FM 27 Wonderkid Defenders: Best Young CBs and Full-Backs

Among FM 27 wonderkid defenders, Barcelona's Pau Cubarsí has the highest fixed potential at PA 185. Liverpool's Jérémy Jacquet follows on 182 and Brighton's Luka Vušković on 178. With a PA range, Warren Zaïre-Emery leads at 160-190.

Launch Preview data, 30 October 2026. CA/PA values come from Regen Hunters' FM 27 Launch Preview save. Ratings come from the FM Scout FM 27 wonderkids list. Values may change with the full release on 10 November.

FM 27 wonderkid defenders with a fixed PA

We included players aged 21 or under listed by Regen Hunters at centre-back (DC), full-back (DL, DR) or wing-back (WBL, WBR). Their PA is the same in every save. The table is sorted by PA, then CA.

Player	Age	Club	Position	CA	PA	FM Scout
Pau Cubarsí	19	Barcelona	DC	165	185	90
Jérémy Jacquet	20	Liverpool	DC	142	182	-
Luka Vušković	19	Brighton	DC	142	178	91
Dean Huijsen	21	Real Madrid	DC	151	177	-
Nico O'Reilly	21	Manchester City	DL, MC, AMC	152	175	-
Myles Lewis-Skelly	19	Arsenal	DL, DM, MC	151	172	87
Lewis Hall	21	Newcastle	WBL	153	170	-
Jacobo Ramón	20	Lazio	DC	147	169	-
Cristhian Mosquera	21	Arsenal	DC	147	169	-
Jordi Pesquer	16	Barcelona	DL	100	169	83
Michael Kayode	21	Brentford	DR	144	168	-
Josh Acheampong	19	Chelsea	DR	134	168	83
Yarek Gąsiorowski	20	PSV	DC	129	166	-
Pau Navarro	20	Villarreal	DC	143	165	-
Ayden Heaven	19	Manchester United	DC	143	165	85
Ismaëlo Ganiou	20	RC Lens	DC	139	165	-
Marco Palestra	20	Chelsea	WBR	137	165	-
Christian Mawissa	20	AS Monaco	DC	129	165	-

Source: Regen Hunters (Launch Preview save, 30 October 2026) and FM Scout. A "-" means the player is not on FM Scout's list. CA is current ability and PA is the ceiling, both on a 1-200 scale.

Young defenders ready to play now

• Pau Cubarsí (Barcelona): 19, CA 165. The most ready and the highest-ceiling centre-back on the list.
• Lewis Hall (Newcastle): CA 153, left wing-back.
• Nico O'Reilly (Manchester City): CA 152, plays left-back and in midfield.
• Dean Huijsen (Real Madrid): CA 151, PA 177.
• Myles Lewis-Skelly (Arsenal): CA 151, left-back and defensive midfielder.

All of them play for big clubs. If your budget is tight, a loan may be more realistic.

Wonderkid defenders with a PA range

These players have a PA range, so each new save picks a different value inside it.

Player	Age	Club	Position	CA	PA	FM Scout
Warren Zaïre-Emery	20	PSG	DR, DM, WBR, MC	154	160–190	90
Leny Yoro	20	Manchester United	DC, DR	142	150–180	84
Jorrel Hato	20	Chelsea	DL, DC, WBL	140	150–180	84
Xavi Espart	19	Barcelona	DL, DR, DM, WBL, WBR, MC	136	150–180	86
Joane Gadou	19	Borussia Dortmund	DC	132	150–180	85
Jorthy Mokio	18	Ajax	DL, DC, DM, MC	131	150–180	84
Ryunosuke Sato	19	Valencia	WBL, WBR, ML, MR, AML, AMC, AMR	131	150–180	87
Noah Fernandez	18	PSV	DL, DM, WBL, ML, MC, AML, AMC	131	150–180	86
Giovanni Leoni	19	Liverpool	DC	125	150–180	83
Matteo Palma	18	Udinese	DC, DR	119	150–180	84
Daniel Banjaqui	18	Benfica	DR, WBR	119	150–180	86
Saba Kharebashvili	17	Başakşehir	DL, WBL	110	150–180	88
Axel Koukaba	16	PSG	DL, DC	97	150–180	84

PSG's Zaïre-Emery has the highest ceiling at 160-190 and plays at right-back and in midfield. Leny Yoro, Jorrel Hato and Xavi Espart sit in the 150-180 range.

FM Scout's best by position

Centre-backs

Player	Age	Club	FM Scout rating
Luka Vušković	19	Brighton	91
Pau Cubarsí	19	Barcelona	90
Finn Jeltsch	19	VfB Stuttgart	87
Jon Martín	20	Real San Sebastián	86
Joane Gadou	19	Borussia Dortmund	85
Ayden Heaven	19	Man Utd	85
Ethan Degny	17	OGC Nice	85
Oliver Wilkinson	17	Ipswich	85

Left-backs

Player	Age	Club	FM Scout rating
Saba Kharebashvili	17	Başakşehir FK	88
Davinchi	18	Getafe	85
Honest Ahanor	18	Atalanta	85
José Neto	18	SLB	84
Jorrel Hato	20	Chelsea	84

Right-backs

Player	Age	Club	FM Scout rating
Jesús Fortea	19	R. Madrid	86
Xavi Espart	19	Barcelona	86
Daniel Banjaqui	18	Benfica	86
Kyllian Antonio	18	RC Lens	85
Ângelo	17	São Paulo	84

Source: FM Scout FM 27 wonderkids list. FM Scout uses its own reference date for ages, so they may differ from Regen Hunters.

From the Süper Lig: Saba Kharebashvili

Başakşehir's 17-year-old Georgian left-back Saba Kharebashvili tops FM Scout's left-back list with 88. Regen Hunters lists him at CA 110, PA 150-180, making him the most reachable defensive wonderkid for a Süper Lig save. For more young players from Turkey, see our FM 27 Turkish wonderkids list.

What to check before signing a young defender

1. Look at versatility. Zaïre-Emery and Xavi Espart cover several positions.
2. Scout first. The potential you see depends on your scout's knowledge.
3. Check the PA range. The same player could top out at 150 in one save and 180 in another.
4. Recheck after launch. Values may change on 10 November.

To compare with an older version, see our FM 23 wonderkid defenders.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is the best wonderkid defender in FM 27?

With a fixed PA, Pau Cubarsí leads on 185. With a PA range, Warren Zaïre-Emery has the highest ceiling at 160-190.

Who is the best young centre-back in FM 27?

Regen Hunters has Cubarsí on PA 185, while FM Scout gives Luka Vušković its top rating of 91.

Is there a defensive wonderkid in the Süper Lig?

Yes. Başakşehir's Saba Kharebashvili is on the list with PA 150-180.

Is this list final?

No. It uses Launch Preview data. The full game is out on 10 November 2026 and values may change.