All 24 Championship clubs' most surprising player so far this season | OneFootball

Football League World has taken a look at each current Championship club's most surprising player this season

The first international break is officially here, which means three weeks without any Championship action, as some clubs and players will be gladder than others for a bit of time off.

The Championship table is beginning to take shape, but being just eight games into a 46-match campaign, there remains a lot of change that will almost certainly occur between now and May 2027.

Swansea City lead the way with the best defensive record, as well as being the only team to win five games at this stage, whilst Burnley sit at the bottom of the table as the only team yet to pick up a victory.

The Championship is never dull, and is always bound to throw up some shocks, which has been no different this time around, as Football League World has taken a look at each club's most surprising player so far this season, whether that be overperforming expectations, not quite hitting the heights as hoped as yet, or an emerging star.

Birmingham City - Demarai Gray

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Birmingham City boast a plethora of wide attacking talent and can build a strong argument for having one of the best selection options in the entire league, with each of Carlos Vicente, Patrick Roberts, Liam Millar, and Demarai Gray battling it out for a place on the flanks.

Gray, 30, ought to be in the prime of his career, and with ample Premier League experience under his belt, should be taking the second tier by storm, but having fallen beneath Millar in the pecking order, has not hit the heights he is clearly capable of, and is our pick as Birmingham's most surprising player so far this season.

Blackburn Rovers - Oladapo Afolayan

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Oladapo Afolayan made just eight appearances for Blackburn Rovers in the second half of last season following his move to German side St. Pauli, failing to grab a single goal contribution.

However, with four goals and two assists in ten games across all competitions so far this campaign, he has emerged as Tony Mowbray's main man at Ewood Park, and his surprise upturn in form will have caught numerous clubs off guard.

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Bajan winger Thierry Gale scored five and assisted four in 38 League One games for Bolton Wanderers last season - solid numbers, but nothing out of the ordinary.

With three goals and one assist in eight Championship games already, he has taken the step up in level like a duck to water, which, given his numbers in the third tier, is somewhat surprising.

Bristol City - Rio Cardines

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Rio Cardines is on his way to numerous awards at Bristol City, with the full-back having excelled at Ashton Gate since joining on loan from Crystal Palace in the summer.

Barely playing any senior football prior to his arrival, Cardines has already grabbed six assists in just eight league games for the Robins, maintaining a consistent attacking threat down either flank, and, given his relative obscurity prior to joining the club, earns his place on this list and then some.

Burnley - Marcus Edwards

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A lot of Burnley players could have made their way onto this list, in truth, given their abhorrent start to life back in the Championship, but English winger Marcus Edwards' situation takes the cake.

Featuring regularly in the Premier League for the Clarets last season, as well as ample experience in the Portuguese top flight under his belt, Edwards has been left out of Nicky Hayen's 25-man squad for the season, which came as a shock to many, even those at Turf Moor.

Cardiff City - Krystian Bielik

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Cardiff City added just two fresh faces to the mix over the summer, namely Jack Moylan and Krystian Bielik, the latter of whom had fallen out of favour at West Bromwich Albion last campaign.

However, the Polish defender has since emerged as one of the first names on Brian Barry-Murphy's team sheet since his move to the Welsh capital, which, taking into account his recent struggles with West Brom, is something of a surprise.

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Charlton Athletic winger Tyreece Campbell scored just three goals and grabbed two assists in 46 games last season, but already has five in nine this time around, taking his game to the next level.

The Jamaican has emerged as the star in Nathan Jones' attack at The Valley, with his recent spike in form and performances being something of a surprise given last campaign.

Derby County - Max Johnston

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Derby County signed Scottish right-back Max Johnston from Austrian side Sturm Graz for around £3.5 million in the summer of 2025, but since then, he has made just 21 appearances across all competitions for the Rams.

Injuries have not helped his case, though with each of Joe Ward, Ryan Nyambe, and Sondre Langås being used at right-back this season despite his fitness, he has not lived up to his fee, and given the hype around his arrival over 12 months ago, it is fairly surprising.

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Lincoln City signed defender Deji Elerewe from then-League Two Bromley in January 2026, but didn't automatically force his way into the Imps' side.

However, since promotion to the Championship, the 23-year-old has emerged as a consistent member of their back line, containing the experienced Sonny Bradley and Adam Reach, and given he was playing in League Two less than a year ago, his rise has been a nice surprise.

Middlesbrough - David Strelec

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Middlesbrough have an abundance of attacking talent, and providing sufficient game time to each of them is a near-impossible task for Kim Hellberg, and so it has so far proven to be the case for Slovakian forward David Strelec.

The 25-year-old, who was signed for around £6.5 million just over 12 months ago, has fallen in the pecking order on Teesside, managing just eight minutes of Championship football heading into the international break, which, given his pedigree, is surprising, despite Boro's abundance of options in that position.