21 Under 21: Bailey Cadamarteri (Sheffield Wednesday)

Episode #16 | George Elek and Ali Maxwell list the most outstanding young players in the EFL.

21 Under 21 will be released every weekday at noon in June, with paid subscribers unlocking early access to all video content.

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“A classic, old-school, goalscoring number nine.” — Ali Maxwell

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Bailey Cadamarteri

Sheffield Wednesday — Championship, 2023/24:

• Born: 9 May 2005

• Position: Striker

• League appearances: 23

• League starts: 14

🏹 Marksman in the making

First things first: yes, his dad played in the Premier League in the late 1990s. Perhaps it’s fitting, then, that Bailey himself is something of a ’90s striker – a No.9 who wants nothing more than goals goals goals (with occasional light pressing).

While the lift-off and skyrocketing of Cadamarteri’s playing time in 2023/24 speaks to Danny Röhl’s willingness to make bold calls, it also says plenty about the forward’s ability. Not long after arriving at Sheffield Wednesday in mid-October, Röhl gave the teenager his senior debut and he instantly became near-undroppable, showing how and why he has scored so many goals at youth level. Röhl wouldn’t have placed such trust in just any young pup; Cadamarteri fully earned his place in the side.

Though he did start fewer matches in 2024, Bailey Cadamarteri’s future looks very bright indeed. And – bonus – he has already matched Danny Cadamarteri’s career-best league goalscoring campaign. Have that, Dad.

📈 At a glance

Pizza charts informed by match data. Each chart rates a chosen player from 0-99 across different metrics (e.g. Dribbles) according to their “percentile rank”. A 75 score shows a player outperforming 75% of other players in the dataset. Each dataset is position-specific. Negative metrics are reversed. [Credit: Riley Roberts.]

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▶️ Watch: Episode 16