Tag Archives: Championship

Four Championship players who have the capability of being a big hit in the Premier League

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Premier League football is a month or so away from coming to an end, with some clubs currently chasing for a top four finish whilst the others are aiming to escape the relegation zone before it is too late.

With the summer transfer window being just a few months away, most of the teams will definitely be looking at the familiar names within the top five leagues to purchase. However, no harm would be done if many of the mid-table sides are scouting the lesser-known players in the divisions below the top flight.

It’s no secret that the transfer fees continue to rise massively summer by summer, especially for the talented players from the Championship, though it shouldn’t put many of the big teams in the Premier League off, as many of the rising gems and youngsters have proved their crucial worth so far this season.

The quality of the Championship and League One football may not be on the same level as the Premier League, but players from the second and third tier have shown how good they are at the top level of English football in recent years, with the likes of Dele Alli, James Maddison and Joe Gomez being the perfect examples to have gone on to do well at their respective clubs.

Here are the five players who are impressively talented and could become unplayable at the highest division of English football, if they are to reach that level through promotion or a huge transfer move…

Che Adams – Birmingham City

Being one of the five players to have bagged over 20 league goals in just less than 40 Championship starts, Che Adams is currently enjoying his third season at Birmingham City, which is proving to be his most prolific one till date. At the age of 22, the Leicester-born forward has a long career ahead of himself, as he is already showing his rising ability to score from open play as well as from his favoured right foot.

Scoring 22 of Birmingham’s 58 league goals so far this campaign, he has kept his team above the relegation zone practically on his own, which already clearly shows how much of an impact he has been at St Andrew’s and under manager Garry Monk over the last six to nine months. And following his recent contributions, he has begun to gain the attention and recognition for a number of Premier League clubs.

Known for his incredible pace and his amazing eye for goal, he is also able to work hard defensively along with his team-mates whilst completing the required tackles and tactical fouls when required. Having already being reportedly linked with a huge move to the top flight of English football, a potential move to the likes of Leicester City, Southampton or West Ham may make sense for his long-term career plans.

Conner Roberts – Swansea City

Since his senior debut for Swansea City in 2018, Conner Roberts has been a regular starter for the club this season and has been earning all the rewards he deserves, after spending a number of years in the youth academy as well as the unsuccessful loans at Bristol Rovers and Middlesbrough. Now, he is playing week in and out at right-back and has also achieved nine appearances for Wales over the last year or so.

Over the last couple of years, English football has evolved to the next level and improved tactically, where the full-backs are starting to play a crucial role on both sides of the pitch and are proving to be a main factor in offering another dimension to the team’s attacking ideas. On that note, Roberts looks to be doing the same for Swansea so far this term, as he has managed to achieve five goals and one assist.

Roberts has completed 46 key passes so far this season and has produced the same amount as league goals as attacking midfielder Bersant Celina, which makes him Swansea’s second-highest creative threat within the final third of the pitch. If he continues to remain consistent defensively and attackingly, he could easily become a wanted man ahead of the summer window, as the lack of quality right-backs in the Premier League is starting to become a huge concern.

John Egan – Sheffield United

It is never easy to find a good defender in the Championship, whether it is a centre-back or a full-back, because the defending in this division compared to the Premier League is a few standards below. However, Sheffield United’s John Egan has proven to be one of the best defenders in the Championship, having played a colossal job in help the Blades to have the second best defensive record in the league.

Before making his move to Sheffield last summer, Egan previously got going at both Brentford and Gillingham, where he gained the experience as well as the game time to become a good centre-back that allowed him to play for a club with more ambition and higher aspirations. Standing at 6ft one inch tall, he has the presence to be aerially dominant on both sides of the pitch, especially through the set-pieces.

For sure, he may not seem as an ideal candidate to make a move to any of the teams in the top half of the table, due to those clubs already having better players and individuals with more potential. However, the likes of Bournemouth, Burnley and Newcastle United could do with his leadership and presence at the heart of defence, where he can literally get the best out of the backline as well as the rest of his team.

Said Benrahma – Brentford  

The league’s current top player in terms of assist is none other than Said Benrahma, who will be hoping that his 14 assists as well as his 10 crucial goals will allow his team to finish in the top half of the table at the end of the season. After moving away from the reserve team of Ligue 1 side Nice, last summer, the Algerian has now found a place where he play to his potential and in a team that is based around him.

Although Benrahma’s contributions have been appreciated by quite a lot of people, his displays for the club may be forgotten if Brentford end up being unsuccessful with their aim of picking up maximum points or somewhere along 16 to 18 league wins as a whole. Either way, the 23-year-old will have caught the attention of many by now, as he looks to have reached the early peak days of his football career.

Possessing the intelligence and understanding to play down the flanks as well as in the number ten role, Benrahma would without a doubt not find it hard to handle the physical style of play against the Premier League midfielders and defenders. When you see the likes of Felipe Anderson, Gylfi Sigurdsson and Ryan Fraser having a solid season, it will surely motivate him to finally make that big move to the top flight.

Is Rafa Benitez ruining his career at Newcastle United?

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How Rafa Benitez is still manager at Newcastle United is anyone’s guess. He has had major run ins with owner Mike Ashley and has not been given the budget to match his transfer requests after steering the team to Premier League football.

Benitez has been a real servant to the club and let’s not make any mistake about it Newcastle are a big club with a fine stadium and a fantastic set of supporters. But did Benitez make a huge error joining the club and has he overstayed his welcome?

It all must have hit home for him on Boxing Day when his troubled side travelled to Anfield to play Liverpool. Just over 10 years ago he was the boss man at Liverpool where he oversaw 2 Champions League finals with The Reds winning in 2005 in that infamous final with AC Milan where they came back from 3-0 down to win the trophy. Utterly memorable times. Fast forward to 2018 and Benitez saw his side lose 4-0 to Jurgen Klopp’s team one that is still unbeaten for the season, it was easy to feel sorry for how far Benitez has fallen managing a team that are in the bottom six of the league and could be relegated.

And relegated is word that Benitez has used on more than one occasion this season. Benitez has been manager of Newcastle for 2 years following his sacking at Real Madrid that lasted for 7 months after him and his coaching team made fatal errors. One of them at Madrid was fielding an ineligible player in a Copa del Rey match that meant the club were thrown out of that seasons competition. It was a schoolboy error at the biggest club in the world and could not be tolerated.

Somewhat one could argue that Benitez shied away from La Liga and the big leagues to take a job with Newcastle who were at that stage in the Championship, that decision in and of itself seemed like a shock one. But his decision seemed justified as The Magpies under his guidance were promoted to the Premier League.

But it has been a hard slog back in the league this season and Benitez has won just 42.7% of his games with the club. This is his lowest win rate since coaching in the second division of the Spanish league 21 years ago.

At 58 Benitez has time on his hands and he has at least another 10 years maybe more in the game as a coach. But one has to wonder if he has damaged his resume somewhat by sticking with Newcastle. Not seen as a lack of respect for this great team but they are not amongst the elite of some of the clubs that Benitez has coached in his career. Some believe this will be his final season with Newcastle, he has the support of the fans and after the club was relegated he stayed with them, not many coaches of his experience would have done that.

Benitez remains a very special manager but will some of the bigger clubs believe that to be true and will these past few seasons be thought of as the wilderness years for him?

Can Paul Clement succeed as a manager?

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Recently appointed the new head coach of Championship promotion-chasers Derby County, Paul Clement will have never felt such high expectations on his shoulders to deliver in his first management role. His impressive CV sees him boasting experience many could only dream of, and now he has the chance to showcase his worth as a No.1.

The 43-year old has been linked with almost ever Premier League top outside of the top-four, but so little was known about him in the football world. Clement has never managed a side in a solo capacity, but started coaching at the age of 23, and has enjoyed success in the 20 years that have followed. By his own admission, he now feels he’s ready to succeed on his own, and has a the right club in which to achieve his goals.

As for credentials, Clement was the No.2 for former Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti at the Santiago Bernabeu, winning the Champions League and Copa Del Rey in his two years in Spain. He spent a year with the Italian boss at Paris Saint-Germain in 2012/13 too, which saw the French Ligue 1 side win the title, and success has followed his all through his career so far.

He started in a professional role with Chelsea back in 1996, working with the academy in developing talent. Long-serving captain John Terry made his debut for the club two years later, and was one of the first people to send congratulations following his appointment to Derby. Clement has a stellar reputation among his peers in the game, and many believe he will have a successful career in management given the vast amount of high quality coaches he’s worked with.

The Rams could hardly have appointed a more qualified coach, and the Englishman is still only 43. He takes charge of a side that finished in the Championship playoffs in 2013/14, and finished 8th in the league the following season. His sole objective is to lead the side to the Premier League, but he has inherited a strong squad of players to deliver.

Paul Clement has enjoyed successful spells at the highest possible level, but does have experience in the Football League, working with Fulham and Blackburn Rovers for a year respectively at each club in his career. Many are expecting him to take Derby County back to the Premier League in his debut season, which puts pressure on his shoulders from the start. But many have given him high praise for his work in football, so can Clement could well succeed in management?