25 of the biggest talents under 25 years old playing in the Championship in 2022/23 has been revealed by Sky Sports recently.
As the new second tier season gets closer, Dan Long, who works for the media outlet, begun the buildup with a list of young players they believe will shine.
The Championship 25 Under 25 list features a few expected players, some who are either linked with big money moves or was part of one at the start of the year.
Josh Bowler, Blackpool (23)
Dan Long of Sky Sports said: “Josh Bowler started his career at QPR and made one Championship appearance before signing a three-year deal at Everton in July 2017.
First-team chances were non-existent, though, and it was not until two years later that he was given a chance to prove himself at senior level when he joined Hull on a season-long loan.
Last summer, Bowler signed for Blackpool on a one-year deal and he played all bar four league games as the Seasiders surpassed expectations to finish 23 points clear of the relegation zone in 16th. Comfortable on either flank, he scored seven league goals and set up another three.
Blackpool exercised their option to extend his stay at Bloomfield Road for a further 12 months this summer and the 23-year-old is sure to be a big part of Michael Appleton’s plans this term.
Ben Brereton Diaz, Blackburn Rovers (23)
Dan Long of Sky Sports said: This young man was one of the shining lights in the Championship last year.
A 1000/1 antepost shot to score 20 league goals, the 23-year-old – who is now a senior Chile international – finished with 22, which put him joint-third in the second tier rankings. Not bad for a player who had scored 18 in the five seasons prior.
Comfortable playing on either flank or through the middle, where he has begun to make a name for himself, Brereton Diaz – who recently signed a one-year contract extension – will be a key component for Jon Dahl Tomasson’s Rovers side going forward – that is if he does not depart Ewood Park this summer, with several clubs across Europe vying for his signature.
Joe Bursik, Stoke City (22)
Dan Long of Sky Sports said: The No 1 spot was never set in stone at Stoke last season – and Joe Bursik knows it all too well.
The England U21 international started the campaign as the Potters’ first-choice goalkeeper, was then dropped for five matches, returned for five and then missed two months through injury.
He returned to make seven more, but was largely kept out of the team by Jack Bonham after Adam Davies’ departure to Sheffield United.
Bursik is closing in on 100 senior appearances – 76 of which have come in the Sky Bet EFL, both with the Potters and across loan spells with Accrington, Doncaster, Peterborough and Lincoln – which is an impressive number for a 22-year-old.
Providing Michael O’Neill does not decide to bring another goalkeeper in to challenge Bursik and Bonham, the former is likely to start the season between the sticks, making the regular appearances he needs to further his development.
Tyrese Campbell – Stoke City (22)
Dan Long of Sky Sports said: As the son of ex-Arsenal and Everton striker Kevin, Tyrese Campbell has learned from the best.
Since making his Stoke debut in 2018, he has shown himself to be a formidable frontman in his own right, but also a real creative force when often deployed on the right wing.
The reality is he has only been able to show his potential in pockets, owing to a serious knee injury sustained in December 2020.
The 22-year-old completed his path to recovery when he returned to action last October and he was quickly reintegrated into the squad by Michael O’Neill, though he was restricted to just 10 starts.
As the Potters plot to end a longer-than-planned stay in the second tier, it is time for the former England U20 international to once again show the world what he is all about.
Ilias Chair – QPR (24)
Dan Long of Sky Sports said: Ilias Chair is only 24, but he is part of the furniture at QPR.
He arrived in west London on trial in 2017, never left and broke into Mark Warburton’s first team thinking at the start of 2019/20 after a glittering loan spell at Stevenage in League Two.
He has missed just 14 Championship matches in the past three seasons combined, scoring 21 goals and assisting another 15.
The Belgian-born Morocco international has been a revelation as Rangers’ playmaker, despite previously being told England “was not for me” by those around him.
Most comfortable as a No 10, Chair was deployed in a variety of midfield positions by Warburton last term, as well as spending time on the wing, and will be integral to any aspirations new boss Michael Beale has of taking the club back to the Premier League.
Jack Clarke, Sunderland (21)
Dan Long of Sky Sports said: Jack Clarke was handed his professional debut at Leeds under Marcelo Bielsa in 2018 and made such an impression that, by the start of the 2019/20 campaign, Tottenham had agreed a four-year deal to sign the teenager.
He returned to Elland Road on loan, but struggled for playing time and was recalled, before he made a handful of appearances at QPR, then started brightly at Stoke, before an Achilles injury cut his time in the Potteries short.
He joined Sunderland in July following a successful loan spell at the Stadium of Light during the second half of 2021/22, and left Spurs having made just four first team appearances for the north London club.
The 21-year-old – a direct winger with plenty of pace – has signed another four-year deal, but this time stability will give him the chance to fulfil his true potential.
Jahmari Clarke, Reading (18)
Dan Long of Sky Sports said: Both Crystal Palace’s Michael Olise and Nottingham Forest new boy Omar Richards came through the Reading academy and the latest prospect to come off the talent conveyor belt in Berkshire is Jahmari Clarke.
A striker by trade, the 18-year-old was part of the Royals’ first team squad for much of last season and made 12 appearances from the bench, scoring twice in a 2-1 win over Birmingham.
Over the summer, he became a Jamaica U20 international and, earlier this month, he signed a new contract at the Select Car Leasing Stadium, which is understood to tie him to the club until the summer of 2024 and signals that he may well be an important part of Paul Ince’s plans for the season ahead.
Josh Coburn – Middlesbrough (19)
Sky Sports: Josh Coburn caught the eye of many when he scored an extra-time winner to see Middlesbrough past Tottenham in last season’s FA Cup fifth round.
The 19-year-old centre-forward proved himself to be a handy option off the bench, too, and scored five goals having made just five starts in all competitions.
It is perhaps telling Coburn has not been shipped out on loan; to Boro, he appears not just to be a raw talent who needs nurturing, but a real star capable of mixing it in the Championship on a regular basis.
They certainly want to keep him around the place, having handed him a fresh three-and-a-half year deal in January, with the option to extend by a further 12 months.
Rubin Colwill – Cardiff City (20)
Dan Long of Sky Sports said: Rubin Colwill joined Cardiff at the age of eight in 2010 and worked his way through the Bluebirds’ ranks to the first team last year, when he was rewarded with a professional contract after making his debut.
Mick McCarthy incorporated him into the team last season and Steve Morison kept him there after he took over as manager.
He is highly-regarded at international level, too, with six Wales caps and a goal to his name already.
‘Officially’ regarded as a winger, the 20-year-old stood out as a No 10 in his breakout campaign and showed willingness to play on either flank.
Depending on the part he has to play, Colwill will, however, likely be expected to improve his attacking return, having scored six goals and registered one assist in 38 games.
Daryl Dike – West Brom (22)
Dan Long of Sky Sports said: USA international Dike arrived on the scene in February 2021, when he joined Barnsley on loan from MLS club Orlando City.
Last May, he told Sky Sports how he was continuing to study for his degree in finance, and while doing so, he was also managing to spearhead the club’s sensational challenge for the Championship play-offs, with nine goals in 19 league games.
He returned to the UK on a permanent basis when he signed for West Brom – then managed by former Barnsley boss Valerien Ismael – on a four-and-a-half year contract on New Year’s Day, but managed just two appearances before a hamstring injury prematurely curtailed his season.
That misfortune is sure to spur the 6’2″ frontman on to become the figurehead of Steve Bruce’s new-look team as they look to put a disappointing 2021/22 campaign behind them.
Tyrhys Dolan, Blackburn Rovers (20)
Dan Long of Sky Sports said: Blackburn quickly made a swoop to tie down Tyrhys Dolan two summers ago, shortly after the Mancunian youngster was told he would be released after three years in Preston’s academy.
Tony Mowbray was not afraid to field young players in his team and the 20-year-old became part of his plans; on one occasion, he scored eight minutes after being introduced against his former side in November 2020 and went out of his way to celebrate.
In 2020/21, he made 31 appearances on the right wing, but as starting opportunities presented themselves last season, he played on both flanks, through the middle and in an attacking midfield role, too.
What Dolan lacks in height, he makes up for in electric pace, excellent close control and exquisite skill, particularly when approaching the penalty area. Reportedly targeted by Celtic and Rangers this summer, he is almost certain to be a part of Jon Dahl Tomasson’s plans at Ewood Park.
Check out more of the 25 biggest talents under 25 years old playing in the Championship in 2022/23 by clicking on the next page.
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