Five Championship players Premier League clubs should sign

From Jude Bellingham to Adam Wharton, Viktor Gyokeres to Michael Olise, the Championship is a gold mine for top-flight clubs looking to enhance their squads with immensely talented individuals.

Second-tier academies continue to churn out exciting prospects and recruitment departments have capitalised on their enhanced data-driven infrastructure by scouring for hidden gems across Europe.

We've taken a look at five players in the Championship who would make an impact in the Premier League or one of Europe's leading divisions.

Chris Rigg

Club: Sunderland
Position: AM
Age: 17
Market value (Transfermarkt): €16.00m

Sunderland have an abundance of precocious talents within their ranks and no player epitomises the club's bright future better than Chris Rigg.

The attacking midfielder emerged through the ranks on Wearside and became Sunderland's youngest-ever debutant in January 2023 when he appeared in the FA Cup.

Since then, Rigg has cemented his role as an essential figure in the Black Cats XI and produced a catalogue of standout performances which bely his age.

An incisive technician who is capable of scoring and creating chances, Rigg's tenacity and fearlessness have enabled him to rub shoulders with the Championship's most bruising opponents.

His ceiling is extraordinarily high. Suggestion of Rigg being a future England star have already been murmured.

Despite the volume of praise, the innovative midfielder has managed to keep his feet firmly grounded.

However, it does only feel like a matter of time before the Hebburn extraordinaire is plying his trade in the Premier League, with Merseyside rivals Liverpool and Everton reportedly in the frame for his signature.

Hayden Hackney

Club: Middlesbrough
Position: CM
Age: 22
Market value (Transfermarkt): €10.00m

Another local lad surfacing at his hometown club and making waves is Hayden Hackney.

The Redcar-born ace is a vital cog at the heart of Middlesbrough's midfield and his leadership qualities saw Michael Carrick entrust Hackney with the captain's armband at the end of October.

No player in the Championship is anywhere close to eclipsing his tally of progressive passes (433) this term. The range and accuracy of his passing is an essential component in enabling the Middlesbrough attack to function.

Efficiently pulling the strings when in possession, Hackney is also effective at retrieving possession and averages just shy of seven ball recoveries per fixture, ranking him in the top 5% of all Championship players.

He can fulfil a deeper role but it's as a box-crashing midfielder in which Hackney flourishes and the Middlesbrough sensation certainly possesses the skillset to compete at a higher level.

Jobe Bellingham

Club: Sunderland
Position: CM
Age: 19
Market value (Transfermarkt): €22.00m

The trials and tribulations of being the younger brother of a Real Madrid superstar when attempting to forge a career path of your own.

Jobe Bellingham made the bold decision to depart Birmingham City - the boyhood club whom his brother, Jude, came to prominence - and join Sunderland at the age of 16.

Opting to adorn his No.7 shirt with his forename instead of his surname, Bellingham has been attempting to establish his own identity whilst on Wearside.

His switch to Sunderland has certainly been vindicated. The midfielder has demonstrated he's got all of the tools to compete at an elite level, unshackling himself from familial ties and earning a reputation as one of the EFL's brightest prospects on merit.

There are similarities to his brother, especially when Jobe is in possession: the technical prowess, deceptive strength and splendid composure.

He's capable of operating as both a nine and 10, yet it's in the midfield pivot where Bellingham has been trusted by Regis Le Bris to motor Sunderland's attack.

On the ball he can orchestrate proceedings, but equally it's his movement off the ball which is impressive, making instinctive runs into the penalty area and creating spaces from which his teammates prosper.

It will be of little surprise to Sunderland that hoards of Premier League clubs are beginning to queue up for his services.

Tom Fellows

Club: West Bromwich Albion
Position: RW
Age: 21
Market value (Transfermarkt): €8.00m

Progressing through West Brom's academy ranks at the same time as Morgan Rogers and Louie Barry, Tom Fellows' stock has soared since nailing a starting berth under Carlos Corberan last season.

The dynamic right winger pieced together a series of blistering displays to warrant the attention of the England Under-21 side and despite interest emanating from the Premier League last summer, Fellows continued his schooling at The Hawthorns.

Fellows accelerated to the top of the Championship assists pile at the start of the campaign and the 21-year-old's creativity enabled him to forge a fruitful collaboration with Josh Maja; no duo in the second tier have combined for more goals this season, which is made even more impressive by the fact Maja has been absent with injury since January.

An excellent ball-carrier, Fellows possesses great speed and divine control. Opposition have frequently resorted to doubling up on the Solihull-born attacker in an attempt to neutralise his input on proceedings.

Possessing a number of weapons in his armoury including a deadly cross, Everton are reportedly one of several clubs keen to prise Fellows from the Albion.

Shea Charles

Club: Southampton
Position: DM
Age: 21
Market value (Transfermarkt): €10.00m

Shea Charles' loan switch to Sheffield Wednesday for the 2024/25 season was a roaring success and the defensive midfielder is expected to be a key component in Southampton's quest for an immediate Premier League return next year.

Voted the Owls' Player of the Year, Charles has been a painful reminder to Wednesday supporters of the heartache you endure when falling in love with a loan player.

The former Manchester City academy product has clocked up 25 appearances for the Northern Ireland national team in his fledgling career and his experience is telling with the manner in which he conducts himself on the pitch.

Immersing himself in the engine room of Danny Rohl's midfield, Charles is an imposing presence and a duel machine. With a thunderous challenge or timely interception, he revels in foiling opposition forays.

He ranks fourth in the Championship for interceptions and fifth for dribblers tackled. On the ball he's impressive as well, sitting seventh for fouls drawn and in the top three per cent of his positional peers for successful crosses.

Charles' versatility has also been a blessing to Rohl with the 21-year-old deputising at right-back and centre-back over the course of the season.

Ultimately, it's going to require a substantial offer for Southampton to even consider parting with Charles, but then a player with his ceiling is worth investing in.