With the international break in full swing, fans in the Transfer Tavern are not just missing the Premier League, but the Championship as well.
Indeed, the second tier in English football is exciting as ever this year, with it still looking typically unclear who could take the title. Brighton and Hove Albion initially looked the team to beat, but it is previously relegated side Hull City who go into the break on top of the tree.
Of course, the most entertaining thing about the Championship is anyone really can beat anyone. One week you could beat the leaders away, the next you could face an embarrasing defeat at home to the side’s basement team.
The Championship has also seen a lot of managerial changes of late, with QPR, Fulham, Huddersfield and of course, Leeds among many who have changed the man in charge.
Punters here in the Tavern began discussing which players had performed particularly well so far, and as a result, were surely destined for a Premier League move sooner rather than later.
Hit the image below to see FIVE Championship players destined for a Premier League move
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Charlie Austin
Austin is proven at Premier League level, having scored 18 goals for relegated QPR last season. Though it looked like Austin would move in the summer, he announced on deadline day that he was committed to helping the Hoops back into the big time.
However, with QPR currently in 13th, sitting eight points outside the play-offs, this is looking increasingly unlikely. QPR may sell Austin in January in order to risk losing him for nothing. Austin’s £15m price tag put off many clubs in the summer, but with QPR set to half their asking price, several suitors should come calling.
Benik Afobe
The former Arsenal youngster had been linked with a move away from Molineux in the summer to Premier League new boys Norwich City. However, current club Wolves’ asking price of £12m caused the Canaries to quickly stop chirping.
Afobe hasn’t even spent a year at Wolves yet, so is asking price is unlikely to go down by much. But with several clubs in the league seeking a goalscorer, a move for the 22 year old could be a decent piece of buisness.
Nick Blackman
Blackman has brief Premier League experience at his current club Reading, making a handful of apperances as they went down without a whimper in the 2012-13 season. Since then, however, Blackman has come on leaps and bounds and is the joint-second top scorer in the division this season with nine goals.
At the age of 26 and having yet not signed a new contract at the Royals, Blackman could be considering his options, and a Premier League club could potentially get him at decent value.
Moussa Dembele
Not to be confused with the Tottenham Midfielder, but Fulham’s young striker has also recently been linked with a move to White Hart Lane. Aged only 19, the French striker is one of the hottest properties in the Championship, and already has 7 goals to his name.
Mauricio Pochettino has showed with Delle Alli that he is not afraid to promote youngsters from lower divisions straight into the first team, so a move for Dembele could be a very positive one.
Ben Gibson
The Middelsbrough youngster, who is the nephew of chairman Steve, is unlikely to move this January. But the under 21s centre back is surely destined for bigger and better things if his side fail to get promoted once again.
At the age of 22, Gibson has a bright future ahead of him, and there was talk that Liverpool and Man City were keeping an eye on the no-nonsense centre back.
