Exclusive: Don Goodman names the 3 best strikers in the EFL Championship right now | OneFootball

Don Goodman has told FLW his picks for the top three forwards in the Championship right now

Don Goodman has named Norwich City’s Josh Sargent, along with Coventry City’s Haji Wright and Birmingham City’s Jay Stansfield as the three best forwards currently in the Championship.

The new season is only four games old, but a few players have already emerged with strong records in front of goal.

Sargent has bagged five goals from four games for the Canaries, carrying on from where he left off in the previous campaign, where he scored 15 in 32 appearances.

Meanwhile, Wright has scored four times, while Stansfield has netted twice from three games for the Blues following their promotion from League One.

Don Goodman names the best Championship forwards

Goodman believes that Sargent’s impressive goal scoring record speaks for itself, having proven himself at this level over the last couple of years.

He’s also claimed Wright has the capacity to be one of the best in the division if his confidence is up, while praising Stansfield for his ability off the ball, as well as on it.

“That is a very, very difficult question given we’ve only literally played a handful of games, but the obvious place for me to go would be to go to Josh Sargent,” Goodman exclusively told Football League World

“His numbers speak for themselves, I think five already this season, but I’m not just talking about this season.

“I think when he’s fit at Championship level, he’s an outstanding striker, clever movement and ruthless finishing.

“I think Haji Wright could be one of the best, although I don’t really see him as an out-and-out number nine, in fact there are very few to pick from, truth be told.

“But a confident Haji Wright is a dangerous Haji Wright, so for him to already have four goals already, his confidence should be sky high.

“And I think I’m going to go for Jay Stansfield as well.

“Not necessarily an out-and-out number nine, but I love what he does with and without the ball.

“He’s relentless in his pressing, and I’ve seen, certainly over the last couple of years, that he can be a smart finisher as well.

“In the very early stages of this Championship season, I would go for them three.”

The race for the golden boot is already heating up in the early stages of the campaign, with each team only playing four times so far.

The award was earned by Joel Piroe for Leeds United last season, who scored on 19 occasions, with previous winner Chuba Akpom also rejoining the league with a move to Ipswich Town over the summer.

Josh Sargent’s impressive league start is a good sign for Norwich

Norwich have been far from perfect to start the new season, but if Sargent keeps up this goal record then Liam Manning’s side will surely be in promotion contention.

The Canaries did exceptionally well to convince the American to stay at Carrow Road over the summer, and five goals from four games is an ominous sign for the rest of the division.

Wright is also starting the season well, which could be crucial for Coventry, who have traditionally been slow to get going in recent years.

Stansfield has a lot of pressure on his shoulders due to the price paid to sign him in 2024, but he’s also made a promising start to life back in the Championship for Birmingham.