Three Championship players working wonders this season
Excitement is building following the new year in the Championship with Leeds and West Brom increasing looking like favourites to earn automatic promotion to the Premier League. Players are preparing for the gruelling and most important phase of the season and some young players have already played a big role for their teams.
Here are 3 players who have thrived in the Championship this season.
Jarod Bowen
Jarrod Bowen has been the standout performer in the Championship this season. Hull City are fortunate to have the 22-year-old still on their books. Having scored 14 and 22 goals in the last two seasons already look set to be beaten if the forward remains on Humberside past January.
Bowen could easily figure in any non-top six Premier League side and it seems only a matter of time until his pace, raw talent and predatory finishing are terrorizing top-flight defences.
He is quick, possesses superb technique and has a real eye for goal. Bowen can play anywhere along the front-line which makes him a versatile attacker. He also has a small amount of Premier League experience, playing seven times in the 2016-17 season when Hull were relegated.
In 25 games this season, Bowen has racked up a whopping 15 goals. He also has 6 assists to his name. He has averaged 3.7 shots and 1.2 key passes per game, with a pass success rate of 70.2%. With an average of 2 dribbles per game, Bowen has been Hull’s main man this season [Courtesy: Whoscored].
Kalvin Phillips
Leeds United are again pushing for promotion this season and Phillips has been instrumental to their start. Primarily a defensive midfielder, the English international has proven to be the perfect link between the defence and the attack, setting up goals and covering the backline.
The Whites are in a strong position under Marcelo Bielsa, who recently signed a new contract. But in case they fail to get promoted again – or their odds of making it to Premier League somehow fades away – the Whites might struggle to keep hold of the 24-year-old.
The 24-year-old has been outstanding for Marcelo Bielsa’s side and has a number of really good attributes. He’s a solid tackler and his positional sense is fantastic.
Ben White
Another Leeds United player who has been in terrific form this season is Ben White. The English starlet has so far been the best player in the defensive third in the Championship and is one of the main reasons why Marco Bielsa’s team have an excellent record.
The 2017/18 campaign was a breakthrough year for White, who excelled during a season-long loan spell at League Two side Newport County. White failed to make his Premier League debut for the Seagulls in 2018/19, regularly featuring for the club’s Under-23s, before moving to League One side Peterborough on loan for the second half of the campaign.
White, again, signed a new deal before heading out on loan to Championship promotion favourites Leeds for the 2019/20 campaign, where he has proven to be a big hit thus far. A cool and collected customer on the ball, White possesses sound technical ability. While he is predominantly a centre-half, he can also operate at right-back.
