With the new season nearly upon us, today we take a closer look at two 16 year olds who Espanyol will be hoping can develop into big stars in the years to come.

Ashley Phillips - Having long been a target for the manager, his arrival at Espanyol was this week turned into reality as new Atalanta boss Daniel Wythe santioned the move which has seen veteran midfielder Rincon and exciting forward prospect Sima move to Italy. On the face of it, its a big price for a boy who has not even made the first team bench in real life at Blackburn.

Philips despite only being 16, has a commanding pressence. At 6ft 4 he is good in the air but also has a tremendous turn of pace and is comfortable with both feet. Manchester United, Chelsea, Spurs and Man City are all keen on the youngster with £3 million valuations already being banded about. Many kids get hyped up, but there does appear to be far more substance in Ashleys ability. Already an established member of Blackburns under 23 squad, the world does appear to be his oyster if that development continues and if so, that high price may just prove to be one of the best bits of business the club does.

"I've followed Ashley's development with intrigue, not since the days of Damian Duff has a player caught the eye at Rovers academy more than Phillips. An academy which has produced the likes of Phil Jones, there is so much excitement at the possibilities this kid could bring. Obviously only being 16, and already being talked up brings pressures to young shoulders. However he is in the right surroundings at present and it would serve him better to stay at Blackburn and try and break into the first team picture. For us at Espanyol, i'm under no doubt the vultures will be circling over the next 18 months to try and pick him up on the cheap. We've paid big for an untested 16 year old, and ultimately when that day comes where we have to consider his departure, then it will be a hefty asking price, providing that promise starts looking like a sure thing"

Gianluca Prestinanni - Arrived at Espanyol through one of the new database addition lotteries. I always feel if you are going to win one of these lotteries then make it a good one. Gianluca has already made his first team debut at Velez Sarsfield, and is the second youngest Argentinian player to ever feature in the Libertadores after one other former Espanyol player Sergio Aguero. Predominantly a winger but comfortable across all attacking areas he is thought of very highly in his homeland, and has already played for the national side at under 17s, with 2 goals in 5 appearances.

"Its scary to think he does not turn 17 until the end of January next year, and yet has already tasted top flight football in Argentina. He is very much one for the future, and with time on his side we will watch with great interest how his future develops. We've a number of Argentinian youngsters on our books now with Galoppo, Hernandez, Galarza, Schor, Orellano and Garces. Some are further along than others, with Galoppo probably looking like our next break through player, with moves to Napoli and Sampdoria muted, whilst he has started the season on fire in his native Argentina. The south American market is always a gamble, as players tend to need that move to Europe to start pinging up the ratings chart. However the big European clubs are always watching as we've seen with Alvarez joining Man City in real life. In Prestianni we have another with the right profile to become a real player over the next 3 or 4 years. Its long term planning, without early reward, which as a club is the model we are looking to adopt. Sitting on these players will bring long term benefit to the club on a whole, we can pack them into the youth set up, and forget about them. Some will mature quicker than others, and some will just fall off the radar, with young players there are no guarantees. Having a decent pool of players from a particular country helps too at update time, as they get reassessed at the same time and can potentially give you a decent boost in one foul swoop.

The lights have barely gone out on season 17, but manager Mullan is already on with finalising his squad for the new season. A 6th place finish and a European trophy in his first full season, could never have been predicted by even the most optimistic person, however the gaffer is not expecting any sort of repeat in season 18, as he looks to maximise his contract free-hit.

"When i arrived here we had the oldest squad in the division, lots joke about the "wheeling and dealing" but to get the age of the squad down, remain competitive whilst getting every ounce of value out of players in decline is no easy task. We will go into season 18 with just 7 players aged 30 or over, and an incredible 26 players 22 or under. To be in the position of having 43 players under the age of 27 with bags of potential it really does set us up for a number of seasons to come.

Yes the team is not littered with household names just yet, but if you scratch under the surface we've got a few hidden gems with significant potential and with some database updates to come, i'm really hopeful the hit we are taking this season comes off.

I think people will see a different Espanyol going forwards as transfer activity becomes minimal. We've put a lot of work into doing well over 150 deals in a season and half, to do what was needed, reduce the age of the squad and change the outlook from a side whose players were on the decline, to now be a side with players who can only get better.

Looking ahead to next season, its all about staying up for us, which some would say is a disaster if we just stay up, given our unlikely 6th place position this season. We are ahead of programme in terms of the 3 and half season plan I have. Although we are very thin on the ground in ratings now, there is always method to my madness. Its now time for a new Bonucci or Suarez or D'maria to rise from our young pool. We've signed some promise but also some players already making a name for themselves. I'm particularly excited on how far players like Lukeba and Stiller can go, whilst we've also picked up some exciting young south american footballers, who will no doubt get rises in the next update. We are going to need a bit of luck with the updates on one or two of the older players to keep us competitive this season, and there are much better 1-11s in the division. That being said, you need more than just ratings in a competitive gameworld, you have to put the hours in and you have to be willing to change things about for different games. I'm a firm believer that if you put the work in, you will get the rewards.

There has been some big business done elsewhere, as teams look to strengthen and managers with new clubs, look to put their own stamp on their squads. I felt going into last season we'd see new champions and other teams starting to emerge. That proved to be the case, and i think this season we are going to see those gaps close again. With other teams coming into the top 6 picture and upsetting the form book. I think we will see a much different Arsenal and Benfica next season and those two for me, will be up there in that top 6, which adds pressure to the others to stay in that elite group. At the other end we need to ensure we are not next seasons Hertha. I think 6 or 7 teams could definitely fall into that category based on current transfers completed, and overall balance of their sides. Whatever happens next season, i think we are possibly going to see the most competitive division 1 yet"