The Premier League is widely considered to be the the greatest league in the world. With some of the greatest talents and biggest managers, the league has the widest fan base in the world and rakes in billions each year in tv rights deals and sponsorships. However, the ‘younger brother’ of the Premier is the EFL Championship, the second highest division in English football. Although the class disparity between teams fighting for the Premier League title and the teams battling for relegation in the Championship is so vast, there is still a constant conveyor belt of talented youngsters coming out of the Championship and making splashes in the top tier of English football.
For years the championship has had a stigma that it is a division where in order to succeed you need to be physical and have a top work ethic. Which for a large part remains true but, players who tended to be more flair-centric, although flashed at times, were never truly the difference makers in winning teams. Times have now changed, and some of the top players in the division as very technically gifted and evolving managers are choosing to give these players significant roles to play in their more modern style of football.
A handful of players in recent years have performed in the division to such a high standard that they have earned themselves high profile moves to the Premier League, where they have since shown their class and performed well for their new teams. I’ll now show some of the examples.
- Ollie Watkins, Brentford -> Aston Villa £28 million
- Saïd Benrahma, Brentford -> West Ham £25 million
- Che Adams, Birmingham -> Southampton £15 million
- Jarrod Bowen, Hull -> West Ham £22 million
- Adam Webster, Bristol City -> Brighton £20 million
- James Maddison, Norwich -> Leicester £20 million
With all that being said, I’m now going to discuss 5 young championship stars who I feel could be future high profile Premier League signings after a strong showing in the Championship this season and possibly next. A slight stipulation to mention is that I’m only including players who have no/ very little previous top flight experience. So players such as David Brooks, although a very talented youngster, cannot be included as he already has significant Premier League minutes under his belt.
Ben Brereton Diaz – Blackburn (22 years old)
It’s been quite the last 12 months for the young Blackburn striker. From playing international football with the England under 20s team, to playing for Chile in the Copa América. Brereton’s life must feel like a movie. Starting his professional career at Nottingham Forrest, he impressed with scintillating scoring displays, netting 8 goals in 53 games. But after stumbling to reach the heights he was foreshadows to have at the age of 18 he was sold to Championship rivals Blackburn for a reported fee of £7 million. That deal now seems like a bargain. Although starting out wide when he first joined the Lancashire based club, he struggled to consistently hit the back of the net, but then once the youngster started to fill out physically and build his technical ability he really pushed his game to another level last season. Brereton had 11 goal contributions in 40 games and was a real complimentary piece to then star man Adam Armstrong, who has since moved to Southampton.
This season, since teammate Armstrong departed, Brereton has really developed into the number one man for the Rovers. Arguably our could say, he has been the most influential player in the whole division. The young Chilean has already (at time of writing) scored 20 goals in just 25 league games this season, with many more expected to come in manager Tony Mowbray’s high-flying Blackburn side. At only 22 he is now showing consistency well beyond his years, which is frightening considering I believe he still has room to develop his game. But playing at an average ‘whoscored’ rating of 7.26, you can see there is a lot to be admired.
Where Brereton really excels is in his finishing, and this will only get better with experience. He is also very good with the ball at his feet, he has mainly gained this ability from his years playing out on the wing. With his history of playing out wide, it does show in his game, his positioning when making attacking runs can often be mistimed, and he finds himself in offside positions which end up finishing attacking phases dead. Another weakness of his play is his aerial ability and his ableness to hold the ball up, which may limit him in certain systems where they require a traditional number 9. However, if he were to go to a team that allows him to play on the shoulder of the last centre back he could be deadly. If he does go on to finish this season in as stellar of a fashion as he has started then I could easily see a team come in with a large bid in the summer, that is if Blackburn haven’t been promoted by then.
Tyrese Campbell – Stoke (22 years old)
Whenever I get the chance to watch Campbell he always passes one of the biggest tests in football. That’s the eye test. He’s built like the perfect modern day striker. A decent size at 6ft tall and has a fairly stocky frame that allows for him to not be bullied by the traditionally rough Championship centre backs. He is also blessed with a great deal of pace, and pair that with his ability to run at players with the ball apparently stuck at his feet, it’s enough to cause opposing defenders nightmares. When I looked back at some of his goals on YouTube, I noticed that he has a very rare knack for scoring some sublime goals. Whether they were long range screamers, or neat back heel flicks, he seems to have it all in his toolbox.
Tyrese appears to have gained a lot of his footballing ability from his father Kevin, who you may remember has a very impressive 83 Premier League goals to his name. Which he racked up playing for teams such as Arsenal and Everton in the late 90s/ early 00s. Tyrese however, is yet to taste Premier League honours but recent reports suggest that his time will come sooner rather than later, with new found wealthy club Newcastle appearing to be interested in the young Englishman’s services. Campbell did start his early years in the Manchester City youth set up, where he could have potentially impressed and forced his way in to the first team. But opportunities were few and far between in an outstanding City side, so he made the change and moved to Stoke in 2016, where he has since scored 17 goals for the Potters. A good start to last season where Campbell scored 6 goals and provided 5 assists in 16 league games was unfortunately scuppered when, Tyrese picked up a knee injury that knocked him out for the rest of the season. The striker has since returned to action this season but has not quite reached the heights yet that he achieved last season. As long as the injury doesn’t rear it’s ugly head again, I predict Campbell to get back in to goal scoring form and find himself a new shiny Premier League team in the not too distant future.
Levi Colwill – Huddersfield/ Chelsea (18 years old)
I feel like I’m ever so slightly cheating with this one as the Huddersfield player is actually on the books at parent club Chelsea. But with a player of his talent, he couldn’t go amiss on my list. At only 18 years of age, Colwill has shown maturity above his years playing for the Terriers this season. He has made 21 appearances already and has been given multiple man of the match awards for such high performances. When you see him play he is very assured and is incredibly gifted technically, which is a very rare trait for centre backs just starting their career. A term that I enjoy seeing given to players is that they are a ‘Rolls Royce of a centre back’, essentially a term denoting their ability as a top player, and one that is very calm on the ball and always gets it right when it comes to decision making. One such player who regularly gets labelled as this is Blues star Thiago Silva, who at 37 looks as though he is playing the game effortlessly at his ‘mature’ age. I don’t often like to make player comparisons as it sets such a high standard, and the statements can often be misconstruing but I believe that the two players mentioned share a lot of the same attributes.
Colwill possesses the physical ability that most at his age simply do not possess. He can fight people off of the ball, and his pace isn’t that bad either, almost never getting run in behind of due to his exceptional reading of the game. Colwill produces 6.6 tackles and clearances per game and also averages 7.07 ‘whoscored’ rating per 90, which are some of the highest numbers amongst players under 21 in the whole division. One thing that sets the young Englishman apart from other top defenders is his passing ability and vision. Completing 2.7 long balls per 90 and a further 0.4 chances created, shows he has that extra bit of creativity that will level him above his competition. With all this said, you have to remember that he is still only 18 years of age and is also the youngest player on this list. Which also means he has the longest time to grow and adapt his game to make him an even stronger competitor. Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has already shown admiration for Colwill, and he may even get his chance with the first team squad next season. Not bad eh? Going from Championship side Huddersfield to the Champions of Europe.
Fábio Carvalho – Fulham (19 years old)
Unlike the players previously mentioned in this list, Fábio Carvalho has actually had some Premier League experience. Although only making 4 appearances in the competition, he does indeed have a goal to his name, which he scored against Southampton nearing the end of the 2020/21 season. His stint in the Premier League may have been minuscule but he left a big impression on Fulham fans with his electric performances on the wings. Since being relegated back down to the Championship, the young Portuguese prodigy has shone. Being Fulham’s main creative presence at just 19 has caught the attention of some of Europe’s biggest clubs. Teams such as Chelsea, Liverpool and even Barcelona have been rumoured to have enquired on the players availability. Although officially listed as a winger, the youngster has shown his capability to play in a number of positions. From marauding down the flanks, to be an orchestrator at the number 10 position. His performance have even netted him the EFL young player of the month award in August and has so far this season contributed to 5 goals in 15 games, which is amongs the highest in the division for players aged 21 and under.
like many young players who come from the hot part of the continent, Carvalho has a technical ability that is unrivalled by most other youngsters his age. The young Fulham player shows flair in his game that is comparable to that of the Brazilians but also shows an ability to get his head up and make a pass like one of his Spanish neighbours. Overall he is a mixed blend of creative 10 and natural wide-man that any good manager with his salt should be able to mould into a creative manger in the future.
Fulham are flying high at 2nd place in the Championship at time of writing, so we may very well see Carvalho back in the Premier League next season. But if somehow the Cottagers fail to make the jump, I expect another team with lofty ambitions may be looking to prize the young star away from his Craven Cottage home.
Brennan Johnson – Nottingham Forrest (20 years old)
At just 20 years of age the young Welshman has the footballing world at his fingertips. After already making 7 appearances for his country at such a young age, the enigmatic winger had arguably the biggest game of his career last week against Arsenal in the FA Cup. Steve Coopers Forest team had an overall remarkable display to fend off 14 time champions of the competition. Number 20 Brennan Johnson played a big role in the game, starting alongside Keinan Davis in attack. Great displays like this show the youngsters capability to play in a number of positions, but the one that comes most natural is on the right wing. Remarkably fast and very good with the ball at his feet, Johnson has made quite the impression on Forest fans after joining them from Lincoln last season. Already scoring 5 and assisting a further 5 more in 25 league games this season has helped a previously struggling Forrest side to within only 6 points of the promotion play-off spaces. His dazzling displays have already rumoured to have caught the eye of Premier League clubs, with Everton, Newcastle and West Ham interested. Nottingham have placed a £20 million price tag on the player so we will have to wait and see if any clubs come in with that kind of offer. At only 20 years of age Johnson still has a long way to go to refine his game, often struggling with his defensive responsibilities, but these things will come with time and a tactical manager. Once he has these attributes down I can imagine we will be seeing him perform at the highest level both in the Premier League and with Wales.
Forgotten Footballers 