With the playoffs over and football soon hibernating for the summer, it’s time to take a look back at some of the best players throughout the season.
A Quick Run Down
It was agreed early on that this season could be one of the most open in the Championship’s recent history. The three relegated sides, Luton, Burnley and Sheffield United, were unimpressive during their time in the Premier League and had much to prove.
Burnley were the only side to change manager after Vincent Kompany failed to secure a job at a higher level, opting instead for a role at Bayern Munich despite Burnley’s lacklustre survival attempt. Luton kept their faith in Rob Edwards, and Sheffield United had only just employed Chris Wilder for his second term at the club.
Leeds missed out on promotion the previous season, and sides like Middlesbrough, West Brom, Coventry, and Sunderland had high aspirations for the upcoming season.
After a quick start out of the gates, normality would swiftly resume with Burnley, Leeds and Sheffield United being the runaway favourites for much of the season. However, Sunderland pleasantly surprised the football neutral by dramatically defeating Sheffield in the play-off final.
With the scene being set, let’s get into the players who stood out amongst the rest…
Goalkeeper – James Trafford
The obvious choice with a mega 29 clean sheets, an 84.5% save percentage, and only conceding 16 goals all season. Burnley’s defence has been in a league of its own this season, and James Trafford is a huge part of that. At 21 years of age, Trafford is a future England keeper.
This comes a season after Trafford and Burnley managed only two clean sheets in the Premier League and conceded a whopping 62 goals. Scott Parker has transformed this team into a defensive yet clinical unit, preparing them for Premier League football.
Even with a promotion secured, James Trafford has found himself with many suitors across football…
A few honourable mentions this season: Michael Cooper has been fantastic, but misses out due to James Trafford being in a league of his own. Anthony Patterson has had a decent season with Sunderland and capped it off with a stellar performance in the play-off final, which saw his side promoted.
Right Back – Jimmy Dunne
A standout performer in a miserable season for QPR, Jimmy Dunne has been immense at right back. Usually a centre back, Dunne played 36 times in the right back spot, managing 5 goals and 3 assists.
He’s a strong tackler and a serious aerial threat in both his own and the opposition box. His range of passing isn’t as good as other options, but his defensive acumen is more than enough to guarantee a spot in the team of the season.
QPR had high hopes for the season under Marti Cifuentes, and after a slight relegation scare, they managed a 15th-place finish. Dunne was surely their best player, and without him, they might’ve had more of a relegation scrap on their hands.
Some honourable mentions: Milan Van Ewjik had a stellar season for play-off hopefuls Coventry, however, he had an unfortunate performance in the semis, which has seemingly cost them a shot at promotion. Jayden Bogle has also had an excellent season in an exciting Leeds side.
Centre Back – Maxime Esteve
It would feel wrong not to pick at least one of the Burnley centre-backs after the season they’ve had. Maxime Esteve was a mainstay in the Burnley defence that secured promotion, alongside 29 clean sheets, in a monumental season where they conceded only 16 goals.
The French centre back is very confident with the ball at his feet, completing over 90% of all his passes and making 140 progressive passes across the season. Joining halfway through their dismal Premier League season, Esteve has proven himself ready for the jump up to the Premier League.
CJ Egan Riley, Esteve’s centre back partner for the majority of the season, is in with a shout, but I don’t think he is as solid as Esteve and may not be ready for Premier League football yet. There are also talks of him running down his contract and leaving on a free.
Centre Back – Torbjorn Heggem
This may be a biased pick, however, Heggem has had an unbelievable season for the Baggies, both as a centre-back and as a left-back.
Heggem is a tall, imposing figure who is dominant in the air and very quick on his feet. If it weren’t for him, West Brom would’ve had a very miserable season with Ajayi and Holgate struggling for form. Bartley and Heggem developed an incredible partnership together and, under Corberan, rivalled Burnley for having one of the strongest defences in the league.
Another centre back who is confident with the ball at his feet, Heggem showed his dribbling ability with a few showings at left back early in the season. His passing range is solid, with just under 87% of his passes being completed.
Heggem was brought in for a measly 500k and already seems to be ready for the step up to the Premier League, with interest being shown in him from all around the continent. The Baggies will be lucky to have him heading into next season.
Left Back – Junior Firpo
The Champions had to have a player feature in this team, and will surely have a few more later on. Junior Firpo has had his best season for Leeds this year, scoring 4 and assisting 10 in a stellar season.
Firpo was a creative powerhouse as a flying wing-back under Daniel Farke’s Leeds United, with 3.30 shot-creating actions per 90 mins. His passing was exceptional, with him making 5.44 progressive passes per 90 minutes.
Last season, he managed 7 assists, a respectable number, but he has surely built on that this season and become more clinical. Firpo is flying into the Premier League with purpose and will surely be looking to carry this incredible form into next season.
Harrison Burrows has also grown into the season with Sheffield United and finished the season in scintillating form, but I can’t look past how incredible Firpo has been.
Central Midfield – Hayden Hackney
It quickly turned into a season of what-ifs for Middlesbrough, but one of the players who can hold his head up high is Hayden Hackney. The holding midfielder was a standout for Michael Carrick’s side and has seen interest grow since their season ended. Porto is one of the teams that have shown a keen interest in the player.
Hackney drops deep to retrieve the ball from the defence and sprays the ball around to the other talismen of the team. Occasionally, he’ll arrive from deep and score the odd goal. This season, he has managed 5 goals and 3 assists, an impressive number for a holding midfielder.
I’ve seen Hackney play three times this season, twice against West Brom and once for the England U21S. In both games against Albion, he dominated the midfield and scored the decisive goal. For the U21S, he was again the standout in the side featuring Harvey Elliott and Jobe Bellingham.
Central Midfield – Jason Knight
A terrific number 8, Jason Knight, has had a superb season for Bristol City. Towards the end of the season, Bristol stormed into the playoffs with an unbelievable run of form. Jason Knight played a key role in that.
The mainstay in the midfield is very comfortable on the ball and loves to spray the ball around the pitch. Strong in possession, Jason has a knack for keeping hold of the ball and moving it onto one of his teammates. He has also demonstrated that he can be pretty strong in the air, winning the majority of his aerial duels.
Knight has managed to pick up 3 goals and 6 assists this season as well as proving how versatile he can be, by playing all over the midfield. The 24-year-old has a good opportunity to continue building his stock and potentially secure a big move within a season’s time.
Attacking Midfield – Finn Azaz
Finn Azaz has seen himself move around a lot during his short career. Beginning his career at West Brom, he was snapped up by Villa and immediately loaned out to Newport County. A season later, he moved to League One, where he helped Plymouth gain promotion to the Championship.
Plymouth brought him back on loan after a superb season in League One. It wasn’t long until Middlesbrough swooped in and secured him on a permanent deal for a bargain price of £2.5 million. He didn’t disappoint in his first full season at Middlesbrough.
Azaz netted an impressive 12 goals and picked up 11 assists. Alongside Ben Doak, Azaz was crucial for Boro’s early success. Unfortunately, a rough patch saw Azaz and Boro miss out on the playoffs, but he still finished the season as one of the most creative players in the league.
Azaz performed 4.57 shot-creating actions and 5.99 progressive passes per 90 minutes. He has been outstanding and has, rightly so, received a lot of Premier League attention.
Midfield Honourable Mentions
Ao Tanaka for Leeds has been an outstanding defensive midfielder, providing a real rock in the side’s midfield. He misses out, as I think Hackney, Knight and Azaz have been better and more deserving of credit. Not to take anything away from Tanaka, who I’m sure will be a great asset to Leeds in their quest for Premier League survival.
Jobe Bellingham is a bright talent and is usually the first name on the team sheet for Regis Le Bris’ Sunderland. However, he disappeared in the playoff final, and I haven’t been that impressed with the three or four times I’ve seen him play. Statistically, he doesn’t beat any of the other three midfielders that I have mentioned either.
Gustavo Hamer is an exceptional midfielder and just missed out on Premier League football after Sheffield United lost to Sunderland. He is sure to be playing in the Premier League next season as the midfielder impressed during this season, but similar to Tanaka, he misses out.
Josh Brownhill has once again shown that he is one of the best players in the Championship, scoring 18 goals for Burnley. Jack Rudoni has also been very impressive for Coventry, scoring and providing numerous assists as they advanced to the playoffs. Unfortunately, I can only select three midfielders, and I’m committed to my choices.
Right Winger – Daniel James
Another Leeds player, Dan James, makes that right-wing spot his own. Probably his best season of his career, James scored 12 goals and managed 9 assists. Last season, he scored 13 but managed only 7 assists; this season, he has improved slightly despite fewer appearances.
The rapid winger has been monumental for Leeds this season as they went on to win the league. Daniel James has been the perfect winger this season, being a clinical finisher as well as a superb crosser of the ball—the 27-year-old loves to cut inside and regularly converts those dangerous chances.
Not many have held the right-wing position as closely as James. Ben Doak was having a superb season, but an injury followed by a poor run of form brought his season to a halt. I also had to fight against my own bias and not put Tom Fellows into the team after a terrific season saw him finish joint top assister in the league.
Left Winger – Josh Murphy
Alongside Tom Fellows, Josh Murphy managed 14 assists, making him the joint top assister in the league. Not only did he register the most assists in the league, he also scored 7 goals for a Portsmouth side that had only just been promoted.
Josh Murphy spent the last two seasons at Oxford in League One before securing promotion via the playoffs last season. Portsmouth snapped him up on a free and were rewarded for their faith in the 30-year-old winger.
It has been an unbelievable season for Murphy in his return to the Championship. That same year, his brother, Jacob Murphy, has been impressing for Newcastle at the highest levels of football.
Other honourable mentions include Manor Solomon of Leeds, who has been one of the most creative players in the league, leading in goal and shot-creating actions. Jaidon Anthony for Burnley and Tyrese Campbell for Sheffield United have also had strong seasons, with the latter scoring in the playoff final.
Borja Sainz was incredibly unlucky to miss out, as he has had a remarkable season for struggling Norwich, scoring 18 goals. However, Sainz’s form dropped off alongside Norwich as they slumped down the table and missed out on the playoffs.
Striker – Joel Piroe
Who else but the top goal scorer in the competition? Joel Piroe has been instrumental for Leeds, scoring 19 goals and providing 7 assists. The Dutch forward is an excellent finisher with amazing vision for finding his equally dangerous teammates.
Piroe didn’t quite match his impressive 22 goals from the 2021/22 season for Swansea, but he still managed to step up and lift the team when things were starting to slip away.
Joining Leeds for roughly £14 million, he is starting to look like an absolute bargain and is ready for his first attempt at the Premier League.
Honourable mentions include Josh Seargant, who might’ve given Piroe a run for his money if it wasn’t for unlucky injuries. Isidor and Conway scored a decent number of goals for Sunderland and Middlesbrough, respectively. Also, Josh Maja was storming away at the start of the season for the Baggies before an injury prevented him from finishing the season.
The 12th Man
One glaring omission on my team is the absence of a Sunderland player. Surely, I can’t pick a team of the season without representation from the playoff winners?
Well, Sunderland have been brilliant right up until the last 5 games, where they were atrocious. However, they are a very young and well-drilled team under Regis Le Bris. Alongside their young super team, they recruited 25-year-old Enzo Le Fee in January.
Enzo only managed 14 games for Sunderland but has quickly become a crucial part of the side. Picking up 3 assists, the midfielder has played all over the pitch for Regis Le Bris, showing his versatility. Already, they are clamouring to re-sign him on a permanent contract.
Out of everyone in the Sunderland squad, Enzo Le Fee is easily Premier League quality, and given a full season in the Championship, would’ve ripped the league apart.
Wrap Up
So, that was my take on the team of the season for the 2024/25 Championship season. Football is a highly opinionated topic, so there will be people who disagree with my choices. However, these are the standouts that I’ve seen so far this season.
Who would you say should be in the squad and why?