The 5 Most Attractive Clubs In The EFL For Young Players

For young footballers looking to climb the English football pyramid, the right club makes all the difference. It’s not just about the badge on the shirt or the stadium size – it’s about opportunity, coaching, and a clear pathway for first-team minutes and transfers to clubs in higher divisions. Here are five EFL clubs currently making themselves very appealing to players under the age of 23.

We start off with the only EFL Championship club in this list, QPR. The West London outfit aren’t afraid to play promising young talent, with Eberechi Eze the most notable player. Eze made his debut in January 2017 at only 18 years of age.

He went on to make 112 appearances, scoring 20 times, before making the switch to Crystal Palace in August 2020 for £17 million, the club’s record sale. QPR’s attractiveness for young players is also evident in the club’s transfers this summer. Karamoko Dembele (22), Amadou Salif Mbengue (23), Kwame Poku (23), and Kealey Adamson (22) highlight QPR’s strategic pivot towards youth and potential, in the hope of selling them on for profit later on down the line.

This new recruitment strategy makes them an attractive place for young players looking to make the step up to the Championship.  Julien Stephan, the French manager appointed in June 2025, also matches the club’s youth strategy.

 

Stephan is best known for his work at Rennes in Ligue 1, where he gained a reputation for developing young talent and integrating academy players into the first team. The most notable players the Frenchman helped develop are Eduardo Camavinga and Ismaila Sarr, who are now at both Real Madrid and Crystal Palace, respectively.

Next up are Peterborough United, the first of 3 League One sides on this list and the most obvious. Posh are widely known for their youth focused strategy; buying young, promising players for cheap and selling them on for profit.

Their most notable sale came in 2020, when Ivan Toney was sold to Brentford for £5 million, a hefty profit on the £350,000 Peterborough parted ways with to secure the striker’s services in 2018. Peterborough is the go to place for young talent looking to ply their trade in League One, with Posh having an average starting age of 21.9 years, by far the lowest in League One in the 2024/2025 season.

 

Darren Ferguson is the man at the helm and is known for developing young talent with his strong leadership skills and tactical flexibility. Ferguson, son of Sir Alex, emphasises an attacking style of play, encouraging high energy and work rate. This is perfect for young players who are full of energy and hunger.

Stockport County are next up on this list. The Hatters have enjoyed a meteoric rise in the last decade, going from the National League North all the way up to promotion challenges in League One, all whilst doing it in a sustainable way. Stockport have switched their strategy to a more youth-focused one in the last few years, aiming to create a sustainable system where they can buy cheap and sell on for profit, similar to Peterborough.

 

The club is on an upward trajectory, and has been for a while now, so it’s no surprise that they are very appealing to young players. The most notable player sale recently is Tanto Olaofe. The Hatters signed the then 23 year old striker from Millwall in January 2023 for an undisclosed fee believed to be around £200,000.

 

He was then sold in July 2025 by newly promoted Championship club, Charlton Athletic, for an undisclosed fee, believed to be around £1.5 million, which is a solid profit. Dave Challinor wasn’t afraid to trust youth last season, with Lewis Bate (22), Jayden Fevrier (22), Ethan Pye (22), Brad Hills (21) and Louie Barry (22) all playing regularly, further highlighting the youth focused strategy in place at the club. Dave Challinor’s leadership has been key in the development of these youngsters and Stockport have seen a rapid climb under the Chester born manager.

The penultimate team on this list and the final League One side is Wycombe Wanderers. The Chairboys are another side who are heavily focused on a youth strategy. There have been many young players over the years but Richard Kone is the standout pick. The 22 year old Ivorian striker was signed in January 2024 from Non League Newham, and went on to win the League One player and young player of the season in his first full season in professional football last season. Kone is currently finalising a move to QPR for £5 million as we speak, which is a massive profit considering the very small fee Wycombe paid to secure his services nearly 18 months ago.

 

Wycombe’s appeal to young players is also notable in their summer transfers this year. Jamie Mullins (20), Connor Taylor (23), Bradley Fink (22), Mikki Van Sas (21) and George Abbott (19) have all joined the club this summer. This further highlights Wycombe’s youth focused strategy and willingness to buy young players for cheap and sell them on for future profit, like they have done with Richard Kone. It’s this sustainable strategy that has taken the club from League Two to an established League One side that pushes for promotion most seasons than not in the space of 7 years.

We end this list with the only League Two side in it, Crewe Alexandra. The Railwaymen have a rich history of youth, dating back to the 1980s. Danny Murphy, Dean Ashton and Nick Powell are part of a large crop of players to come through the academy to the first team and then earn moves to the Premier League, where Murphy and Ashton managed to sustain careers in the top flight.

More recently, Connor O’Riordan came through the academy and established himself as a first team regular before the then 20 year old signed for Championship Blackburn Rovers for an undisclosed fee in January 2024. The manager, Lee Bell, has continued the clubs youth focused strategy by giving the likes of Tom Booth (21), Lewis Billington (21), Owen Lunt (20), Calum Agius (19), Adrien Thibaut (21) and Max Conway (21) the chance to shine and continue their development in senior football.

 

The club and manager aren’t afraid to give youth a chance, which makes them a standout club for young players looking to start the next chapter of their development in League Two.

These five EFL clubs- QPR, Peterborough, Stockport, Wycombe and Crewe- offer young players real chances to grow, compete, develop and launch their careers. For ambitious players under the age of 23 looking to make their mark in the EFL, these teams provide the perfect platform to develop and impress in the hope of being sold on for profit to clubs in higher divisions.