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Top talents
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The Championship continues to be a spectacular breeding ground for top talent. The second tier of English football is always an entertaining watch and is also one of the most physically demanding. It often translates that if young talents can survive the cauldron of the Championship, they may well worth being taken a punt on by the riches of the Premier League.
Over the past few seasons, we have seen talents such as Morgan Rogers, Antoine Semenyo and Alex Scott make moves from the Championship to the Premier League, and go on to sparkle into superstars in the most valuable division in world football. It's a shopping ground that shouldn't be sniffed at. Here at Transfermarkt, we have picked out five stars from the Championship that Premier League clubs should be making a gamble on this summer.
Five Championship players Premier League clubs should sign
Hayden Hackney - Middlesbrough
Admittedly, this one isn't actually a left-field shout - there is pretty much no chance that the 2025/26 Championship Player of the Season, Hayden Hackney stays in the Championship beyond this summer. The Middlesbrough midfielder has shone throughout the season, and his team's collapse after his injury in March was no coincidence. He recently became the most valuable player in Championship history at €32 million, and Premier League clubs are already queuing up to sign the 23 year old. Everton are thought to be the current front-runners, with Tottenham, Manchester United, and Brighton also showing interest. A future Premier League star.
Femi Azeez - Millwall
Another player who a big beneficiary of the recent Championship market value update was Millwall winger Femi Azeez. In fact no player rose by more than his +€10m jump; he's now valued at €15m. The 24 year old scored 11 goals and provided eight assists in just 35 league games last term. He is also capable of the spectacular, with superb dribbling skills and a fierce long shot in his armoury. He was signed for just €1.15m from Reading in 2024 - Millwall look set to make a huge profit on Azeez if they are unable to hold on to the tricky winger this summer.
Zan Vipotnik - Swansea
No player scored more Championship goals than Zan Vipotnik's 23 for Swansea last season, but it's not just his goalscoring that makes the Slovenian target man hot property. He is a real physical presence leading the line, and in a market where there is a dearth of top quality strikers, lower Premier League clubs should be showing serious interest in the 24 year old. He took some time to adapt to the demands of English football following his free transfer from Bordeaux in 2024, but his market value shot up over the course of last season to €22m, and he has become a very viable option.
Caspar Jander - Southampton
Southampton's season will probably be most remembered for the 'Spy-gate' incident that saw them eventually expelled from the play-offs, but their form this calendar year (with or without the help of secret intel) was nothing short of sensational. One key component to that was German Caspar Jander. He arrived from Nuremberg last summer, but really grew as the season progressed. There is already plenty of interest from German clubs, but Premier League sides should perhaps also be looking at the tidy midfielder.
Jeremy Monga - Leicester City
Now strictly speaking, Jeremy Monga is no longer a Championship player, following Leicester's shock relegation to third tier. However, until the season, officially switches over, he still counts, and top Premier League clubs should be looking at a taking a gamble that this explosive talent fulfils his extremely high potential. In the 2023/24 season, he became the second youngest player in Premier League history (he's now the third), and despite limited minutes last term due to injuries and the club being a mess, the 17 year old remains a top talent. Arsenal are reportedly currently leading the race for his signature.
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