It’s a big leap fromthe Championshipto the PremierLeague, but plenty of players have been successful in making itover time.

We look at six stars who could be ready to make the stepup to the top flight this summer.Hayden HackneyHaydenHackney was the only player to be named in our 2024-25 Championship Team of the Season who did not play foreither of the two clubs to win automatic promotion from the league– Leedsand Burnley.Playing for England Under-21s this summer at the 2025 U21European Championships, Hackney was the conductor in the Middlesbroughmidfield last season.

No player in the Championship was involved inas many open-play attacking sequences that ended in a team shot(273), while he initiated 49 of those himself – only four off theleague leader Jason Knight at Bristol City (53).Hackney may have only provided five goals and three assists, butas a deep-lying midfield player you wouldn’t expect him to havebeen among the leaders for goal involvements.

He did, however, leadthe league rankings for secondary chances created – where a playermade the pass to the player who created the chance – with 66, whichunderlined his importance to Middlesbrough’s shot creation.An adept ball carrier, Hackney progressed the ball upfield morethan any other central midfielder in the Championship last season(4,347m).

This is one of many facets of his game that has seen hisname linked to some Premier League clubs this summer.JackRudoniJackRudoni enjoyed a superb first season at CoventryCity after joining the club from relegated side HuddersfieldTown in the summer of 2024.Having just turned 24 this month, Rudoni is already one of themost promising players in the Championship, despite only playingthree seasons of second-tier football following three years ofLeague One action at AFC Wimbledon.He was one of only three Championship players last season topost double figures for both goals (10) and assists (12) alongsideManor Solomon and Finn Azaz, while only three players created morechances for teammates than he did in 2024-25 (80).Another key aspect of Rudoni’s game is his excellent set-piecedelivery – an area of his game that could easily be transferrableto the Premier League.

No player assisted a higher xG total fromcorners in the Championship last season than Rudoni (2.81), whilehis corners led to seven goals – nobody delivered more than this in2024-25.Josh SargentNorwich City’s JoshSargent has proved himself as one of the Championship’s mostpotent strikers.The United States international has scored 44 goals in thesecond tier of England over the last three seasons, with only oneof those goals coming from the penalty spot.

That tally means he’sthe second highest scorer in the Championship across those threeseasons, with seven goals fewer than JoëlPiroe.After a difficult first season with the Canaries in the PremierLeague in 2021-22, where Norwichwere relegated and Sargent scored just twice in 1,578 minutes ofaction, he has had no such trouble finding the net in theChampionship.

Across his three seasons, he has averaged a goalevery 171 minutes – slightly better than a goal every twogames.In all three of his Championship seasons at Carrow Road, he’sscored more than his xG total suggests that he ‘should’ have (7.5overperformance overall) and has improved his shot conversion rateseason-on-season, with 2024-25’s 13.3% his highest in a campaignyet.A move back to the Premier League would give Sargent theopportunity to improve his top-flight goal record and potentiallybecome just the fifth American to score 10+ goals in thecompetition after Clint Dempsey (57), Brian McBride (36), ChristianPulisic (20) and Roy Wegerle (13).Giorgi ChakvetadzeA fan favourite at Watford,Giorgi Chakvetadze is one of the best ball carriers in theChampionship.

The 25-year-old averaged a league-high 160.6m fromcarries per 90 minutes in the league last season, while only MikeyJohnston (13.0m) averaged more progressive carries per 90 amongattacking players than he did (11.0m).Chakvetadze was the only Championship player in 2024-25 to bothattempt 30+ shots (37) and create 30+ chances for his teammates(31) following carries, but his chance creation didn’t come solelyfrom ball carrying – he was one of only nine players to create morethan 70 chances overall for teammates last season (73).His end product can still be improved, with just two goals andsix assists in 39 league appearances last season, but Watford’sreliance on Chakvetadze was shown by the fact that until hesuffered an injury in early April against Bristol City, theGeorgian played in all but one of their 40 league games and hischance creation tally was more than double any other player at theclub.Tom FellowsAnother player currently appearing at the U21 EuropeanChampionships with England, TomFellows enjoyed a great season in the Championship afterbreaking through at WestBromwich Albion in 2023-24.Fellows assisted a joint-league high 14 goals in 2024-25alongside Portsmouth’s Josh Murphy, while he ranked sixth overallfor open-play chances created (59).

Another on this list of playerswho is an excellent ball carrier, nobody in the Championshipcreated more chances following carries than Fellows last season(36).A league-high six of his assists came following open-playcrosses, while only Murphy (27) created more chances than he did(26) in the Championship from such scenarios.

Fellows, however,fired in 96 fewer open-play crosses than Murphy to achieve histally.So consistent were his performances last season at West Brom,Fellows was voted as the club’s Young Player of the Year for thesecond successive campaign.Jason KnightRepublic of Ireland international JasonKnight was arguably the most impressive player for BristolCity in the Championship last season.The 24-year-old was an ever-present for his club last season,starting all 50 matches across all competitions on the way tocaptaining the Robins to their first top-six finish in the secondtier since 2007-08.Knight was integral to breaking up opposition sequences of playand beginning possession sequences for his own club in 2024-25.Bristol City attempted 53 shots from sequences of possessionstarted by Knight, while he also topped the league ranking forchances that began with him actively winning possession back fromthe opposition (18).

His tally of 201 possession wins in the middlethird of the pitch was 36 more than any other Championship playerlast season.Only four players created more open-play chances in the divisionthan he did for his teammates last season (60), while only Hackney(67) created more secondary chances than his 55.The 24-year-old has been capped 39 times for his nation but isyet to make an appearance in the top-flight.

He might not have towait too much longer for his chance, however.Subscribe toour footballnewsletter to receive exclusive weekly content.

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