In-form Norwich City have three players in the Championship team of the season so far, but only one Leeds United star makes the final XI…
This is based on WhoScored’s player rating system, so cut us some slack, yeah? The same goes for our Premier League team of the season.
As for the non-Football League snobs, here’s the 2024/25 best Championship XI so far…
GK: Viktor Johansson (Stoke City)
After having the pleasure of watching Johansson carry Rotherham United on his back for two seasons in the Championship, I always knew the Stoke City newbie would be one of the league’s best summer signings.
This has quickly proven the case as the Sweden international has been kept busy at the start of this campaign. New Stoke head coach Narcis Pelach will do well to end his side’s bottom-half curse this season, but he does benefit from having one of the Championship’s best goalkeepers.
RB: Lewie Coyle (Hull City)
The Tigers made a poor start to this season following the damaging sales of Jaden Philogene and Jacob Greaves, but three consecutive wins before the international break moved them clear of the relegation zone. Still, this campaign looks unlikely to match the ambitions of wealthy owner Acun Ilıcalı.
Coyle continues to be one of Hull City’s most consistent performers. Despite signing Cody Drameh in the summer, the 29-year-old remains their first-choice right-back, while the highly-rated 22-year-old has been moved to left-back.
CB: Ben Cabango (Swansea City)
The exciting brand of football adopted by Luke Williams is far more in line with Swansea City’s ideology than his predecessor Michael Duff and Cabango is the perfect centre-back for the former Notts County head coach.
The ball-playing defender and his partner – Harry Darling – have impressed this season and Swansea will be desperate to tie them down to new contracts before their deals expire next year.
CB: Callum Doyle (Norwich City)
The Manchester City starlet is in his fourth straight season on loan in the Championship. Last year he performed well for Leicester City in an injury-disrupted campaign.
Had he remained fit for the whole season, Doyle would likely be playing in the Premier League this season. But Norwich City have benefited from his stop-start campaign in 2023/24 as he’s been equally impressive at centre-back and left-back.
LB: Dennis Cirkin (Sunderland)
Early-season Championship pace-setters Sunderland stuttered slightly before the international break as they suffered away defeats against Plymouth Argyle and Watford. But they have since bounced back and their defence remains the strongest part of their game.
Twenty-two-year-old Cirkin has sparkled as his side has kept a mightily impressive six clean sheets in ten games.
READ: Sunderland to get promoted? Five reasons why the Championship dark horses could be the real deal
RW: Wilfried Gnonto (Leeds United)
Some high-earning Leeds United players could not flee the scene quickly enough following their 2023 relegation, while three key assets were sold after Daniel Farke’s side suffered play-off heartbreak at the end of last season.
Italy international Gnonto has consistently been linked with an exit since Leeds United’s fall from the Premier League, but he’s remained loyal and has made a superb start to this season. Still only 20, the talented winger may follow Crysensio Summerville in winning the Championship Player of the Year award at the end of this campaign.
CM: Vinicius Souza (Sheffield United)
A superior Leeds United side somewhat exposed the Blades on Friday night and Chris Wilder should know that he needs more than a resolute defence to earn promotion.
While Sheff Utd are lacking in attacking areas, they have far fewer issues at the back and defensive midfielder Souza – who was one of their better performers last season – makes it into this team ahead of 20-year-old starlet Ollie Arblaster.
CM: Alex Mowatt (West Brom)
A graduate of Leeds United’s academy, Mowatt is one of many players who head coach Carlos Corberan is coaching to brilliance as the Baggies surpass expectations in the play-off mix. He is not the biggest success story at the Hawthorns though…
READ: Six Championship stars you thought had retired include Chelsea PL winner, ex-Tottenham pair
LM: Borja Sainz (Norwich City)
You could be forgiven for assuming a season of mid-table obscurity was coming Norwich City’s way following the exits of Jonathan Rowe and Gabriel Sara in the summer, but Johannes Hoff Thorup’s in-form side have gatecrashed the play-off conversation and could be the real deal.
Their immense upturn in form is largely down to the performances of Sainz, who has stepped up in the absence of Rowe and Sara to grab seven goals and two assists in his 19 Championship outings.
ST: Josh Sargent (Norwich City)
Sargent is the third and final Norwich City representative in this XI. The Canaries desperately missed the USA international while he was out with an ankle injury last season and they did well to fend off potential interest from Premier League clubs in the summer.
As he was last season, Sargent is one of, if not the best striker in the Championship on his day and big-budget teams from the league above are likely to come calling for his services in the winter.
ST: Josh Maja (West Brom)
Along with Sainz, West Brom attacker Maja is the joint-top scorer in the Championship. His return to prominence has come out of nowhere and it’s further evidence that head coach Carlos Corberan is bloody brilliant at his job.
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