Tottenham target Eze and 4 more Championship stars ready for Premier League football

 

Jarrod Bowen is the fourth best rated player in the Championship this season. The striker left Hull for West Ham in January having landed a WhoScored rating of 7.35 this season, enough to feature in the WhoScored Championship best XI of 2019/20 so far. The 23-year-old marked his first Premier League start for the Hammers with a goal in their 3-1 win over Southampton last month and he is, again, proof that there is ample talent in the Championship that have what it takes to make it in the Premier League. 

 

For the purpose of this article, Leeds and West Brom, who are destined for automatic promotion at the time of writing, won't be included, which is why Kalvin Phillips and Matheus Pereira, to name two, don't feature, despite fine seasons for their respective sides. 

 

Here, WhoScored take a look at a handful of young Championship players who have what it takes to, literally, take their game to the next level... 

 

Eberechi Eze - QPR 

 

Going against the grain and saving the best until first, Eberechi Eze has a better WhoScored rating (7.45) than any other player in the Championship this season. The 21-year-old has been a stand out performer for the west London outfit with his 12 goals and eight assists ensuring the R's are keeping their head above water. 

 

Nine WhoScored man of the match awards is more than any other Championship player with Eze ranking first for successful dribbles (111) and ninth for key passes (69) in England's second tier. The young attacker is comfortable on either wing or through the middle and has already been linked with a move to Tottenham. Current Spurs attacker Jack Clarke is currently on loan at QPR, which works in the north London side's favour as they seek to tap into a deep Championship pool to strengthen this summer. 

 

Tottenham target Eze and 4 more Championship stars ready for Premier League football

 

Said Benrahma - Brentford 

 

Said Benrahma was heavily linked with a move to Aston Villa last summer as the Villans went on their huge recruitment drive following their promotion. The move failed to come to pass and Brentford are the beneficiaries. The Algerian's WhoScored rating (7.40) is second only to Eze in the Championship this season with Benrahma enjoying yet another fine campaign in west London. 

 

The 24-year-old has 10 goals and seven assists to his name and ranks second for successful dribbles (105) in the league. Benrahma, meanwhile, is the only player to have earned more than one WhoScored perfect 10 rating in a match this term having achieved the feat in wins over Luton and Hull. Currently fourth in the league, Brentford have as good a chance as any of securing promotion should the season continue, but failure to do so could well see Benrahma leave for pastures new. 

 

Ollie Watkins - Brentford 

 

Another Brentford star impressing in west London, Ollie Watkins, like the above duo, features in the WhoScored Championship team of the season and for good reason. The 24-year-old has scored a commendable 22 league goals this term, already bettering his return of 20 goals from the previous two campaigns combined. 

 

Watkins is very much repaying the faith shown in him by head coach Thomas Frank to move him into a central attacking role with no team scoring more goals than Brentford (64) this season. Spurs have previously courted Watkins, but given his goalscoring exploits, he is likely to have a lengthy list of admirers and, failure to secure a Premier League spot, may, like Benrahma, see Watkins depart Griffin Park. 

 

Matthew Cash - Nottingham Forest 

 

To some, Matthew Cash is considered the best right-back in the Championship and that's reflected in his inclusion in our team of the season so far. Indeed, right-back has returned a WhoScored rating of 7.23 in a Forest shirt this term with the 22-year-old's attacking output key. 

 

Cash has three goals and four assists in the Championship this term, and ranks second for tackles (101) and first for crosses blocked (36) in the division. His fine form has contributed towards Forest's exceptional campaign so far, with Sabri Lamouchi's side currently fifth in the Championship, level on points with Brentford in the race for a playoff spot. A top-flight side in need of a new right-back may be wise to take a look at the City Ground and take stock of Cash's good performances. 

 

Antonee Robinson - Wigan 

 

On the opposite flank to Cash, Antonee Robinson's solid Wigan form saw him heavily linked with a surprise move to Italian giants AC Milan in January, only for the transfer to fall through for medical reasons. No less, Robinson is a blossoming left-back who has been a shining light in an otherwise fairly disappointing season for Wigan. 

 

The 22-year-old has garnered a modest WhoScored rating of 6.99 for the Latics this term and ranks highly for tackles (2.3) and interceptions (2) per game in the Championship this season and isn't afraid to push forward on a whim. Indeed, Robinson has maximised the opportunity to break upfield having completed more dribbles (56) than any other Championship defender and it's this attacking input that would appeal to a number of Premier League sides.

Tottenham target Eze and 4 more Championship stars ready for Premier League football