The EFL has long been a happy hunting ground for Premier League clubs in the transfer market.
Several top flight sides regularly dip their toes into the lower leagues, with Crystal Palace’s additions of Championship stars Michael Olise, Eberechi Eze and Adam Wharton in recent years prime evidence of the potential benefits of casting eyes down the pyramid.
The EFL has also proven to be a grounding for many careers. In fact, 19 members of England’s 26-man squad at last summer’s Euros had experience across the three divisions.
Eiran Cashin (Derby to Brighton), Romain Esse (Millwall to Crystal Palace) and Alex Palmer (West Brom to Ipswich) were examples of January signings following the well-trodden path and, while the trio are still finding their feet at new clubs, they are further proof of the opportunities that are out there.
So, in light of that, Mail Sport takes a look at 10 wonderkids from the EFL – all aged 23 or under and yet to play in the Premier League – that could be primed for a move this summer.
Tom Fellows
Age: 21 Club: West Brom Position: Winger
It’s the move that has bamboozled defenders far and wide.
The sprint to the byline before a pause, stepover and ability to go on his right or left foot, Tom Fellows has been almost impossible to stop this season.
Tom Fellows’ devastating signature move is already earning him comparisons to Chris Waddle
The Baggies winger is 21 yet his 11 assists lead the way in the Championship, proving there is an end product to match the frightening talent.
Fellows’ knack of terrorising Championship defenders has seen him earn England Under 21 honours, winning his first two caps last September, and likened to Chris Waddle.
Fellows remains humble and is said to still drive a Ford Fiesta despite his success – and he will be integral in the Baggies’ play-off push over the coming months.
Possible landing spots: Everton, Crystal Palace, Ipswich
Jack Rudoni
Age: 23 Club: Coventry City Position: Attacking midfielder
Jack Rudoni has followed the path of many EFL starlets by earning a move up the pyramid by virtue of consistent performances for his boyhood club.
Rudoni joined Huddersfield from AFC Wimbledon in 2022 and was one of the Terriers’ bright spots last season in an otherwise chaotic campaign that culminated in relegation.
Jack Rudoni’s £5m move to Coventry raised eyebrows but he has been integral to their rise
A £5million move to Coventry raised eyebrows, but after a slow start, the 23-year-old has been integral to their rise into the play-off spots under Frank Lampard, notching five goals and 10 assists.
Rudoni, whose creativity, versatility and quality on the ball are among his best attributes, could hardly have a better coach to learn from and Chelsea icon Lampard recently called him ‘an absolute dream to work with’.
Possible landing spots: Brighton, Wolves
Miles Leaburn
Age: 21 Club: Charlton Position: Striker
The Leaburn name has long been synonymous with Charlton after Carl Leaburn made 376 appearances for the club between 1987 and 1998.
But for Addicks fans, they have another family hero in the form of Miles, with the former Chelsea academy star, having scored 30 goals in 87 appearances.
Miles Leaburn is a real throwback at 6ft 6in and has bounced back from a serious hamstring injury
The 6ft 6in striker is a real throwback and has been on the radar of a number of top sides ever since his breakthrough campaign in 2022-23, with a £3m bid from an unnamed Bundesliga club turned down that summer.
Leaburn’s progress was halted by a serious hamstring injury that saw him sidelined for 11 months, but since returning in October, he’s made up for lost time.
This included a bumper festive period that saw the hotshot score four times and add two assists as he was named as the EFL Young Player of the Month and League One Player of the Month in December.
Possible landing spots: Brighton, Chelsea, Brentford, Aston Villa
Hayden Hackney
Age: 22 Club: Middlesbrough Position: Central midfielder
Hayden Hackney is another star working under the perfect mentor, given there have been few better English central midfielders in the 21st century than Michael Carrick.
Hackney broke through at Middlesbrough shortly after Carrick’s appointment in October 2022, which came just months after he endured a bruising loan spell at Scunthorpe that ended in relegation to the National League.
England Under 21 star Hayden Hackney is learning under Michael Carrick at Middlesbrough
The seven-cap England Under 21 star hasn’t looked back and is widely recognised one of the best midfielders in the Championship, while Boro even rejected a shock £10m bid from Porto for him in January.
Hackney makes things tick from deep and several Premier League scouts – including those from both Manchester clubs, Tottenham and Liverpool – have watched him.
Possible landing spots: Tottenham, Manchester United, Liverpool, Aston Villa, Bournemouth, Manchester City
Jobe Bellingham
Age: 19 Club: Sunderland Position: Attacking midfielder
It was always going to be hard to complete a list of EFL wonderkids without mentioning the one surrounded by the most hype, but Jobe Bellingham truly is the real deal.
While it may be tricky for the midfielder to follow in his brother’s footsteps, he has been integral for Sunderland in their promotion push this season.
Jobe Bellingham has already played 78 times for Sunderland at the age of just 19
Bellingham is 19, but he has already played 78 times for the club, and his power, attitude and composure shine through.
He has featured as a No 10, while also playing further back and his choice to leave boyhood club Birmingham in 2023, coupled with the decision to have ‘Jobe’ on the back of his shirt, shows the 19-year-old is determined to build his own reputation.
Bellingham has progressed to England’s Under 21 side and has many top-flight admirers.
Possible landing spots: Tottenham, Brentford, Arsenal, Man United
Chris Rigg
Age: 17 Club: Sunderland Position: Central midfielder
Another hugely talented star to emerge from Sunderland’s much-vaunted academy, Chris Rigg’s astonishing progress was recently recognised at the North East Football Writers’ Association Awards when he was named as the Young Player of the Year alongside Bellingham.
Rigg made his Sunderland debut at 15 and even rejected a move to arch-rivals Newcastle, only increasing the hometown hero’s popularity at the Stadium of Light.
Chris Rigg is one of the hottest prospects in Europe, having made his Sunderland debut at 15
There was interest from Europe’s biggest clubs as he approached the end of his scholarship but he instead penned a three-year professional contract with the Black Cats.
Rigg is viewed as Sunderland’s best academy graduate since Jordan Henderson and former boss Tony Mowbray once compared the 17-year-old to Roy Keane, while some have likened Rigg to Bryan Robson given his leadership qualities, bravery and engine.
Other observers in the North East have said Rigg has traits of Phil Foden and he has been dubbed as Sunderland’s very own Angel of the North.
Possible landing spots: Man United, Arsenal, Liverpool
Tommy Conway
Age: 22 Club: Middlesbrough Position: Striker
Tommy Conway’s nerve was evident last month when he scored against Bristol City and proceeded to celebrate in front of his boyhood club’s fans after being goaded during the game.
Tommy Conway’s potential is an enticing proposition and he has 10 goals in 24 league games
That act backfired as Middlesbrough went onto lose 2-1 on the night, but his summer move to the North East has been vindicated by 10 goals in 24 league games.
The striker is known for his work rate, movement, link-up play and finishing, while he has earned international recognition with Scotland.
Aged 22, and having already made more than 100 Championship appearances, Conway’s potential is an enticing proposition.
Possible landing spots: Brentford, Everton, West Ham, Fulham
Sam Tickle
Age: 22 Club: Wigan Athletic Position: Goalkeeper
Sam Tickle’s remarkable rise at Wigan was evidenced by an England Under 21 call-up in September 2023, months after a loan spell at seventh tier Warrington Rylands.
Wigan sources recently told Mail Sport there is a widespread view among staff that Tickle is the best academy graduate the club have ever produced – even surpassing 30-time England international Leighton Baines – while his shot-stopping is hailed as Premier League standard.
Wigan sources have told Mail Sport that Sam Tickle is the best player they have ever produced
Tickle is outperforming his Expected Goals Against – a figure which measures how likely a shot is to go in compared to similar previous instances – for the second successive campaign and a record of 33 clean sheets in 92 professional appearances is extremely impressive.
Former Wigan boss Shaun Maloney labelled Tickle as the best keeper in the EFL and save compilations of his exploits constantly beggars belief, with the 22-year-old enhancing his status each week as Premier League clubs circle.
Possible landing spots: Man United, Arsenal, Everton
Ryan Andrews
Age: 20 Club: Watford Position: Right back
Another star continuing the family tradition in the EFL is Ryan Andrews, whose father Wayne represented Watford in the 1990s.
But the right-sided defender is making a name for himself with his energetic displays, composure on the ball and attacking quality.
Ryan Andrews (left) is the latest in a long line of talented Watford academy products
Andrews has already made 81 appearances for the Hornets and he appears to be the latest in a long-line of talented academy products the club have produced.
Andrews, who has gained international honours with England Under 20s, has been an important part of Tom Cleverley’s side as the former Manchester United midfielder builds for the long term at Vicarage Road.
Possible landing spots: Brentford, Crystal Palace
Oscar Schwartau
Age: 18 Club: Norwich City Position: Attacking midfield
Oscar Schwartau may have not quite seen the returns to match his performances in 2024-25, yet he has still enjoyed a breakthrough season at Norwich.
The highly-rated Dane joined the Canaries for £2m in the summer from Brondby after previously becoming their youngest ever player at the age of 16.
Oscar Schwartau (left) has been touted as a future Premier League star
But Schwartau has shown his flexibility and Norwich boss Johannes Hoff Thorup recently touted the 18-year-old as a future Premier League star.
The fact he’s been a regular in a play-off chasing side demonstrates his immense talent and Schwartau’s hard work has not gone unnoticed by the Carrow Road faithful.
Possible landing spots: Brentford, Brighton, Bournemouth
Stoke’s worrying stat
It’s been another difficult campaign in the Championship for Stoke, who are yet to finish higher than 14th in their six full seasons since relegation despite heavy spending and employing seven permanent managers in that time.
The seventh of those, Mark Robins, hasn’t had the desired impact after arriving on New Year’s Day, with the Potters 20th and just five points clear of the relegation zone.
Yet, it could be a whole lot worse if it wasn’t for keeper Viktor Johansson. The Swedish stopper secured his 10th clean sheet of 2024-25 in last weekend’s stalemate against Watford.
Mark Robins has not managed to lift Stoke from their slumber since taking over
Stoke would be even worse off without the excellent form of goalkeeper Viktor Johansson
But more impressively, Johansson is outperforming his Expected Goals Against by a remarkable 10.8 goals this season.
In fact, the 26-year-old, who has established himself as Sweden’s No 1 over the past year, has the most saves of any keeper in the Championship with 129.
Stoke have shown some positive signs under Robins – and should have more than enough to survive – but don’t be surprised to see Johansson picking up a string of awards for the Potters at their end of season function.
Rotherham end away-day hoodoo
Steve Evans’ triumphant return to Rotherham has not quite gone to plan, with the larger-than-life character unlikely to add a third Millers promotion to his CV this season having led the club from League Two the Championship during his first spell in charge.
Rotherham sit 14th, 14 points off the play-offs – and are even behind Evans’ former club Stevenage, who he abruptly left last April.
Despite Steve Evans’ best efforts, Rotherham’s run of being promoted from League One is set to come to an end this season
Their reputation as a perennial yo-yo team – a record that has seen them promoted from League One in their last four seasons in the third tier – is pretty certain to end, but Saturday’s last-gasp 3-2 victory at Bristol Rovers did at least get one monkey off their back.
Not only did Sam Nombe’s 92nd-minute strike conclude a six-game streak without a victory, but it meant Rotherham won an away game at 3pm on a Saturday for the first time since February 26, 2022.
Back then, a 1-0 triumph at Plymouth was crucial as the Millers marched to another of those League One promotions and although it’s been a mixed campaign, a strong end to the season would put Evans’ side in a good position for a promotion push in 2025-26.
What does AI think about the Championship?
The Championship is one of the least financially stable divisions in Europe, according to new data discovered through artificial intelligence.
The past decade has been characterised by heavy – and often reckless – investment in the second tier, with several clubs remarkably spending more on wages than they receive in revenue.
And the financial instability has been laid bare in a new Global State of Football report released by AI company PLAIER and the University of St Gallen in Switzerland.
The study aimed to measure how well-run football clubs are, measuring 195 teams across 13 European leagues. It looked into a variety of factors including squad quality, recruitment, performance, results and finances during the 2023-24 campaign.
Huddersfield, led by manager Michael Duff, ranked badly in the most efficient sporting department list
Despite leading Leeds to the play-off final, Daniel Farke was found to be the Championship manager with the least impact on results through tactics and selection last season
Alongside the financial ramifications, the report found Ipswich had the most efficient sporting department last season.
Conversely, Southampton were ranked as the least efficient club despite promotion, while Leeds, Watford, Huddersfield and Leicester also struggled in these measures.
Huddersfield were relegated from the second tier after going through three permanent managers, while the Hornets came 15th in their final year of receiving parachute payments from the Premier League.
Leicester won the Championship title and former Foxes boss Enzo Maresca was classed as the manager with the most impact on results through tactics and selection, but Daniel Farke was at the bottom of the table despite Leeds reaching the play-off final.
