5 players from the Championship who can light up the Premier League in 2017/18

The likes of Newcastle are back. What do they have in store?

While most of the media talk at the minute is about the expensive signings that could possibly be heading to the Premier League for 2017/18 – names like James Rodriguez, Bernardo Silva, Kylian Mbappe, and so on – one group of players seems to be largely ignored. They’re the group of players that definitely *are* heading to the Premier League – players coming up from the Championship, either via one of the promoted sides, or players from larger clubs who spent last season on loan in England’s second tier.

Last season saw Brighton & Hove Albion, Newcastle United and Huddersfield Town promoted and all three sides have some players who should slot right into the Premier League. Others clearly won’t, and in the dog-eat-dog world of the top tier, it’s time to sink or swim. Some players, however, I expect to shoot to fame in 2017-18, following the path taken by the likes of Kevin Phillips over a decade ago. Here are five of them.

#5 Aaron Mooy

 

Australian midfielder Mooy spent 2016-17 on loan at Huddersfield Town from Manchester City and proved to be a major hit – not only did he appear in 45 of Huddersfield’s 46 league games, he was also named Man of the Match in the play-off final against Reading that saw the Terriers promoted to the Premier League and coolly dispatched his penalty in the decisive shootout. The Aussie was also voted Player of the Season by Huddersfield fans – showing how well he’s been received at the Kirklees Stadium.

Forming a formidable midfield partnership with Jonathan Hogg and operating from a deep, defensive role, the 26-year-old is calm and comfortable on the ball and his distribution was consistently fantastic last season, as was his ability to win the ball from the opposition. The Australian also chipped in with four goals and seven assists, showing the depth in his game too.

While he’s not likely to become part of Pep Guardiola’s plans at Manchester City anytime soon, Huddersfield boss David Wagner would reportedly love to sign him on a permanent basis and so it seems ever-more likely that we’ll see Mooy in the Premier League next season – he’d have no shortage of suitors should the Terriers fail to secure his services. And based on his 2016-17 form, there’s no reason to believe he can’t develop into a Premier League star too