The Five Best Premier League Players Signed From Championship Clubs This Season
After going through the worst signings that Premier League teams have made from the Championship this season, we now turn our attention to the best.
As we have previously mentioned, taking players from the second tier can be a risk/reward judgement, as many do turn out to have the ability to perform at the highest level.
Not all the names on our list have been completely successful this season but they are players who do look to have a future in the Premier League.
Press the next page as we go through the best signings from the Championship that Premier League clubs have made this campaign.
5) Callum Wilson (Newcastle)
This transfer hasn’t been an unqualified success, with the 29-year-old having spent most of the second half of the season out injured, but 12 goals and five assists in 26 league appearances is not a bad return for £20m.
Newcastle supporters will probably like to see Wilson spend a bit more time out on the pitch, rather than on the treatment table, but his goals have been worth the trouble.
4) Eberechi Eze (Crystal Palace)
The playmaker’s season has unfortunately ended prematurely due to a serious Achilles injury but he did have a promising debut season after the Eagles signed him from QPR for £17m.
Eze scored four goals and provided six goals in 34 league appearances, which isn’t bad going when you consider he was playing for a rather defensive team managed by Roy Hodgson.
3) Ben Godfrey (Everton)
The Toffees paid an initial £20m for the Norwich City centre-half in October and it appears to be money well spent. Manager Carlo Ancelotti has hailed the 23-year-old for having a “fantastic” debut season, and although that may go too far, he has certainly impressed.
Godfrey has had to play left-back, centre-back and right-back this campaign, due to Everton’s injury problems and he has filled in ably in whatever position he has been asked to play.
2) Matty Cash (Aston Villa)
The Villans beat off a lot of competition for the 23-year-old in the summer, but the decision to pay Nottingham Forest £16m for his services was still a calculated risk.
Up until last season, Cash had been a winger, but Villa boss Dean Smith and his scouting department were convinced that he was good enough for the Premier League after just one season as a fullback. The gamble paid off.
1) Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa)
For a transfer fee that could rise to £33m, you should expect to get a decent player, but there have been some notable expensive flops from the Championship in recent years.
Watkins wasn’t one of them, though, and his 15 goals in 38 appearances this season demonstrate he was well worth the investment. The 25-year-old even got his first England cap in March.
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