After the opening weekend of the Championship season, punters will already have made notes on which teams look like promotion and relegation candidates. We’ve decided to take a look at some of the players who could have a big season in the English second tier.
1) Michael Chopra (Ipswich)
A brace on his debut for Ipswich (12/1 Championship Outright) showed once again that the former Newcastle frontman is one of the best finishers in the division. The 27-year-old has been a prolific goalscorer at this level, consistently finding his name at the top of the scoring charts.
A transfer fee of £1.5million looks a good deal for a proven goal poacher and the Tractorboys indicated that they could be a threat this season with an impressive 3-0 success at Bristol City on the opening day. Paul Jewell’s men now have back-to-back home league fixtures and will have their sights set on an unbeaten August.
2) Matt Mills (Leicester)
The Foxes have spent big this summer with a number of new faces arriving at the club, but Matt Mills looks the best of the arrivals. The former Reading centre-back made an instant impact in the opening day win at Coventry, with Leicester (7/2f for promotion) keeping an impressive clean sheet and limiting the Sky Blues to half chances.
With many Championship teams looking leaky at the back, a solid defensive foundation could prove vital in Leicester’s push for the Premier League.
3) Luke Varney (Portsmouth)
A goal on his debut highlighted Varney’s likely importance to Pompey this season, with the forward salvaging a late draw at Middlesbrough. The ex-Crewe man showed his quality in the top flight whilst on loan at Blackpool last term and he will surely cause defences problems this season.
Steve Cotterill was delighted with the £750,000 capture of Varney and the 28-year-old could prove a crucial addition to a squad that may challenge for a play-off spot.
4) Adam Lallana (Southampton)
The England Under-21 international is looking to take the next step in his career and the way he tore into Leeds on the opening day suggests he will be a star of the Championship this term.
Lallana scored the second goal in a 3-1 success and with fears that Alex Chamberlain may leave in the summer transfer window, he could have a major role to play for the Saints.
5) Anthony Gerrard (Cardiff)
The Liverpudlian has been given a second chance at Cardiff (14/1 Championship Outright) following the arrival of Malky Mackay and he has the desire to play at the top level. The cousin of Liverpool star Steven spent much of last season on loan at Hull City, after falling out of favour under Dave Jones.
The 25-year-old showed in his time with the Tigers that he is commanding at this level and should be key for Cardiff this season. Gerrard and co started solidly as well with a 0-1 win at West Ham on Sunday.
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