Top 7 EFL Championship wonderkids you need to know about | OneFootball

Here are seven stars under 21 in the second tier that you must keep an eye out for in the future

So many exciting stars aged 21 and under often cut their teeth in the EFL before making that step up into becoming a top-flight star, whether that be in the Premier League or elsewhere.

Plenty of sides in the Premier League loan their young talents down to the Championship to introduce them to senior football at a level less demanding than at their club, but this list won't focus on those.

Indeed, these are seven stars currently contracted to second-tier clubs that you must look out for in the future, as they hold all the skills to make it to the Premier League in the near future.

Oscar Schwartau - Norwich City

Oscar Schwartau is the youngest player in Brondby history, and he cost Norwich City £2 million as an 18-year-old in the summer of 2024. He's been an exciting addition to the Canaries side since.

The Danish U-21 international has started to establish himself as a key player in the Norwich fold this season after being in and out of the side in his debut campaign, and is one of many young, talented stars coming through at Carrow Road.

With over 100 senior appearances under his belt already as a teenager, Schwartau already has the experience that few his age have, and it should only be a matter of time before he starts to explode into a wide man capable of stuffing the stat sheet in terms of goals and assists.

Mihailo Ivanovic - Millwall

Championship fans already know what Mihailo Ivanovic is about after he netted 12 in 37 in his debut campaign at the Den. His goalscoring prowess may not be as strong in his sophomore year, but to still have 20 second-tier goals before you turn 22 is an impressive feat.

The Serbian was actually the subject of a £7 million bid from Serie A side Parma in the summer, which Millwall rejected, highlighting how ready he is for a top-flight move.

Millwall have started to build a reputation for overseeing the development of players before selling them on for a big fee, with three of their four record sales coming in the last two windows, in Romain Esse, Zian Flemming and Japhet Tanganga.

They'll be in line to add to that with Ivanovic sooner rather than later. Or, if the Lions' trajectory continues, perhaps Ivanovic will be lining up in the Premier League for his current club.

Jeremy Monga - Leicester City

Jeremy Monga hit the headlines earlier this season when he became the youngest ever Championship goalscorer, netting off the bench against Preston North End in August, aged just 16 years and 37 days.

That broke the record held by Jude Bellingham, and if the Leicester City wideman can go on to have a career as good as his, then he'll turn out okay.

The excitement has, admittedly, died down slightly since those opening few bench appearances this season, when the 2009-born star looked likely to be one of the best wingers in the second-tier this year, but he's shown those glimpses at such a young age, and it's evident that he'll be lining up in the Premier League soon enough.

There hasn't been much to shout about at Leicester this season, and the campaign may still end in a disastrous relegation to League One, but the development of Monga has been a rare bright spark.

Nestory Irankunda - Watford

There are plenty of standout young talents at Watford currently, but none have been as impressive this season as former Bayern Munich man Nestory Irankunda.

When you're on the books of one of the most famous clubs in world football, there's always going to be lofty expectations, but the versatile 20-year-old frontman has lived up to them thus far at Vicarage Road.

The Australian international plays with little fear, will happily run at any defender, and, doing so with success, too, completing his dribbles more than half of the time. Plus, his goal catalogue is incredible, too, with all of his efforts coming from outside the box, including a recent screamer against Stoke City, which really came out of nowhere.

He's been one of the more entertaining parts of, at times, one of the better teams to watch in the Championship this season, and his development should be something that everyone keeps an eye on in the near future.

Leo Castledine - Middlesbrough

Like Irankunda, Leo Castledine was recently under contract at a top club in Chelsea, so the 20-year-old does have high expectations.

And while injury has stopped him from really making his mark at the Riverside since he moved there in January for a little under £1 million, the little glimpses he's shown at his new club, plus what was seen of him in the first half of the campaign at Huddersfield Town, have Boro fans, and EFL fans, seeing him as a future England international.

Castledine netted eight in his final 10 games from attacking midfield at the Accu Stadium, and came off the bench to net his first in Middlesbrough colours against Bristol City earlier this month.

The March international break probably couldn't come any sooner for Boro, as it will offer them the opportunity to get their new signing ready to start games in the run-in. He was brought in to help boost them towards the Premier League, and you get the idea that he'll more than have his say in the top-two race between now and May.

Sydie Peck - Sheffield United

Sydie Peck had made just one senior appearance at Sheffield United before last season, and the expectations heading into their Championship return would be that the former Arsenal academy midfielder would be a serviceable back-up.

However, when Ollie Arblaster went down with an ACL injury in November, Peck was forced to start more games. It was a sink-or-swim situation for the then 20-year-old, and Peck floated; he was that at home.

Peck is now the lynchpin of the Blades midfield, and has been entrusted with the captain's armband on the odd occasion this season. Aged just 21, there'll no doubt be interest in him from higher up if Sheffield United remain in the Championship.

As one of the top midfielders in the division, you could argue that he's the best player aged 21 and under in the Championship. However, there's someone with arguably a little more hype and expectation around him when it comes to becoming a star in the future.

Sindre Walle Egeli - Ipswich Town

When it comes to being a "wonderkid," there isn't really anyone close to Sindre Walle Egeli in the Championship, given the expectation put on him after Ipswich Town smashed the second-tier record fee when they signed him for £17.5 million in the summer.

He arguably hasn't actually reached those just yet, with a better output likely expected after seeing the price tag. But, given the sheer quality that Ipswich have in their wide areas, it was always going to be difficult to establish himself in the side straight away.

Plus, given the change in culture and competition he's had to deal with at such a young age, it can be forgiven, and Ipswich's handling of him this year has very much been in a way that doesn't burn him out or ask too much of him.