5 players from the Championship who could light up the Premier League in 2018/19

Making the step up from the Championship to the Premier League is never easy – there’s simply a gulf in quality between the two divisions that often catches players out. In 2017/18 we’ve seen the likes of Aaron Mooy, Anthony Knockaert and Jamaal Lascelles successfully make the step up, while others such as Dwight Gayle have struggled.

With the Championship now over and only the playoffs remaining to decide the final promoted team, which players could make the step up and succeed in 2018/19? Whether they come up via one of the promoted teams or if they’re signed by an existing Premier League side, it’s worth keeping your eye on these five players.

#1 Jack Grealish

Jack Grealish exploded onto the scene back in 2015

After a bit of a sticky start, Steve Bruce’s Aston Villa side finished the season relatively impressively, ending up in 4th position – a huge improvement on last year’s 13th place finish. They now face Middlesbrough in the semi-finals of the playoffs. Part of the reason for their success this year has undoubtedly been the form of their young attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.

A local kid brought up not far from Villa’s home area, Grealish first rose to fame in 2014/15, playing a large role in helping Tim Sherwood’s Villa side make the FA Cup final that season. It seemed like the sky was the limit for the youngster but personal issues and some questionable lifestyle choices curbed his development and he struggled badly in Villa’s first season in the Championship.

Under Steve Bruce, however, Grealish has risen back to prominence. An issue with his kidneys sidelined him for the first part of 2017/18 but since his return he seems to have turned a new page in his career and he’s been on fire. Since the start of 2018 he’s assisted in 5 goals and has scored 3, and was easily Villa’s most impressive performer in key games against Birmingham City and Leeds United.

A phenomenal dribbler with the ability to use both feet and ghost past defenders as if they’re not there, Grealish finally seems to be living up to the potential he showed three years ago. He could return to the Premier League if Villa win the playoffs but if that doesn’t happen, a move to the top division is still likely as Newcastle and Leicester have both been linked with him. Expect him to make a lot of noise in 2018/19 if he does indeed return.

#2 Ryan Sessegnon

Ryan Sessegnon was recently crowned Championship Player of the Season

Recently crowned Championship Player of the Season and the first player from the Championship to ever be nominated for the PFA Young Player of the Year award, Fulham’s Ryan Sessegnon has simply been fantastic this season and it seems like a guarantee that he’ll be in the Premier League in 2018/19. Whether that’s with Fulham – who face Derby County in the semi-finals of the playoffs – or with an existing Premier League team is another question.

Considering he’s just 17 years old, Sessegnon’s output this season has been phenomenal. He’s appeared in all 46 of Fulham’s games in the Championship and where other young players have struggled with the physicality of the league, Sessegnon has thrived. He’s scored 15 goals and has assisted in 6, making him Fulham’s top scorer – an incredible feat given he’s played plenty of games as a left-back.

Sessegnon has already been compared to a young Gareth Bale thanks to his fearless style down the left flank, and the sky seems to be the limit for the youngster, who some fans have even suggested could be a wildcard selection for Gareth Southgate’s World Cup squad. That possibility seems unlikely, but success in the Premier League looks like a given for him.

Right now a whole host of massive clubs – from Manchester United to Liverpool – have been linked with him, but it’s supposedly Tottenham who are closest to securing his signature. Whether that’s true is up in the air – he could well stay at Fulham for another season if they win the playoffs – but to see him tearing up the Premier League in 2018/19 seems very likely indeed.

#3 Ruben Neves

Ruben Neves has been a key player in Wolves' promotion push

One of the most curious signings of 2017’s summer was the move of Ruben Neves from Porto to Wolves. The deep-lying Portuguese playmaker had risen to fame by becoming the youngest player to ever captain a Champions League team in 2015 at just 18, and he’d been linked with the likes of Liverpool, making his move to the Midlands side seem strange.

It’s all worked out for him, though, as Wolves have romped to the Championship title, finishing the season with a total of 99 points – 9 ahead of their nearest rivals Cardiff City. And Neves has arguably been their key man, appearing in 42 of their 46 games and pulling the strings in the midfield, allowing Wolves to dominate most of their opponents.

A tremendous passer of the ball, Neves has also shown a penchant for long-range strikes, as all 6 of his league goals this season have come from outside the box – including a thunderbolt against promotion rivals Derby County in April. Simply put, Neves is a fantastic midfielder whose all-action style belies his age of just 21.

The fears from Wolves fans were that he’d simply use the club as a shop window to move to a larger side, but as of writing that doesn’t seem to be the case – Neves has recently stated that he wants to remain at Wolves to take on the Premier League, and judging on this season’s showings who’d bet against the Portuguese midfielder? It simply seems a given that he’ll succeed massively in England’s top division.

#4 James Maddison

It seems likely that a Premier League side will make a move for Norwich's James Maddison this summer

With Norwich City finishing in a disappointing 14th position in the Championship, it’s a guarantee that James Maddison won’t be playing in the Premier League with the Canaries next season. However, it also seems practically guaranteed that an existing Premier League side will swoop for the England u-21 international, and given the form he’s displayed this season it’s easy to understand why.

A tremendously skilled midfield playmaker, Maddison’s abilities on the ball have looked to be second to none in the Championship this season. He’s able to pick a pass out from seemingly any position, and is an expert at shooting from distance – whether that’s from a free kick or open play doesn’t appear to matter. His return of 14 goals and 8 assists in 44 appearances essentially means he’s been involved in a goal every 2 games, which is an impressive return.

Maddison unfortunately picked up a knee injury during Norwich’s final game of the season this weekend, and right now how long he’s likely to be sidelined for remains a question mark. If it’s a bad injury then it could throw the beginning of his 2018/19 season off, but assuming he can make a swift recovery then the likelihood of seeing him in the Premier League next season seems high.

Interest from Chelsea and Tottenham has been reported, but in April it appeared that Leicester were favourites for his signature, and perhaps it’d be better for him to move to a lower Premier League club where he’d be guaranteed more playing time. Either way, assuming his knee injury doesn’t derail him too badly, he looks likely to hit the ground running in the Premier League in 2018/19.

#5 Sol Bamba

Sol Bamba has been in imperious form as Cardiff have secured promotion

Going into 2017/18 nobody was talking about Cardiff City as promotion hopefuls, but ten months down the line and the Welsh club are heading back to the Premier League for the first time since 2013/14. The tremendous work done by boss Neil Warnock must take a lot of credit, but in a squad containing few big names, the form of defender Sol Bamba has also been a key to their success.

Somewhat of a journeyman, Bamba has featured for the likes of Paris St. Germain, Hibernian, Leicester City and Trabzonspor during his career, which stretches back to 2004. At 33 he’s probably reaching the end of his time at the top level, but in 2017/18 he’s been in simply imperious form, appearing in all 46 of Cardiff’s league games and helping them to keep the joint-tightest defence in the league.

Cardiff have only let in 39 goals all season – less than a goal per game on average – and Bamba has gained 8 Man of the Match awards from WhoScored.com, the most of any Cardiff player. Incredibly strong and seemingly impossible to shake off the ball, the Ivorian is also an extremely reliable tackler – completing an average of 2.5 successful tackles per game while only being booked 7 times all season.

Defenders might not be the sexiest picks in terms of players who could light up the Premier League, but the success of Newcastle this season has been helped by the form of their defenders such as Jamaal Lascelles, and if Cardiff want to remain in the Premier League next season, then Bamba displaying the same form he has this season would help massively.