All 24 EFL Championship clubs' most exciting player named and ranked from worst to best | OneFootball

FLW names each Championship team's most exciting player and then decides which is the most exciting in the league

Now more than ever, the Championship plays host to several exciting footballers.

The quality across the board is there to be seen, and there are few games you'd brand as boring in this division, due to the sheer entertainment which is always on show.

Especially given that there are many sub-categories which define what an exciting player truly is. Generally, exciting players are those who work their magic on the pitch week in, week out, but some excitement is now generated for a player who has the potential to become one of England's elite in a few years, or if they have expectations to excel after coming from overseas.

Picking the most exciting player in a single team is hard enough, but to decide who is the most enthralling player in the entire division is nearly impossible. However, Football League World has had a good go at doing so.

We picked out the most exciting player from each Championship side, and then ranked them based on how exciting they truly are, to find out who is the undisputed most exciting player currently plying their trade in England's second tier.

24 ? ? Pierce Charles - Sheffield Wednesday

There isn't much concrete excitement in the Sheffield Wednesday squad currently, albeit with plenty of young stars being forced into first-team action due to their current, terrible situation.

Despite this, Pierce Charles is clearly one for the future in between the sticks. Coming through the ranks towards the back end of last season, he began the 2025/26 campaign strong, making plenty of saves in the opening two games before a shoulder injury struck.

Unfortunately, despite the 20-year-old clearly being an exciting talent, goalkeepers aren't traditionally players fans pay the entrance fee for, hence his position at the bottom of this list.

23 ? ? Andri Gudjohnsen - Blackburn Rovers

Not many players in the Championship can say they came through the academy at Real Madrid, and even fewer can say that they are a third-generation superstar, but Andri Gudjohnsen can.

The Gudjohnsen name is a famous one in Iceland, with Grandfather Arnor and Dad Eidur making over 150 combined caps for their national team. Eidur himself is a two-time Premier League, La Liga and UEFA Champions League winner, too, having spent time at Chelsea and Barcelona during the 2000s.

Therefore, it's a no-brainer why the 23-year-old is the most exciting prospect at Ewood Park, as many Blackburn fans will be hoping that shades of his father can be seen in his son.

Only five goals in 32 Belgian Pro League games last season doesn't make for incredible viewing compared to his peers in this list, though, so a place near the bottom for Gudjohnsen.

Coming through the Charlton academy, Miles Leaburn is someone who many are raving about at The Valley, and like Gudjohnsen, he comes from a line of footballers, more specifically, ones who are legends among Addicks fans.

Carl Leaburn spent over a decade at Charlton in the late 80s and throughout the 90s, playing nearly 400 times for the club. 21-year-old Miles has a long way to go to hit those numbers, but he's proving himself as a solid striker option for Nathan Jones at the moment.

A place down the bottom doesn't exactly reflect negatively, but Leaburn still has a way to go before he hits the heights of some of the other players on this list.

21 ? ? Kwadwo Baah - Watford

There's plenty of exciting talent at Watford, from Nestory Iwankunda to Imran Louza, but it's safe to say that not many can get people out of their seats like Kwadwo Baah can.

The 22-year-old would spend all day trying to take on full-backs if he could, and whilst his end product may lack compared to some of the others on this list, you can't deny the skill he has on the ball.

The former German U19 international still needs to stake a proper claim in starting squads, but once he does, the sky's the limit.

20 ? ? Will Lankshear - Oxford United

This time last season, Will Lankshear was getting run-outs in the Tottenham Hotspur side in both the Premier League and the Europa League, scoring in the latter. There was no surprise when his first loan move landed him at a top Championship side in West Brom.

However, after a disappointing run at the Hawthorns, where he started just four league games, he's now finding his feet again at Oxford United, and he seems to have settled in quite well.

The Yellows may struggle this season, but if the 20-year-old can be firing at a decent rate all year, Gary Rowett's side may have a fighting chance in their battle to avoid relegation.

19 ? ? Harrison Armstrong - Preston North End

When Harrison Armstrong returned to Everton after playing a major part in Derby County's battle to avoid relegation, many expected him to join either a side expected to challenge at the top of the Championship on loan or even stay and battle for a place in David Moyes' side.

In the end, he joined a Preston side who slumped to a 20th-placed finish last year and looked destined to do so again, but the likes of Harrison Armstrong, Alfie Devine and Miliutin Osmajic have helped the Lilywhites up the table and become an early-season contender.

Due to his age, Armstrong is the most exciting prospect at Deepdale currently, but he arguably doesn't have the experience to finish any higher than 19th.

18 ? ? Adrian Segegic - Portsmouth

Adrian Segegic was a relative unknown when he made the move from the A-League this summer, but goals in his opening two Championship games and some strong performances since have made the 21-year-old Aussie a must-see at Fratton Park.

After netting 18 times last season for Sydney FC, he's continuing that form at his new club, and if Pompey are to make an outside push for the play-offs this season, Segegic will be a big factor in doing so.

17 ? ? Joe Gelhardt - Hull City

Joe Gelhardt has shown he could be a Premier League-level performer ever since he was thrown in at the deep end at Leeds United back in 2022. However, despite playing well in loan spells at Sunderland and then last season at Hull City, it hasn't quite worked out for him at Elland Road.

Now, he has the opportunity to showcase this in his first full season away from the Premier League side, and he's returned to the club he became a fan favourite last season to do so.

Finally settled and finally starting games regularly, Gelhardt is in for a big year, and plenty around the MKM Stadium are excited to see what he can do once more.

16 ? ? Million Manhoef - Stoke City

A lot of Stoke City's success this season would have depended on Million Manhoef taking that next step from his five-goal, five-assist campaign in his first full year at the club last season.

The 23-year-old has all the potential to be a top player in this division, and so far this season, he's showing more of those signs as the weeks go by.

More of the younger players further up on this list have people knowing that they're going to be stars in the future, whereas some may still be on the fence with Manhoef, but he's doing enough currently to be sitting in the lower mid-table of this list.

15 ? ? Patrick Agyemang - Derby County

Patrick Agyemang became one of the most expensive arrivals in Derby County history when he joined for an initial fee of £5.8 million, which could rise to £7.3 million.

Therefore, the American frontman has understandably been the cause of a lot of excitement for Rams fans, and despite it taking some time for Agyemang to make his debut due to a hernia injury, he's beginning to settle in to life at Pride Park pretty quickly.

His first goal secured a solid point against a former Premier League side in Southampton, and Derby are looking forward to seeing him bag even more important goals as the season progresses.