Another season in the Championship beckons for the 24 teams as they fight it out amongst themselves in this marathon competition and look to be one of the three teams to qualify for the prestigious and coveted English Premier League. Like every year the recently relegated sides look to shake themselves off the shock of relegation and vouch to play out of their skins to qualify immediately, but the manner of relegation counts for a lot in this division. The crushing feeling and the momentum with which a club falls go a long way in determining their fate next season. There is every chance of a team failing to cope up with the intensity and it often results in a consecutive relegation into League One.
But we will sweep the depressing thought aside for now and instead look at 3 players who are likely to capture the imagination of the Sky Bet Championship audience.
MATT RITCHIE
Relegation for a club of Newcastle United’s stature is never good. But what will appease the fans is their ability to hold onto Rafa Benitez as their manager and there seems to be an air of optimism around St. James’ Park as the Championship opener draws close. While the Magpies have been losing most of their star players, the former Liverpool boss has been focusing on recruiting British talent in their quest for immediate promotion. And one of the prominent names to be have been brought on board is that of Matt Ritchie.
Potentially seen as a replacement for the Townsend, Ritchie has been impressive throughout the pre-season. His ability to whip in crosses and his intelligence on the ball will come in handy for Newcastle. Despite interest from several Premier league clubs, the former AFC Bournemouth player chose to join the Magpies. His experience in the Championship will be invaluable, with the player having scored 15 times and assisted a further 17 times in his last stint in the Sky Bet Championship.
WILL GRIGG
He’ll score more and more,
And that’s what we signed him fire
Will Griggs’ on fire, your defence is terrified.
Words which have captivated social media and the whole of Northern Ireland and recently France as the viral fan chant spread like wildfire. Uploaded impromptu by a Latics fan on social media, the chant resonated across the fan base and became a sensation. And there is every reason for it to be one, with the Irish international banging in 25 goals in the League One and propelling Wigan into the Championship in their first attempt. With momentum clearly on their side, Gary Caldwell will look towards Grigg to carry on his breathtaking form and challenge for successive promotion.
ADAMA TRAORE
Aston Villa were woeful last season, to put it mildly. And it’s a fact their supporters and the club themselves will admit. Roberto De Matteo will look to re-energise his troops as they need to buckle up big time even to survive in the Championship. An overhaul would help but we shift our focus as of now to the potential jewel amongst their ranks in the form of Adama Traoré. The Barcelona youth product made the switch to the Premier League in 2015 but will have been dealt a blow with relegation in his very first season. Nevertheless, he has been spoken of in glorious terms and Villa will hope he is able to blossom under the calm influence of Di Matteo. He will be expected to recover from last season’s turbulence and look to offer reliability and consistency up top.
