Championship 2025-26 best players: Who are the men to watch this season?

Two-and-a-half months after Sunderland beat Sheffield United in the playoff final, the Championship will return in all its glory for the 2025-26 campaign.

Southampton, Leicester City, and Ipswich Town are back in the division following their brief stints in the Premier League, while Birmingham City, Wrexham and Charlton Athletic have arrived from the third tier.

There will be plenty of talent on display among the 24 teams, with players looking to help their clubs and build their own reputations as one of the league's stars.

Here, Sports Mole picks out some of the best players who will be plying their trade in the Championship this season, using stats from FBref unless stated otherwise.

Hayden Hackney (Middlesbrough, CM)

Hackey is still at Middlesbrough after recently turning down the opportunity to join recently relegated side Ipswich Town.

The England Under-21 international has been linked with the Premier League, but as it stands, he will start the season as a member of Rob Edwards's squad.

If Hackey remains at the Riverside Stadium, Edwards will be able to call upon one of the best midfielders in the second tier in his first season in charge of the club.

As per Opta Analyst, Hackney progressed the ball up the pitch more than any other central midfielder in the Championship last term, showcasing his ability as a top passer.

Hackney also chipped in with five goals and three assists despite operating from a deep position for large parts of the campaign.

The 23-year-old is also a strong performer in his defensive duties, demonstrated by the fact that he was in the top six for blocks in the 2024-25 Championship season.

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Finn Azaz (Middlesbrough, AM)

While Hackney could be on the move this summer, Finn Azaz will have a key role to play in Middlesbrough’s first season under the guidance of Rob Edwards.

The 24-year-old tends to thrive in the number 10 role, but he is also capable of playing out wide when required.

Boro will surely look to get the Irishman on the ball as much as possible, considering that he was one of the top attackers in the Championship last term.

Only Leeds United's Joel Piroe and Burnley’s Josh Brownhill registered more goal contributions than Azaz, who scored 12 goals and provided 11 assists in 45 Championship appearances.

Azaz’s creative talents are further illustrated by the fact that he completed more key passes and more passes into the penalty area than any other player in the second tier last season.

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Jimmy Dunne (Queens Park Rangers, RB/CB)

QPR finished the 2024-25 campaign with the eighth-worst defensive record in the division, but that statistic was not a reflection of Dunne’s performances.

In fact, QPR could have shipped more goals without Dunne in their backline, as the defender showcased qualities throughout the campaign.

The 27-year-old finished the season in the top five for clearances, blocks, dribblers tackled, tackles won and tackles made.

QPR's captain played the majority of the campaign on the right side of defence, but he is also a strong option to play at centre-back.

Julien Stephan will surely be relying on Dunne to play a key role if he is to enjoy success in his first season as a Championship head coach.

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Jack Rudoni (Coventry City, CM)

Rudoni could be key if Frank Lampard's side are to match and better last season's playoff semi-final appearance.

Coventry's first job is to keep the midfielder at the club, having seen him become the subject of transfer speculation following his impressive 2024-25 campaign.

The 24-year-old comfortably registered more goal contributions than any of his Coventry teammates, scoring nine goals and providing 12 assists in 43 appearances during the regular season.

Rudoni also made the fourth-highest number of key passes in the second tier, highlighting his importance to the Sky Blues in their attacking efforts.

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Gustavo Hamer (Sheffield United, LM)

Like Rudoni, Hamer is another player who has been linked with a move away from his current employers, but at the time of writing, the attacker is still an active member of Ruben Selles's squad.

Hamer netted nine goals and contributed seven assists during the 2024-25 regular Championship season, before he registered two more goal contributions in Sheffield United's playoff campaign, which ultimately ended in Wembley heartbreak.

The 28-year-old was a key creative outlet last term, producing more through balls than any other player in the league, while finishing in the top five for passes into the penalty area and goal-creating actions.

Hamer tended to play off the left for Chris Wilder last season, but it will be intriguing to see if he keeps that role or operates in a central-midfield position under Selles.

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Leif Davis (Ipswich Town, LB)

Davis surely has to be regarded as one of the best full-backs in the Championship following Ipswich's relegation from the Premier League.

The 25-year-old struggled to make an offensive impact in a difficult top-flight campaign, but he proved in the 2023-24 season that he is a top-class operator at Championship level.

Left-back Davis racked up 21 assists in 43 appearances to help Ipswich win promotion, and he will be a dangerous player for opposition defences if he can rediscover that form this term.

Davis also ended his last Championship season in the top ten for dribblers tackled, demonstrating that he will be key for Ipswich at both ends of the pitch in their quest to secure an immediate return to the top flight.

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Viktor Johansson (Stoke City, GK)

James Trafford made the headlines with his impressive campaign for Burnley last season, claiming 29 clean sheets in 45 league matches to equal the record for the number of shutouts in a single season in English football.

While Johansson's tally of 14 clean sheets seems average in comparison, the Stoke goalkeeper was undoubtedly one of the best shot-stoppers in the second tier last term.

Given the lack of protection in front of him, Johansson made more saves than any other shot-stopper in the division, while he was also third in the charts for Post-Shot Expected Goals minus Goals Allowed - a metric that measures a goalkeeper's shot-stopping ability.

Johansson will be looking to provide the solid foundation for his team to push on in Mark Robins's first full season in charge.

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Giorgi Chakvetadze (Watford, AM)

Chakvetadze is not the first player on this list who has become linked with a potential move away, but if he does remain at Vicarage Road, he will certainly be an exciting player to keep an eye on during the course of the campaign.

The Georgian may have only scored two goals and registered six assists in 39 league appearances last term, but a number of metrics suggest that he deserved more for his creative work.

Chakvetadze's dribbling skills saw him make the top six for successful take-ons, progressive carries and carries into the penalty area, while only Azaz produced more shot-creating actions than him during the 2024-25 Championship season.

Under the guidance of new boss Paulo Pezzolano, Chakvetadze will be looking to convert last season's promise into more goal contributions in the upcoming campaign.

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Kyogo Furuhashi (Birmingham City, CF)

Furuhashi is one of a number of notable additions that Birmingham have made to their squad since winning promotion from League One.

The Japan international is looking to revive his career at St Andrew's after enduring a torrid time during his brief six-month stint with Rennes, where he made just six appearances following his move from Celtic in January.

Furuhashi enjoyed a successful period with the Scottish giants, netting 85 goals and contributing 19 assists in 165 appearances in all competitions.

The 30-year-old will be a danger to Championship defences if he can get anywhere near the level he produced during his time in Scotland.

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Abdul Fatawu (Leicester City, RW)

Fatawu made a positive impact in his previous experience of Championship football when he scored seven goals and provided 13 assists in Leicester's promotion-winning campaign.

After converting his loan move from Sporting into a permmanent deal last summer, Fatawu went on to make just 11 Premier League appearances before he sustained a season-ending knee injury in November.

As a result, Fatawu was unable to a affect Leicester's disastrous Premier League campaign, but he will be hoping to have a positive influence in their latest promotion bid, although he may need time to get back up to speed following a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

New Leicester boss Marti Cifuentes will be pleased to have an exciting winger, who poses the ability to beat a man and create numerous chances for his teammates.