10 EFL Championship wonderkids to watch out for in the 2026/27 season | OneFootball

FLW have looked at some of the emerging talents who may catch your eye in next season's Championship

The curtain has now come down on yet another Championship season full of drama, excitement and pain right throughout the division.

Hull City's 1-0 win over Middlesbrough in the play-off final saw them join Coventry City and Ipswich Town in the Premier League, replacing the relegated trio of West Ham United, Burnley and Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Meanwhile, Leicester City, Oxford United and Sheffield Wednesday are swapping their places within the professional pyramid with Lincoln City, Cardiff City and Bolton Wanderers ahead of the upcoming 2026/27 campaign.

Due to the various statures of the 24 clubs, many have already stated that it could be a Championship for the ages, especially due to the upcoming change to the play-off format, which involves the sides who finish between third and eighth.

As well as this, the second tier has become a hotbed for talent in recent times, whether that be through the progression of homegrown talents into the first-team fold, or imports who are eventually sold on for a major profit.

With that being said, Football League World have looked at 10 of the best 'wonderkids' you should keep an eye on across the 46-game campaign next term.

Tommy Simkin

Up first is Tommy Simkin, who finds himself in an intriguing current position at Stoke City.

The England youth international has certainly earned his stripes across various loan spells away from the Bet365 Stadium, and was eventually afforded his breakthrough spell with the Potters due to unfortunate injuries to both Viktor Johansson and Southampton loanee, Gavin Bazunu.

During those encounters, he kept three clean sheets in 15 appearances, before the aforementioned Swede returned to action late in the season whilst also signing a new four-year contract.

However, Premier League interest in his services is likely to remain, meaning that Simkin could soon be thrust into the limelight, or at worst, another loan move could potentially be in the pipeline to further enhance his development.

Ronan Kpakio

As previously mentioned, Cardiff are one of the three sides promoted from League One, with Brian Barry-Murphy able to use his expertise from coaching Manchester City's Elite Development Squad to help guide the second-youngest squad by average age in the division to automatic promotion.

One of the shining lights at the Cardiff City Stadium has been 19-year-old right-back, Ronan Kpakio, who produced six assists throughout all competitions from defence, showcasing his energy to go up and down the flank.

Despite being under the age of 20, the Cardiff native also has three Wales caps to his name, which only emphasises the potential ceiling at his disposal if such an upward trajectory continues in the Championship.

Dylan Lawlor

Next up is his defensive partner for club and country, Dylan Lawlor, who was nominated for League One's Young Player of the Season for his exploits, despite missing out on said award.

Lawlor burst onto the scene in an FA Cup loss to Aston Villa last February, and hasn't looked back since, with several top-flight and European clubs casting an eye on his development in South Wales.

The 20-year-old only made one appearance during the club's relegation season from the Championship in 2024/25, and will hope for many more solid showings that could see previous interest from the likes of Bayern Munich surface once more.

Ollie Scarles

The last of three defenders on this list is West Ham full-back, Ollie Scarles.

It has been reported that Manchester United hold an interest in Hammers defender, El Hadji Malick Diouf, which could open the door for the 20-year-old to add to his collection of 28 Premier League appearances with a near-full season of Championship outings depending on circumstances.

Scarles is currently under contract at the London Stadium for the next two years too, meaning there is every chance he could become Nuno Espírito Santo's first-choice left-back over time.

Ollie Bostock

West Bromwich Albion's season was certainly one of intensely mixed fortunes, and now they are looking forward to a first full campaign under James Morrison.

Indeed, the former midfielder has already set out a challenge for Baggies midfielder and academy graduate, Ollie Bostock, to have the mentality of making a full breakthrough into the first-team picture after his progress this term was somewhat halted.

The Welsh youth international made three starts in the Championship and FA Cup, providing an assist for Josh Maja in the latter against Swansea City, as well as netting his first senior goal in the 2-1 loss to Oxford United on February 28th.

Therefore, it is an exciting prospect to think of what could come from Bostock over a full season at The Hawthorns.

Jay Robinson

Southampton's pre-season is set to be one of uncertainty as a result of the spygate scandal, with a mass exodus of senior players at St Mary's forecast.

As such, this could further open the door for Jay Robinson to make an impact, after what appeared to have been a breakthrough campaign this season was halted by a quad injury sustained in January.

Beforehand, the versatile playmaker had scored twice and registered one assist in 26 league outings after being handed his debut during the club's dismal relegation campaign from the Premier League in April 2025, having shone in the Under-21s with 15 goals and 10 assists.

Daniel Kanu

Charlton Athletic's survival mission under Nathan Jones was built on defensive solidity above all, but now they will be hoping to progress up the table.

As well as an upturn in form from Charlie Kelman as the season progressed, Addicks fans will certainly hope to see Daniel Kanu given an opportunity to showcase his goalscoring prowess once more.

Kanu was named as League Two Young Player of the Season after scoring 18 times in 44 appearances for Walsall, having only scored nine times in 71 outings for Charlton beforehand.

However, there is certainly a hype surrounding the Sierra Leone international at this moment in time.

Daniel Cummings

With West Ham earning the previous nickname of 'the academy of football', it may be no surprise to some that a second youngster from the East London side has made the list.

That comes in the form of Scottish forward, Daniel Cummings, who was acquired from Scottish Premiership giants, Celtic, for a reported £300,000 back in May 2025.

The highly-rated striker suffered an injury-hit spell shortly after his move south, but ended his first campaign in the Premier League 2 with a record of four goals and one assist in 13 games, despite only playing 590 minutes throughout said timeframe.

If Nuno is to offload some of his current striking options to balance the books, the 20-year-old will at least fancy his chances of regular minutes in the EFL Cup and FA Cup.

Ryan One

Sheffield United are currently undergoing a rebuilding job under Chris Wilder, and the departure of Danny Ings from Bramall Lane could see Ryan One jump up the pecking order as a result.

The 19-year-old spent the second half of the season on loan at Lincoln, scoring five times in 16 appearances as the Imps romped to the League One title under Michael Skubala, but has only made 18 Championship appearances to-date.

One will likely still be fuelled by the fact that his services were being courted by Liverpool not too long ago, as he hopes to prove a point in the upper echelons of the EFL with the Blades, who will hope their frontmen can help yield a far stronger position than 13th.

Mateus Mane

Rounding off this list of wonderkids is one of the most talked about in English football as a whole right now, Mateus Mane of Wolves.

The attacker was reported to have been valued as high as £60m ahead of the upcoming summer transfer window, but Rob Edwards certainly remains hopeful he will remain at Molineux for the 2026/27 season.

In a drab season for the Old Gold and Black, the 18-year-old Portuguese's tally of three goals and two assists in 27 top-flight appearances did provide a small beacon of light for the locals.

And, with his personal confidence seemingly unaffected by relegation, those in the West Midlands will believe that more of the same next season could help launch a first-time promotion charge back to the Premier League.