£25m Liverpool target among six Championship players ready for summer move to Premier League
Summer transfer silly season is fast approaching and these six Championship players have earned a big move to the Premier League.
One of Sunderland’s star players has snuck onto this list after the Black Cats succumbed to Luton Town in the Championship play-off semi-finals. He joins a list which also includes Millwall’s resident Dutchman and Bristol City’s £25m-rated teenager.
Jack Clarke – Sunderland
The ex-Leeds United academy product’s career looked to be in the mud after his progress was halted during an ill-fated spell at Tottenham. Djed Spence has endured a similarly tough period this season and both players have perhaps learned that their move to a Big Six club came too soon.
After being unable to set the world alight while on loan at Stoke City and QPR, Clarke has been loving life at the Stadium of Light. His natural ability has always been clear to see and 21 goal involvements in the league this season prove that he is back on track.
Brentford and Crystal Palace have their eyes on Clarke and you have to feel that he would fit in seamlessly at either club. The 22-year-old has a lot more to give and his past struggles have set him up to grasp his second Premier League chance with both hands.
Zian Flemming – Milwall
In recent years, Championship clubs have more often looked to Europe for their transfers. Coventry City and Rotherham United have benefitted from this with Gustavo Hamer and Cameron Humphreys, while Millwall have found a gem in Flemming.
The ex-Fortuna Sittard attacking midfielder joined the Lions last summer for around £1.7m. Given the club’s limited budget, this was a significant investment in a player who was unproven in English football but Flemming has been sensational for Gary Rowett’s men.
The 24-year-old has managed 18 goal involvements in his debut Championship campaign and it is surely only a matter of time before Millwall earn themselves a huge profit on Flemming, who is arguably a £10m+ player in the making.
Ryan Manning – Swansea City
The Swans enjoyed a stunning end to the season under Russell Martin and Manning was at the centre of their success. The wing-back was involved in five goals in their final five Championship games as they narrowly missed out on the play-off places. This took his tally for the season to five goals and ten assists.
Swansea have been among the best footballing sides in the division but they have lacked an end product for much of this campaign. They clicked during the run-in but this ultimately cost them in the play-off race and there are question marks around the club with Martin currently being targeted by Southampton.
Martin could follow Manning out of the exit door with it already confirmed that the Republic of Ireland international will leave in June when his contract expires. He would be an astute signing for a few Premier League teams and his ability to play in midfield makes him even more appealing to interested clubs.
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Ismaila Sarr – Watford
Over the past couple of years, the Hornets often relied upon Sarr, Joao Pedro and Emmanuel Dennis to get them out of trouble. But the feared attacking trio have been broken up, with the latter two players securing moves to Brighton and Nottingham Forest respectively.
The Sarr-Pedro-Dennis partnership struck fear into Championship opponents and unlike most of their other Watford teammates, they have proven themselves to be Premier League-calibre operators.
Sarr has been a tad inconsistent this season but he has still managed to grab 10 goals and seven assists in an average Watford side. Aston Villa came close to signing him for £25m last summer and with him out of contract next year, there will more than likely be a few Premier League clubs hoping to snap him up for a bargain fee.
Alex Scott – Bristol City
The Championship is blessed with an abundance of stellar teenage talent, with George Hall and Jobe Bellingham making their mark for Birmingham City. But Scott is perhaps ahead of the Blues duo in the development process.
The 19-year-old has started 40 Championship games this term. His form earned him a place in the league’s Team of the Season and he has also been named as the Young Player of the Season in the second tier.
A £25m valuation tells you all you need to know about how highly Bristol City rate him, with Liverpool, West Ham and Wolves among the Premier League clubs monitoring his development.
Nathan Tella – Burnley
Southampton have made plenty of daft decisions this season. Appointing Nathan Jones is among them but with the benefit of hindsight, the call to let Tella join Burnley on loan is mindblowing.
The Saints academy product was a bit-part player under Ralph Hasenhuttl up until this season, but with the Premier League’s bottom club being among the lowest scorers in the top flight, they would have benefitted from Tella’s presence in the fight to avoid relegation.
Vincent Kompany has transformed Burnley into Man City-lite this season and Tella has been one of his star performers. The 23-year-old has grabbed 17 goals and five assists for the 101-point league champions.
It will be fascinating to see how the Clarets adapt to life back in the Premier League and it is fair to assume that Tella will be sticking around to join them on this journey.