Six young Championship players who could attract Premier League suitors
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Version 0 of 1. Another hugely entertaining Championship campaign comes to a close this weekend, with Watford and Bournemouth having all but secured promotion to the Premier League already. The Championship Team of the Year had one very notable omission in Patrick Bamford, who had been named the player of the season by the Football League just a week earlier. The Middlesbrough forward, on loan from Chelsea, was one of a number of young players who shone in the campaign. To give a greater idea of players who may interest Premier League clubs this summer we’ve avoided the two promoted sides as well as players, such as Bamford, who were on loan from top-flight clubs. Lewis Dunk, 23, Brighton The highest-rated player under the age of 24 according to our ratings this season (7.45), the Brighton centre-back has become an integral player to the Seagulls. He made just seven league appearances for the club last season and was on a one-month loan to Bristol City during the campaign, but has been a mainstay this season, starting 37 matches. The 23-year-old’s lofty frame means that he is commanding in the air, winning 139 of 212 aerial duels as well as mustering 29 headed attempts at goal. That aerial threat has heralded five goals from set pieces, with only two players managing more. Only Ipswich’s Cole Skuse has made more interceptions this season than Dunk’s 129. That only the current top six and Sheffield Wednesday have a better defensive record than Brighton (54 goals conceded) has been in no small part due to the youngster’s presence at the back. James Tarkowski, 22, Brentford Brentford’s James Tarkowski is another centre-back who has played with maturity beyond his years for much of the season. Him and his defensive partner, Harlee Dean, are highly thought of by the Bees. Tarkowski, at just 22 years of age, is generally considered to have the greater potential of the two, edging out his team-mate with a rating of 7.43. Tarkowski is the more cultured of the pair and in turn may well attract interest from the top-tier, with Brentford looking likely to miss out on a play-off place. Tarkowski has a solid pass accuracy as far as Championship defenders are concerned (79.7%) and combines his composure on the ball with impressive defensive figures including 2 tackles, 2.6 interceptions and 8.6 clearances per game. His average of 1.3 shot-blocks per game is bettered only by Wolves’ Richard Stearman. He could improve his concentration, with no outfielder committing more errors leading to a shot (six) this season. Benik Afobe, 22, Wolverhampton Wanderers Benik Afobe may have tempted a number of Premier League clubs in January before he eventually sealed a permanent move from Arsenal to Wolves. He’s a striker in self-proclaimed “unstoppable” form this season, notching 32 goals in all competitions, including a successful loan spell with MK Dons prior to his winter window switch. With 13 league goals and four assists in 20 Championship appearances, the 22-year-old has hit the ground running. His ability to make the transition from League One with ease will have impressed clubs further up the pecking order. The forward has picked up impressive averages of 2.2 shots – at a superb 29.5% conversion rate – and 1.6 dribbles per game to earn a rating of 7.42. Tyrone Mings, 22, Ipswich Town Having already been linked with a Premier League switch after impressive performances this season, Tyrone Mings will still be harbouring hopes of reaching the promised land with fifth-place Ipswich Town. If that doesn’t happen, he could still follow in the footsteps of Aaron Cresswell, who he replaced successfully at left-back at Portman Road. Impressive averages of 2.7 interceptions and 2.2 tackles per game are supplemented by a strong attacking output, including 1.4 key passes and 1.2 dribbles per game for a rating of 7.25. Nathan Redmond, 21, Norwich City His season is not over just yet, with Norwich assured of a play-off place, but if the Canaries fail at the first attempt of a return to the top-flight Nathan Redmond may be in high demand. Set to play a key role for England at the European U21 Championship this summer, the winger has added an end product to his game this season, having shown flashes of potential in the Premier League last season. Redmond has 10 assists and ranks highly for both chances created (102 – fourth) and dribbles completed (98 – third), contributing to a rating of 7.22. Lasse Vigen Christensen, 20, Fulham Another player hoping to impress in the Czech Republic this summer, doing so with Denmark U21s, is Fulham’s Lasse Vigen Christensen, who has been the most impressive of the club’s renowned youth products this season. In what has been a pretty dismal campaign for Fulham, Christensen has been a bright spark, contributing five goals and seven assists in just 25 appearances for a rating of 7.20. Aged 20, Christensen is already proving to be an intelligent playmaker, averaging 1.6 key passes per game, as well as having an impressive work ethic, with 2.6 tackles per match. He is likely to have caught the eye of prospective buyers. Premier League team of the week La Liga team of the week Serie A team of the week Bundesliga team of the week Ligue 1 team of the week All statistics courtesy of WhoScored.com, where you can find more stats, including live in-game data and unique player and team ratings. 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