Three ex-Championship players to watch for in the Premier League

It was a big finish to the Championship for Norwich City after they took the top spot by a solid five points and secured their third promotion to the Premier League in eight seasons, with the team climbing to the top tier of English football alongside Sheffield United and Aston Villa. The three clubs will get a fresh taste of Premier League football, and with the summer transfer window it’s going to be interesting speculating on EPL tips for new clubs and players alike making a new start among the top ranks.

Let’s take a look at three players making the move who are sure to create some interesting football.

Ezri Konsa

When Lloyd Kelly moved over to Bournemouth for £13 million, Konsa (along with Dael Fry) were the only two players from the England Under-21s without a Premier League signing to their name, so it was only a matter of time. Aston Villa just made their move, bringing the young defender over from Brentford. It puts him back in the same club as former boss Dean Smith after a well-run campaign with the Bees, and Smith’s familiarity with Konsa is sure to help him slot right in to Villa’s back line. The club has been spending big. It’s likely he’ll be joined at the back by left-back Frederic Guilbert, who the club signed in January but spent the remainder of the season back at Caen on loan but is expected to come back next season. On the other side, Matt Targett has just been pulled over from Southampton and is likely to plug the gap.

Daniel James

This could have been a very different season for Daniel James. In January Leeds had all but signed him over from Swansea, but the deal fell through at the last possible moment of the transfer window. And yet here he is, all smiles, rocking up to Man United after the heavy hitters snagged him for an undisclosed sum and put him on a five year contract. It’s the 21 year old’s searing pace that has made him attractive to Man U, and the club will be looking to put that to good use and develop it over the coming season. The team stumbled in April and May, missing out on a Champions League spot in the process, but the club is hoping that the signing of James and Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s £50 million move from Crystal Palace will inject some pace across both the front and back lines.

Che Adams

No-one was especially surprised to see Birmingham City cash in on Che Adams after he racked up an impressive 22 goals in the Championship. He picked up both players’ and supporters’ Player of the Year Awards, as well as goal of the season. He was, in other words, a juicy proposition for watching Premier League teams. What was a little bit of a surprise, however, was the fact that the team that got him wasn’t Crystal Palace, as heavily rumoured.

Southampton FC picked him up, making him Ralph Hasenhüttl’s second summer signing after he picked up Mali international player Moussa Djenepo, another attacker who’s quick off the mark. It’s clear that Southampton is planning a fast forward line for next season and it’s going to be exciting how they progress.

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