The 10 best young players to watch in the EFL Championship this season | OneFootball

FLW takes a look at the 10 best young players to watch in the Championship this season

The EFL Championship is packed with young talent that is taking the second tier by storm.

Numerous current England internationals plied their trade in the division at some stage in their career, with the likes of Harry Kane, Ollie Watkins, Jordan Pickford, Ezri Konsa, Morgan Rogers, and Jude Bellingham having all played in the Championship in the early stages of their journey to aid their development.

Incredible foreign talent has also graced the Championship over the years, with the likes of Said Benrahma, Emiliano Buendia, Michael Olise, and Matheus Pereira stunning fans of second-tier clubs with their performances before shining elsewhere.

The chances that some of the array of talent in the current second tier will go on and play in the Premier League are incredibly high, as FLW takes a look at the 10 best young players to watch in the EFL Championship this season, ones that will get you on the edge of your seat.

For this list, the age limit is 23 and young, so someone like Millwall’s Femi Azeez (24) doesn’t make the cut, whilst loanees, such as Hull City's Joe Gelhardt, also do not count.

10 ? ? Othmane Maamma

Watford have an abundance of young attacking talent throughout their squad, with the Hornets boasting the likes of Rocco Vata, Luca Kjerrumgaard, Mamadou Doumbia, Vivaldo Semedo, and Nestory Irankunda in their ranks, but it is Moroccan winger Othmane Maamma who just pips his teammates to this list.

The 20-year-old made the move to Vicarage Road in the summer from French side Montpellier, resembling a similar move that star midfielder and compatriot Imran Louza made from Nantes some five years ago.

Maamma has shown glimpses of his undoubted quality during his first six months as a Hornet, and if he continues to develop at the rate he is going, Watford may well have another star on their hands.

9 ? ? Adrian Segecic

It’s been a tricky season for Portsmouth and their manager, John Mousinho, with Pompey having lingered in and around the relegation zone for much of this campaign, though their brightest spark has arguably been Australian attacking-midfielder Adrian Segecic.

The 21-year-old of Croatian descent joined Portsmouth in the summer from Sydney FC, with the English outfit being the second European team he has joined after spending the 2023/24 season on loan with FC Dordrecht in the Netherlands.

Since switching to the South Coast, the Aussie youth international has been a glimmer of hope in a particularly difficult season at Fratton Park, having netted the opener on his debut in a 1-0 win away at Oxford United

8 ? ? Richard Kone

QPR striker Richard Kone has one of the most incredible journeys into professional football. Having arrived in the UK in 2019 to play at the Homeless World Cup, the Ivorian played in non-league before his performances alerted the interest of League One side Wycombe Wanderers, who signed Kone on a permanent contract in January 2024.

The 22-year-old would hit 25 goals in 74 appearances across all competitions for the Chairboys before earning a move to Championship side QPR this summer.

Working under former Strasbourg and Stade Rennes boss Julien Stephan, Kone will hope to be one of the primary beneficiaries of the Frenchman's coaching, with Stephan having previously helped to develop the likes of Jeremy Doku, Eduardo Camavinga, and Raphinha, among numerous others.

If Kone can continue on the trajectory he has endured for the past few seasons, it's only a question of when, not if, he becomes a top-flight player.

7 ? ? Jeremy Monga

Trailing only Arsenal's Ethan Nwaneri as the youngest-ever Premier League player, Jeremy Monga is still only 16, yet this is his second season in and around the Leicester City first team.

The Foxes' struggles have meant that Monga has racked up considerable appearances in the first team already, despite his age, though there still remains a reluctance to unleash him fully and place pressure upon the teenager to help to get them out of the tricky situation they find themselves in.

An England youth international, the winger was linked with a €25 million (£21.9 million) bid from Premier League giants Manchester City as recently as this January, and looks destined for a return to the top flight sooner rather than later.

6 ? ? Jovon Makama

Just edging out fellow Norwich teammate and striker Mohamed Toure purely based on the fact that he has slightly more experience in the Championship, Jovon Makama has been excellent for the Canaries this campaign.

Signed from League One Lincoln City this summer, the Englishman has seamlessly made the step-up to the second tier and ensured that Josh Sargent's absence hasn't been greatly felt.

Norwich began the season in dismal fashion, but since the arrival of Philippe Clement, they have been a transformed side, and so has Makama.

Still just 22, it looks as if the Norfolk-based outfit has hit the jackpot with his signing, and should he continue his fine goalscoring form, it may just be a matter of time before he finds himself in the Premier League, whether that's with Norwich or someone else.

5 ? ? Jay Stansfield

Eyebrows were certainly raised when Birmingham City decided to pay Fulham over £15 million for striker Jay Stansfield following their relegation to League One, smashing the third-tier price paid for a player out of the water.

However, despite the fee, it looks to be money well spent by the Blues, with Stansfield having played a key role in their promotion last campaign and has continued to do so in the Championship this time around.

Cementing himself as a fan favourite at St Andrews, should Birmingham go on and achieve that illustrious promotion to the Premier League within the next few years, it's likely that the 23-year-old will play a telling role in that success.

4 ? ? Tom Fellows

With West Brom, winger Tom Fellows became one of the most highly sought-after players in the Championship, with his performances on the right flank alerting the interest of Premier League sides Everton and Leeds United this summer.

However, it would be Championship rivals Southampton that would win the race for the England youth internationals' signature, completing a deal that could be worth up to £10 million, in what was a big summer rebuild at St Mary's.

Although he has yet to put up the numbers as hoped on the South Coast, only a fool would discount Fellows from this conversation, and at 22, he still has ample time to improve upon the player he already is, which can only bode well for Southampton.

3 ? ? Sindre Walle Egeli

This summer, Ipswich Town broke the EFL Championship record fee paid for a player coming into the division when they parted ways with £17.5 million to secure the services of Norwegian winger Sindre Walle Egeli from Danish side FC Nordsjaelland.

The Tractor Boys are looking to earn an immediate promotion back to the Premier League following relegation last campaign, and though they have not hit the heights many had expected them to, they remain well within contention for the top two.

Walle Egeli has shown glimpses of his immense talent in his inaugural season in England, and although he hasn't yet put up the numbers, there remains an air of optimism that he can go on and justify that fee in Suffolk.

2 ? ? Abdul Fatawu

The second Leicester player on this list, although the Foxes haven't had a season to remember by any stretch of the imagination, their squad, and particularly the wide attacking areas, remain some of the most talented in the entire division.

Signed from Portuguese outfit Sporting CP initially on loan in the summer of 2023 and then permanently the following campaign for £14 million, the Ghanaian is undoubtedly one of the most naturally gifted players in the entire league, albeit he hasn't come close to hitting the heights he is capable of with the Foxes this year.

At 21, it's unlikely that Fatawu will be spending much longer in the second tier, whether Leicester manage to avoid the drop or not, with the winger destined to be plying his trade at a higher level than the Championship sooner rather than later.

1 ? ? Hayden Hackney

The man at the top of many lists when it comes to the most outstanding players in the Championship, Middlesbrough midfielder Hayden Hackney, is playing his final few months in the second tier before moving to the Premier League this summer.

A Boro academy product, Hackney will be hoping that he will be playing in the top flight with his boyhood club next campaign, as opposed to another side. Regardless of whether Hackney can help Kim Hellberg's side to promotion or not, he will almost certainly be playing Premier League football next year.

Numerous top-flight sides have registered an interest in the 23-year-old over the summer and this winter, but Boro have stood firm in their valuation of the midfielder, and if he can indeed guide them to promotion come May, then retaining his services will have absolutely been worth it.

A joy to watch, able to link up the transition between defence and attack, break up play, create, and score from long distance, his place at the top of this list as the best young player to watch in the division was never really in doubt.