8 EFL Championship players who deserve more hype | OneFootball

Football League World takes a look at EIGHT Championship stars who simply don't get the hype that their talents deserve

With such a vast wealth of talented operators on offer for the 2026/27 Championship campaign, it's only natural that some tend to fly under the radar and fail to receive their deserving plaudits.

The Championship's best players invariably get the respect they deserve and are surrounded by constant hype and praise outside of their clubs' fanbases, and those who strut their stuff for sides situated in the higher echelons of the division rarely see their talent go unnoticed.

That's not the case for every player, though, and there are many that simply miss out on the hype that their talents really warrant.

So, who are the Championship players that deserve their flowers right now? Football League World has taken a look at EIGHT individuals throughout the second-tier that, in the context of the division as a whole instead of simply their own supporters, just aren't rated as much as they really should be.

Cian Ashford

Cian Ashford has long cut a divisive figure among Cardiff City supporters since breaking into the Bluebirds' first-team on a consistent basis midway through the 2024/25 campaign, and though his talents are now being lapped up within the Welsh capital, that's yet to be the case across the second-tier sphere.

Still aged just 21, Ashford represents one of the most experienced individuals with close to 100 appearances to his name already and has found consistency in the early stages of the current campaign after being hauled from the flanks and back into the central attacking midfield position he made his own when lighting up Cardiff's academy before becoming a regular on the senior scene.

Ashford's first two campaigns for the Bluebirds have been marred by inconsistency, but there's a school of thought that this one could be different for the versatile attacker - regardless of how the term plays out for his side on a collective level.

Capable of both scoring and creating goals at a high volume with relentless tenacity in and out of possession and an excellent ability to drift into pockets of space and carry the ball upfield, Ashford is a joy to watch at full throttle and finally looks set to make serious strides towards realising his undoubtedly huge potential.

Abu Kamara

Abu Kamara's first spell at Portsmouth attracted no shortage of attention, and while a rocky couple of years have since met the speedy winger, his qualities aren't lost on FLW and we're expecting fans throughout the division to be reminded of them before long following his return to Fratton Park.

The Norwich City academy graduate helped Pompey achieve a long-awaited promotion back to the Championship in 2024 with 10 goals and 11 assists across all competitions, though he's failed to match those heights since.

An ill-fated switch to Hull City would see the wide-man score five times in his debut season before enduring a drab goalless loan stint with Getafe as the Tigers won promotion through the play-offs, but, like many in his position, he's very much a confidence player and looks to have already rediscovered that after sealing an emotional homecoming on the south coast.

A creative and dynamic influence in the final third with pace to burn anda decisive end product to boot, John Mousinho's men could provide some real entertainment through the likes of Ryan Kavuma-McQueen, Josh Murphy and Adrian Segecic - and Kamara is poised to be a big part of any sort of success and excitement for Pompey in 26/27.

Amin Nabizada

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There are a few players at Watford that could have forced their way into featuring here, although in terms of undeserved hype, it's 19-year-old hotshot Amin Nabizada who represents the pick of the bunch.

An unknown quantity with just five senior appearances across the previous two campaigns before the current one kicked off, Nabizada enjoyed an electric start by scoring against two of the division's strongest sides in Southampton and West Ham in August.

He's added to his tally since then and has remained a constant flank on either the left or right flank, establishing himself as one of the season's early breakout stars.

Despite this, however, the three-cap Afghanistan international has only received limited hype outside of Vicarage Road - yet the speed of his trajectory indicates that won't be the case for too much longer.

Tom Atcheson

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Rightly or wrongly, defenders often fall short of collecting the same level of hype heaped upon their counterparts, yet it's still abundantly clear that Tom Atcheson's talents deserve more recognition outside of Blackburn Rovers.

The Rovers academy product made his first-team breakthrough following the turn of the year and it coincided with an upturn in form that would eventually see the East Lancashire side stave off relegation under Martin O'Neill, and with Tony Mowbray's penchant for working with young talent, his star should only continue to blossom.

Standing at 6'4, Atcheson has the physical and aerial presence to look after himself and often reads the game excellently. He's still somewhat rough around the edges, but that will only come with experience and it's likely that both the league-wide hype and interest from bigger clubs will arrive as the season progresses.

Jacob Wright

Jacob Wright has endured a mixed time of it with Norwich City after initially joining the Canaries on loan from Manchester City in February of last year before signing permanently that summer, which is perhaps why the midfielder's abundance of quality can still be overlooked.

Four assists from 15 appearances on loan meant there was indeed hype when he put pen-to-paper on a full-time deal at Carrow Road, but ex-boss Liam Manning never seemed to take to the young midfielder and, despite the appointment of Philippe Clement, he ended the season with just 1,255 minutes of league football under his belt across 13 starts.

He's still in and out of the side under Clement, who, for all the good work he has done in Norfolk, has arguably failed to get the best out of the 20-year-old to date.