Standout Stars: English Championship 2023/24

By Neel Shelat

With the transfer window now open, clubs around the world will be looking to strengthen their squads in preparation for the next campaign, so the standout stars in various leagues will be on many radars. Using Smarterscout’s league benchmarking models and advanced metrics, we will pick out some such players in this series.

Although it is the second tier in England, the Championship is arguably among the top ten leagues in Europe in terms of overall team and player quality. The more ambitious clubs in the division have spending power that can rival some of the strongest competitors in leagues outside the big five, so they can regularly bring in some of the most exciting talents from around the continent and, indeed, the world.

As ever, a fair few such players impressed in the 2023/24 season. Here are six of them who could well be on the move this summer:

Crysencio Summerville (LW, 2001, Leeds United)

Leeds United will have been bitterly disappointed after missing out on promotion on the back of a very strong campaign. A handful of their players should still feature in the Premier League next season as a few key departures are expected, and chief among them is Championship Player of the Season Crysencio Summerville.

The Dutch winger returned with 19 goals and 9 assists in the league, starting over 40 matches and impressing in almost all of them. He poses an incredible multifaceted threat on the left side that makes him very hard to defend against. Summerville can both start close to the touchline or drift into the halfspace to receive the ball, using his excellent close control to manoeuvre through tight spaces or twist defenders inside out and riding challenges very well using his low center of gravity. He can link up with his teammates quite well with a good burst of pace to get on the end of one-twos, and his decision-making in the final third is generally on point too. Add to that his powerful finishing, and you get one of the most dynamic attackers you’ll see who was among the top shot-creators in the Championship last season.

Summerville will almost certainly play in the Premier League next season with Leeds set to flip a great profit on his transfers after signing him for just €1.5 million. They are said to be asking for around €40 million now, with the likes of Brighton & Hove Albion, Chelsea and Crystal Palace all reportedly interested.

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (CM, 1998, Leicester City)

Leicester City won promotion on the first time of asking with head coach Enzo Maresca impressing enough to earn a move to Chelsea, and he was followed by Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.

He has developed well at the King Power Stadium in the last few years and went on to the next level as a more advanced number eight under Maresca last term. His ball retention, defending quality and quantity remained pretty good, but his attacking output jumped up big time as he consistently popped up in dangerous areas in and around the box and showed good composure to return with 12 goals and 14 assists.

If Maresca uses the same system at Chelsea, Dewsbury-Hall will have a tailor-made role in the squad. If not, he should still be able to offer excellent progressive carrying from deep if asked or operate between the lines and use his close control and strength in ground duels to retain the ball in tight areas high up the pitch. All in all, he should be a very good signing for Maresca’s side.

Junior Firpo (LB, 1996, Leeds United)

Leeds United signed Junior Firpo from Barcelona back in 2021 after winning promotion to the Premier League, so the fact that they could hold on to him even after dropping back down to the Championship was at least slightly surprising. Indeed, Firpo was the subject of serious transfer interest in each of the last two windows, and he will need to make a definitive decision on his future this summer with just a year left on his current contract.

Other clubs’ previous hesitation to sign Firpo might be explained by the fact that he has always been an exciting attacker but lacked defensive quality, which obviously is critical for any full-back. Last season, though, that is the aspect he improved in most notably, very impressively tackling over 70% of the dribblers he challenged.

His attacking qualities should be quite well-known by now. The Dominican international gets forward into advanced positions on the wing, where he can receive the ball and whip dangerous balls across the box. He is quite speedy too and can carry the ball forward very quickly with open space in front of him.

Firpo’s more attack-minded profile can make him a difficult fit for many sides, but if he can maintain his improved defensive quality, he could be a good signing for many Premier League and La Liga sides.

Sammie Szmodics (CAM/SS/CF/ST, 1995, Blackburn Rovers)

The Championship’s top-scorer was neither from one of the promoted teams nor one of the promotion contenders, but instead played for a relegation-battling side! Blackburn Rovers endured a shocking season as they finished just three points clear of the drop zone, and they most likely would have gone down if not for Sammie Szmodics.

With 27 goals and 4 assists, the Irishman was responsible in one way or another for over half of his side’s scoring return. They chopped and changed formations throughout the season using everything from a 4-2-3-1 to a 3-4-1-2, with Szmodics either deployed behind the striker(s) or up front. Obviously, his movement into the box and clinical finishing were the standout attributes, though he was a lot better at getting on the end of quality chances as the second or third presence in the box. Up front, though, he offered excellent ball retention and link-up passing, showcasing a very well-rounded skillset on the whole.

The 28-year-old forward will know that this window will possibly offer his last chance for a big transfer. His incredible season has garnered attention from as far as Türkiye, though other sides from England are only slowly getting involved so it could be a good deal of time before his next move is decided.

Liam Millar (LM/LWB, 1998, Preston North End (on loan from FC Basel))

Liam Millar is currently away at the Copa América enjoying Canada’s fantastic tournament debut, but a lot of clubs are working on a deal to sign him in the background.

He is technically back on the books of FC Basel now after a great Championship season with Preston North End in which he showcased his top-class dribbling and on-ball qualities to pose a significant attacking threat and register 10 goal involvements for Preston North End.

Championship promotion hopefuls such as Sheffield United, Leeds United and Sunderland are among the sides linked with him. If he continues to enjoy the freedom to cut inside from the left onto his favored right foot, he should have an even better season for one of the division’s top teams.

Hayden Hackney (DM, 2002, Middlesbrough)

There have only been some loose rumors about interest in Hayden Hackney so far this summer, but that really should change as the window progresses. The Middlesbrough midfielder has thoroughly impressed in consecutive Championship seasons, establishing himself as a key figure in the side soon after turning 20.

Hackney stands out as an exceptionally composed figure in his side’s build-up as he comfortably receives the ball in tight spaces with great awareness of his opponents’ and teammates’ positioning. Then, he can resist and evade pressure very well before turning to quickly progress through passing and carrying. He does all of this while retaining possession very well. Add his solid defensive qualities to that, and you already get quite a complete defensive midfielder.

As Premier League clubs continue to recruit young talent from the Championship, Hackney must surely be on almost everybody’s radars.

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