The Wonderkid Power Rankings - Gavi falls, Arsenal men fly high, Anderlecht ace makes the cut

As custodian of the Wonderkid Power Rankings, I am faced with quite a few challenges. How do I fairly handle players who pick up knocks and miss a match or two? How much should a player be punished for one bad game in an otherwise fine run of form? This week, I’m being posed another toughie – who gets the number one slot when none of the regular contenders really shone?

Last week’s top boy, Gavi, didn’t really earn a second week atop the ladder, but did Bukayo Saka or Jude Bellingham, say, really merit it either? How far up the rankings should I push Gabriel Martinelli or Florian Wirtz, both of whom performed better? Well, read on and you’ll find out how I decided to handle these tricky calls – and find out who breaks back into the rankings after another fine performance, and which youngster becomes the first goalie to make our top ten…

1. Bukayo Saka – Arsenal (⬆️ from 2)

Perhaps I’m just in love with Arsenal’s diminutive baller, or perhaps it’s just the pride of an Englishman who knows his nation have a couple of the best kids in the world right now, but despite not scoring in the fractious and fascinating game against Liverpool, Saka still played well, still showed off his knack for tormenting even the best defenders in the world, and still feels like the best possible intersection between skill, potential and form at this point in time. He was also one of the few Arsenal players who didn’t appear to let the ill-tempered occasion get to him – another indication, if one was somehow still needed, of a very wise head on very young shoulders.

2. Jude Bellingham – Borussia Dortmund (⬆️ from 3)

Another strong showing of midfield dominance as Dortmund racked up an important and impressive win over Union Berlin to keep their title challenge on track. It was another wonderkid – 18 year-old Youssoufa Moukoko – who scored the winning goal, but Bellingham was again a strikingly solid and reliable presence in the heart of the park, using the ball as well as ever and ensuring his youthful team had the platform to build a big victory on. Like Saka, he has control over himself as well as the ball, and even if he likes the occasional vent off the field, he rarely loses presence of mind on it. This was a big test passed for the key player in a side keen to prove that you absolutely can win with kids. Alan Hansen must be seething on a very nice sofa, somewhere.

3. Gabriel Martinelli (⬆️ from 5)

The Brazilian has successfully made a mockery of his exclusion from the first Power Rankings some weeks ago by continuing his scintillating form, picking up a goal and an assist at Anfield to make it seven goals in nine games. Probably the most in-form player in the Premier League right now and brimming with confidence, as his goal neatly demonstrated – keeping his cool to finish seize superbly on Liverpool’s defensive hash and given his side the early lead they failed to keep hold of. His movement seems to be better every single time he plays, and there’s only been one defence in the league that has kept him out of the goal contributions column in the last two months – Bournemouth, if you can believe it. A thrilling player, coming on in leaps and bounds this year.

4. Gavi – Barcelona (⬇️ from 1)

Not the best week for the young midfielder, who was subdued in the rather dreary 0-0 draw with Girona and struggled in the 4-0 Copa del Rey hiding that Barca took from Real Madrid. Never not up for the fight but not yet demonstrating the kind of consistency that he’d like, Gavi only managed 68.8% passing accuracy against Girona, comfortably his worst of the season, as he failed to make a major impact in the attacking third. Some credit has to go to the opposition this week, of course, but it’s still fair to expect a little more from a young man who has proven that he can get at any defence on his day.

5. Jamal Musiala – Bayern Munich (⬆️ from 7)

After being benched for the first two matches of Thomas Tuchel’s reign in Munich, Musiala finally found himself restored to the startling line-up for the 1-0 win over Freiburg and the rangy forward celebrated with an assist – although his relatively simple sideways pass under pressure was somewhat overshadowed by Mathijs de Ligt’s stunning 30-yard piledriver. Still, it was a good display from the young Germany international, with over 90% of his passes completed and two cracks at goal as he gave the Freiburg defence a stern examination before being subbed off in the second half. A better weekend for a brilliantly talented player.

6. Florian Wirtz – Bayer Leverkusen (⬆️ from 8)

Another game on the comeback trail, another brilliant outing for the technically-gifted German playmaker. Two assists this time, including a gloriously-weighted, needle-threading through ball to tee up Moussa Diaby for Leverkusen’s second. The 3-1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt moved Xabi Alonso’s side up to sixth with seven wins on the bounce in their back pocket, and their surge up the table and into European contention has been fuelled in no small part by having Wirtz back on the field and carving defences up for fun again. A remarkable talent who hasn’t missed a beat after his extended spell on the sidelines.

7. Eduardo Camavinga – Real Madrid (⬇️ from 4)

The position-hopping Frenchman was a late sub in the 3-2 home defeat by Villarreal at the weekend and failed to make much of an impact as Real Madrid saw their already slim title chances fade even further. He did at least play the full 90 minutes at left-back in Real’s 4-0 demolition of Barcelona, but Camavinga has personally been on relatively quiet form of late and will likely relish the chance to move back into midfield now that David Alaba is back from injury. A brilliant player enduring a slightly becalmed patch of form.

8. Xavi Simons – PSV Eindhoven (re-entry)

Five goals in seven league games now for the former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain attacking midfielder, who also registered an assist in a routine 4-0 win over Excelsior in the Eredivisie. His rich vein of scoring form has, admittedly, coincided with a run of games against some of the lesser side of the Dutch top tier, but there’s no argument that he passes the eye test with his easy grace on the ball, killer instinct in front of goal and increasingly assured decision-making. After an unsettled start to his career, Simons is finding his feet in fine fashion in the Netherlands and a chance to prove himself in a big five league will surely arrive before too long.

9. Rasmus Hojlund – Atalanta (⬇️ from 6)

The dashing Dane is testing the limits of the Power Rankings’ requirements for continued excellent form this week following a second successive goal-less week, this time finding himself somewhat on the peripheries of Atalanta’s 2-0 home defeat against Bologna. Of course, he was firing them in game after game not so long ago, and the curse of the striker is that it’s hard to impress when the rest of the team struggles to get going as well, so Hojland gets to linger in the top ten for another week, but I’m sure he’ll accept the warning that three games without a goal will see his stock fall – not that it’s likely to dampen the enthusiasm that Manchester United allegedly have for him.

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10. Bart Verbruggen – Anderlecht (new entry)

In their last six games, xG suggests that Anderlecht should have shipped eight goals. Instead, they’ve conceded one, knocked Villarreal out of the Europa Conference League and hauled themselves a little way up the table after Scott Parker’s troubled tenure came to a close. The 20 year-old Dutch stopper began his career with hometown club NAC Breda before being spotted by Anderlecht and has broken through at both domestic and international level, receiving his first call up to the Netherlands squad for the recent Euro 2024 qualifiers. Blessed with brilliant reflexes and command of his area, he’s also a very modern goalkeeper with excellent distribution and confidence with the ball at his feet. Comparisons have already been drawn with Manuel Neuer and he may well be the brightest goalkeeping talent in the world right now.