The Championship looks stronger than ever for the upcoming season. Leeds United, Leicester City and Southampton will follow Burnley’s blueprint while the League One teams, in particular Ipswich Town, should be able to hold their own in the division.
What this also gives us is a second tier full of ambitious clubs that would love to make a big impact. Although they’ll be keen to bring in permanent signings, the big difference makers can often be Premier League loanees. Look at how the likes of Nathan Tella, James McAtee and Tommy Doyle fired Burnley and Sheffield United to automatic promotion.
Below we’ve listed the Premier League youngsters who Championship clubs could target over the next few months.
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Jesurun Rak-Sakyi (CAM)
Charlton Athletic bagged themselves a gem when they landed Crystal Palace’s Jesurun Rak-Sakyi on loan last term. He recorded more dribbles than anybody else in League One, and bagged 15 goals and eight assists in a phenomenal season. Now the winger turned attacking midfielder is ready to test himself in the Championship with clubs such as Norwich City and Ipswich Town reportedly interested in securing his signature. One more year out on loan and then he should be ready to make a big impact in the Premier League with Palace.
Omari Hutchinson (CAM)
Another attacking midfielder, but this time one without the loan experience that Rak-Sakyi earnt last term. Hutchinson is one of the hottest prospects in the country and Chelsea nabbed him from Arsenal’s academy last summer. He even made one Premier League appearance off the bench under Graham Potter but it feels like, with more uncertainty to come at Chelsea, a loan move would do him the world of good. If a Championship club can tempt him, he’d be one hell of a coup.
Ben Doak (RW)
Get this boy some first team football. Harvey Elliott flourished at Blackburn Rovers and is now part of the first team and there is no reason why Doak can’t do the same. The tricky and pacy winger scored 11 goals in 27 games in all competitions last term for Liverpool’s youth team while he also made some appearances in the cup competitions and Premier League. A Championship move would unlock his potential.
Cole Palmer (LW)
Ambitious? Yes. Impossible? No. Pep Guardiola gave Palmer a decent amount of minutes this term and training with the first team, as we saw with Phil Foden, will help him no end. However, he was used in situations when Man City were rarely under pressure. Either they were winning the game by a big margin, or they had already won the league, when he started two of their final three games. What Palmer truly needs to flourish is the responsibility of being a key man. A number of Championship teams would love to provide him that opportunity and Pep may not be opposed to it, having seen several of his youngster flourish last term in the second tier.
Brooke Norton-Cuffy (RWB)
A man who has grown as a player over the course of the season, Arsenal’s Brooke Norton-Cuffy spent the first half of the season on loan at Rotherham United, before joining Coventry City in January. He helped the Sky Blues to the play-off final and got better and better as the season went on, but it is unlikely a Premier League club will take a gamble on him. That means another season in the second tier awaits for the 19-year-old, with interest from Sheffield Wednesday, although a return to Coventry is not out of the question.
Josh Wilson-Esbrand (LWB)
Manchester City will have been disappointed with how Wilson-Esbrand fared during his six-month loan at Coventry. He may have been part of the squad that reached the play-off final but he didn’t make an appearance in the play-offs having been shut out by the reliable Jake Bidwell. On the ball he is incredibly talented, but a Championship loan away from the CBS to test him defensively will help him grow as an all-round wing-back.
