cogs in the Spanish tactician’s well-oiled machine.

Just five players out of 22 eclipse 30 years old, including midfield magician Kevin De Bruyne. Captain Kyle Walker (33), alongside seasoned shot stopper Scott Carson (38) increase the average age, while teenager Rico Lewis and the likes of Oscar Bobb and Jeremy Doku are all 21 and below. The perfect concoction of experience and youth has paid off in recent times for Guardiola, as proven by City's treble success.

Aston Villa

Average age: 26.5

What a job Unai Emery has done since taking the job at Villa Park. Under his guidance, the squad managed to qualify for the Europa Conference League, and they stand a decent chance of winning it, while they may be in line to challenge the typical title-chasers (Manchester United City and Liverpool) at the end of the current season.

He has been helped, in part, by the fact that he has an experienced 26-man squad on his books. Yes, nine of the Aston Villa squad are aged 25 or younger, including summer recruits Moussa Diaby and Nicolo Zaniolo, but Emiliano Martinez (31) and a few others are on the wrong side of 30. They also don’t have one extreme old-timer, with Robin Olsen the most senior member of the squad at 34 – but in the grand scheme of things, that isn’t too old.

Manchester United

Average age: 26.1

Admittedly, there are a few experienced heads in the Manchester United camp right now, which should help them traverse their insipid start to the 2023/24 season. Jonny Evans, who returned to the club in the summer of 2023, is the second most senior player at Old Trafford behind Tom Heaton, who is 37 years of age.

But for the most part, Erik ten Hag has a young, hungry and exciting squad on his hands right now, including 11 players who are 25 or younger. Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho, who are 18 and 19, respectively, are the most exciting of the bunch, getting regular game time ahead of other more experienced pros.

Crystal Palace

Average age: 25.9

Crystal Palace completed the summer signing of exciting attacking midfielder Matheus Franca from Flamengo, and he slots into a young, exciting team that also includes the likes of Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze, two stars who are still only 22 and 25, respectively.

That barrage of excitement is balanced with just a handful of players that are over 30, the two oldest being Joel Ward and James Tomkins, both 34. The majority of Roy Hodgson’s side are in between the 20-30 range, proving that the west Londoners are planning for the future, most notably thanks to the acquisition of 19-year-old midfielder Adam Wharton during the January window.

Average age: 25.7

It turns out that Jurgen Klopp’s attempts to rejuvenate his squad haven’t reduced their age a whole lot in comparison to the rest of the league. James Milner and Jordan Henderson, most notably, have been taken off the books and, sure, there are some talented players under 25 in their ranks, including Dominic Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister - but there are plenty of old, wise heads too.

That includes the likes of Alisson (31), Virgil van Dijk (32), and Mohamed Salah (31). How long each of the star trio can keep plying their trade at the highest level for the Reds, though, remains to be seen.

Wolverhampton Wanderers

Average age: 25.7

Gary O’Neil’s side has experience and youth spread across the pitch. Craig Dawson, who has been viewed by many supporters as a 30+ veteran for years now, is the most senior squad member at just 33 years of age. Aside from three others, everyone else in the Wolverhampton Wanderers setup is 30 or younger.

That blend of dynamic young players and level, older heads has proven formidable in their attempt to stay up and avoid a relegation dogfight. January signing Noha Lemina, brother of Mario, is the youngest player in the squad at 18 years old, while the likes of Hugo Bueno and Tommy Doyle are 21 and 22, respectively.

Average age: 25.6

Bournemouth, spearheaded by 26-year-old Dominic Solanke, have been one of the surprise packages of the Premier League this season, despite a few picking the Cherries to go down before a ball was kicked – but their blend of experience and youth has proven to be impressive.

Although there are just a few players over 30, Andoni Iraola’s squad has plenty of experience in his squad, with many hitting their prime. Philip Billing (27) is the key man in midfield and Neto (34) is the mainstay between the sticks, while summer signings Milos Kerkez, Justin Kluivert and Alex Scott – all below 24 - are all talented young players able to make a difference.

Average age: 25.5

If Sheffield United finished more favourably than Man City in any other table, you’d most likely think you were dreaming. But Chris Wilder’s side are in front of the Premier League champions here, despite having the biggest squad in the division with 33 players.

Their oldest player comes in at 35 with Chris Basham leading the way, though he is joined by only seven more stars who are aged 30 or above. Incredibly, 19 players of their 33-man squad are 25 or younger. That’s more than half of the entire squad who still fall into the bracket of exciting young talent. That does mean, however, that not many of their squad are in their prime.

Brentford

Average age: 25.4

The Bees are one of the most fun teams in the league to watch and will win plenty of plaudits this season as they have done in the years gone by. Impressively, they have achieved success in the top flight with a relatively young team, with Ben Mee and Zanka the two most senior squad members at 34 and 33, respectively.

Plenty of the Brentford squad are either in their prime or approaching it, including Christian Norgaard and Bryan Mbeumo, both of whom have been crucial this year. Star man Ivan Toney, 27, has impressed on his return, though may not be part of Thomas Frank’s side for much longer with a host of top division sides circling around his signature.

Average age: 25.4

Brighton are typically seen as the young, talented team, with their excellent recruitment seeing countless exceptional youngsters come through the doors of the AMEX stadium. But one of their summer recruits is also their oldest. 37-year-old James Milner arrived from Liverpool this summer, becoming the most experienced player on their books by three years.

The Englishman’s arrival raises the age slightly, but not drastically. When you have the likes of Evan Ferguson, Julio Enciso and Joao Pedro on the books, just three players out of eight in the squad who are 21 or younger, there’s little surprise that the Seagulls rank so well here.

Arsenal

Average age: 25.3

Level with Bournemouth with an average age of 25.3, Mikel Arteta has the youthful spine of his team for his favourable position in this list. The Spaniard’s Arsenal side have always been one of the most exciting young teams in the league to watch, but their recruitment has only reduced their average age even more.

Mohamed Elneny, Cedric Soares and Jorginho, the three players in the squad above 30, are vastly outnumbered by youngsters. Just 10 of the 32-man squad exceed 25 years old, with Bukayo Saka one of the youngest in the team yet arguably the most important player by quite some way. The Gunners are just proof that age isn’t a barrier if you’ve got bags of talent.

Tottenham Hotspur

Average age: 25.3

Joining their north London rivals on 25.3 is Tottenham Hotspur, led by Ange Postecoglou. With Hugo Lloris having left for Los Angeles FC, their average age was reduced significantly, as now, only three players in Postecoglou’s 26-man squad are 30 years of age or older.

A significant number of important first team players are all 25 or younger, including Pape Matar Sarr, Micky van de Ven, and Dejan Kulusevski, none of whom are older than 23. With a few signings in certain positions, Spurs could have a team set in stone for years to come. January signing Radu Dragusin is also just 21 years of age, meaning that their heart of defence is well-poised to go from strength to strength.

Burnley

Average age: 24.8

You’re not dreaming, Burnley find themselves in the top two. If only this was the actual Premier League table and not one based on age. Just three players in the team are older than 30, with skipper Jack Cork, Jay Rodriguez and Jóhann Berg Gudmundsson all familiar names to fans of the top tier.

That said, only six players also fall into the 26-30 bracket, which includes Nathan Redmond, Josh Brownhill and Josh Cullen. An astonishing 21 players are 25 or younger, with Vincent Kompany blessed with young talent like James Trafford, David Datro Fofana and Aaron Ramsey, who are all 21 years of age.

Chelsea

Average age: 23.3

Given all of their young signings in the last couple of transfer windows, we can’t be too surprised that Chelsea are the youngest group in the Premier League. What is more surprising is just how much younger they are on average than everyone else, with a gap of 1.5 between them and second-placed Burnley.

A whole host of senior players have departed the club, with just Thiago Silva (39), Marcus Bettinelli (31) the only players over 30. Staggeringly though, they have just seven players who are between the ages of 25 and 30, with Ben Chilwell and Raheem Sterling 27 and 29. The remaining players on their books are all 25 or younger. We know that Mauricio Pochettino is excellent at getting the best out of young talent, but might he find the lack of experience a big concern?