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Everyone knows about the English Premier League, and its quality, having been dubbed 'the best league in the world' multiple times by pundits and fans alike. However, with the money that is being poured into England's top flight, clubs tend to overspend on talent from overseas, with many players turning out to be underwhelming, to say the least.
Quite often, English sides are coaxed and cajoled into paying well over the market value for players as foreign teams perceive the Premier League as being able to spend that kind of money. While there is a seed of truth in that perception, the reality is that clubs lower down the league, while better off than teams of that status in other countries, often do not have the resources to pay the money that the bigger clubs do. As a result, they are forced into purchasing players from lower divisions of English football.
Often, even these players do not turn out to be Premier League quality, and both club and player end up suffering as a result. The key, however, is to correctly identify those players who possess the potential to graduate from the lower tiers to the top tier of English football.
The second division of English football, the Football League Championship, has been a hotbed of talent for several years, and the competition is often extremely tough, so the ones who shine consistently, more often than not, are able to adjust well to life at a higher level. If clubs are looking for cheap, solid options, they may well find them here. Current Premier League stars such as James Maddison, Jamie Vardy, Wilfried Zaha, and Harry Maguire all made their name in the Championship before impressing on the Premier League stage.
So, without further ado, here are 5 Championship youngsters who could be ready to make the step up to the Premier League, in no particular order.
#1. Emiliano Buendia
First on the list is former Argentina U-20 and Spain U-19 international, Emiliano Buendia. Starting off in the youth academy of his local team, Cadetes de San Martin, in 2009, Buendia made the move to Real Madrid the same year, but spent only one year there before switching over to the Getafe youth system, where he rose swiftly through the ranks, making his first-team debut in December 2014, at the age of 17. After spending last season on loan at Cultural Leonesa, he was brought to England by Norwich City, where he has taken to the Championship like a duck to water.
Buendia is a right-footed player, playing primarily on the right side of the attacking midfield three in manager Daniel Farke's 4-2-3-1 setup. So far this season, he has scored 7 goals and provided 9 assists in 2432 minutes, equating to him being involved in a goal every 152 minutes. There is no doubt that he has been the driving force behind Norwich's strong run of form which has seen them move 4 points clear at the top of the Championship table.
Blessed with an exquisite first touch, Buendia's attacking numbers are certainly excellent, but what really sets him apart is his work off the ball. He has registered 2.4 tackles and 0.9 interceptions per 90 minutes, numbers which would not look out of place for a combative central midfielder. In fact, only one attacking player in the Championship, Ipswich's Gwion Edwards, has made more tackles per game than Buendia. His work ethic could prove to be the difference for a mid-table Premier League side with high aspirations, or a team looking to avoid relegation.
Now 22 years old, Premier League clubs could certainly afford to take a punt on him.
#2. Jarrod Bowen
From a right-footed right winger to a left-footed right winger, and Hull City winger Jarrod Bowen. Bowen actually made his Hull City debut when the club were playing in the Premier League, in the 2016-17 season, 2 years after signing from boyhood club Hereford United. The club were relegated that season, and Bowen, just 20 years old at the time, quickly set about his business, impressing one and all with his performances in the Championship the following season.
Move forward to this season, however, and the Leominster-born lad has kicked it up a notch, with his 21 goals for the season placing him joint-third on the Championship top scorers chart. Still only 22, he has started 37 of Hull City's 38 league games thus far and has missed just 189 minutes of league action all season, a record which speaks volumes about his endurance and excellent physical condition. Cutting inside from the right wing on to his favored left foot to frightening effect, he has garnered comparisons with Dutch great Arjen Robben, who is very well-known for that facet of his game.
Taking an average of 2.5 shots per game, with 1.5 of them from inside the penalty area, Bowen presents a very real goal threat from out wide, and his pace and directness are enough to cause problems for the most seasoned of campaigners.
However, despite his scintillating form, Bowen has not been called up by Aidy Boothroyd to the England U-21 squad, despite the sudden promotion of Callum Hudson-Odoi to the senior squad, leading to suggestions of big-club bias from many sections of the English media, as all the forwards currently in the squad play for Premier League sides, or are on loan from them. Indeed, there would be more than a few who could argue that he deserves a national team call-up more than Hudson-Odoi does.
Bowen's contract expires in 2020, and he has recently been linked with Tottenham Hotspur. With Hull City currently 12th in the league, and promotion looking unlikely, do not be surprised if he does make the step up next season.
#3. Che Adams
Birmingham's Che Adams is currently having the season of his life in the Championship. Like Bowen, he sits joint-third in the scoring charts alongside the Hull man. Adams signed for Birmingham in 2016, after moving up the football pyramid with Oadby Town, Ilkeston and Sheffield United. His first two seasons weren't great, as he only scored a total of 12 league goals, but he has more than made up for lost time in the current campaign.
Powerfully built and blessed with a wicked turn of pace, Adams has a particular nous for being in the right place at the right time, with 17 of his 21 league goals thus far coming from inside the 18-yard area. There is no doubt that if he were to move to a bigger club, he would benefit from the improved quality of service. It is also worth noting that Adams doesn't require feeding off a multitude of chances to score.
So far, he has taken 90 shots in league competition, and has seen 21 of them find the back of the net, which puts his conversion rate at an impressive 23.3% To put things into perspective, that rate is higher than the likes of Sergio Aguero (20.1%), Lionel Messi (19.8%) Robert Lewandowski (18.7%) and Cristiano Ronaldo (12.3%). His goals have been invaluable to a struggling Birmingham side, currently placed 13th in the league with only 53 goals scored thus far. As a result, Adams' 21 goals make up 39.6% of the team's total, a number bettered only by Messi (40%) and Sampdoria's Fabio Quagliarella (43%) in the top 5 European leagues.
Adams, who qualifies for both England and Scotland, as well as Antigua, internationally, has a decision to make should managers of all 3 nations wish to call him up. With several clubs such as Tottenham, Crystal Palace, Celtic, Arsenal, and Manchester United reportedly interested, expect to see Adams out the door sooner rather than later.
#4. Max Aarons
Onto the defensive side of the game now, and the only player on this list born in the 21st century. 19-year-old Max Aarons, the cousin of former Newcastle winger Rolando Aarons, may only be playing his first season of senior football, but there can be no doubt that he has set the bar extremely high in terms of his potential.
He has firmly established himself as Norwich City's first-choice right-back, starting 33 of their 38 league games, after spending 2 years in the club's youth set-up. Alongside fellow English youngster Jamal Lewis, Norwich's left-back, there seems to be an exciting homegrown pair of full-backs at the club presently.
Given Norwich's general dominance in the Championship this season, he hasn't had much defensive work to do, but despite that, Aarons has racked up 2.9 ball recoveries per game, winning the ball back often, which is crucial in helping Norwich City implement their possession-oriented gameplan. Another aspect of Norwich's play sees them push their full-backs high up the pitch, encouraging them to join the attack, and this is where Aarons can be extremely dangerous.
He has already notched up 2 goals and 5 assists so far this campaign, very good numbers for a right-back. He also provides 0.8 key passes per game and completes 1.4 dribbles every 90 minutes. Completing an average of 43 passes per game, at a success rate of 80.1%, it is entirely possible that Aarons could go the Gareth Bale route and develop from a full-back to a winger later in his career.
He made his England U-19s debut in late 2018, and rumors of him being called up to the U-21 side for the European Championships this summer may not be far from the truth. For now, however, it has been reported that both Tottenham and Manchester City are interested in him, and are willing to pay a fee to the tune of £15 million.
Such a fee could prove excellent value for money if he were to develop into the player his coaches clearly believe he has the ability to do. It would also prove to be a tidy profit for Norwich, who signed him for free from Luton Town.
#5. John McGinn
From the youngest on this list to the oldest on this list. At the age of 24, it may be a stretch to call John McGinn a youngster, but there is no doubt that he only has the best of his career still to come. Signing for Aston Villa this season from Scottish side Hibernian, McGinn has quickly cemented himself as a key cog in the Villans' starting line-up.
Already a full international for Scotland, McGinn has made a name for himself as a box-to-box, all-action midfielder, able to contribute significantly both defensively and offensively. His statistics back up this perception of him, as he has scored 5 goals and provided 8 assists from a deep-lying midfield position, as well as completing 1.8 key passes and 2.6 long balls per game at a passing success rate of 79.6%. He also manages to take 2.3 shots per game, providing a massive threat from long range. In addition, he also completes 1.7 take-ons each game, highlighting his all-round attacking qualities.
The Scot is also a more than capable player defensively, making 3.2 tackles and interceptions each game, with the slight downside that he commits 1.6 fouls per game as well. He is more than willing to 'take one for the team', so to speak, evidenced by the 11 bookings he has collected this season.
With the apparent lack of interest shown in him by the bigger clubs, he could well prove to be a solid option in midfield for Celtic, if he would prefer a move back to his homeland, which seems unlikely, or join Celtic's former manager Brendan Rodgers in the Premier League, with Leicester City, both of whom are rumoured to be interested.
