Most Expensive Players in the Championship 2022/23
The Championship has seen plenty of players make the step up to some of the highest levels in English football, with the likes of Harry Kane, Kyle Walker, Aaron Ramsdale, Raheem Sterling and plenty of others being among those to ply their trade in the second-tier of English football.
We’re going to look into the top-ten most expensive players in the Championship from the 2022/23 season.
Joao Pedro – £24,000,000
Pedro signed for Watford back in 2020, but hasn’t exactly hit the heights that fans would have hoped he could reach. The Brazilian forward is still only 21, but struggled to find consistency in front of goal for the Hornets, who missed out on promotion back into the Premier League this season, after what was a disappointing end to the 2022/23 season under the management of Chris Wilder, who has since left the club.
Pedro scored 24 goals, and was on hand to provide nine assists in 109 appearances for Watford, which doesn’t make for the best of viewing, although the lack of creativity in supplying Pedro with the chances he needs has to come into account with these statistics. The forward has since completed a move to Brighton & Hove Albion, which will be confirmed later this summer, with the transfer rumoured to be in the region of £30m.
Ismaila Sarr – £20,000,000
Sarr is another player that some might argue haven’t hit the expectations set for them at Watford, but he’s a player that holds considerable value for the Championship side, with Transfermarkt revealing that the winger is worth £20m. Sarr signed for the club back in 2019 from French side, Rennes, and has caught the eye with some impressive performances over the years.
However, his efforts weren’t quite enough this season, as the Hornets missed out on a timely return to the top-flight of English football, much to the frustration of their supporters. Sarr netted ten goals, and provided six assists for his team-mates in the 2022/23 season, and it’ll be interesting to see whether he’s tempted by a move elsewhere, as he’s more than good enough to be playing at a higher level than the Championship.
Sander Berge – £18,000,000
Berge was part of the promotion-winning Sheffield United team this season, and showed his class throughout this year’s campaign. The Blades finished second to Burnley in the Championship table, and Berge played his part in that season by making a total of 43 appearances across all competitions.
The Norwegian international scored seven goals and provided six assists this season, and struck up a strong partnership with Oliver Norwood in the centre of the Sheffield United midfield. Berge will be looking to play a key role for the club in the Premier League next season, and it’ll be interesting to see whether any clubs come calling for his services, with the likes of Arsenal previously being interested in a deal to sign Berge.
Experts at MyBettingSites have revealed that Sheffield United are priced at 10/11 on Sky Bet to be relegated from the Premier League in the 2022/23 season, Below, you’ll find the odds of the rest of the relegation candidates in the top-flight of English football next year.
- Sheffield United @ 10/11
- Bournemouth @ 2/1
- Burnley @ 9/4
- Nottingham Forest @ 5/2
- Fulham @ 10/3
- Brentford @ 9/2
- Wolves @ 5/1
- Crystal Palace @ 13/2
- West Ham @ 9/1
Odds displayed are correct as of 2:47 pm, Tuesday 23rd May 2023. Odds are subject to change.
Ben Brereton Diaz – £16,000,000
Brereton-Diaz is set to move to Spanish giants Villarreal this summer, after confirming that he’ll leave Blackburn Rovers, which means that they’re missing out on a sizeable transfer fee for a player that is reportedly worth in the region of £16m.
The Chilean international played a starring role for Blackburn this season, and was desperately unlucky to miss out on a top-six finish for the Lancashire-based side. Brereton-Diaz scored 16 goals in all competitions during the 2022/23 season, which meant that he’d caught the eye in the last couple of years, having scored 22 goals in 39 appearances in the 2021/22 season.
Max Aarons – £16,000,000
Aarons has been with Norwich City for a considerable amount of time, although there have been rumours that the Canaries full-back could be heading for the Carrow Road exit door this summer. Transfermarkt have revealed that Aarons is worth £16m, and it’ll be interesting to see where he ends up ahead of the 2023/24 season, as he’s a player that has shown glimpses of his quality.
That hasn’t quite been enough this season though, with Norwich’s inconsistent results meaning they missed out on a potential return to the Premier League, although it seems as though it’s only a matter of time before Aarons returns to the top-flight.
Anel Ahmedhodzic – £16,000,000
Not many fans of clubs in the Championship will have heard of Anel Ahmedhodzic, and you’d be forgiven for that, with the defender having previously played for Swedish side Malmo. He certainly hit the ground running with Sheffield United though, and scored on his debut against Millwall.
The Swedish centre-back made a name for himself finding the back of the net, having finished the 2022/23 season with seven goals to his name from his 40 appearances. At the age of 24, he’s got plenty of room to improve even further, and so it’s unsurprising to see him holding a market value of £16m.
Josh Brownhill – £15,000,000
The Burnley midfielder was one of the standout players in the Championship during the 2022/23 season, and he captained a Burnley side that won promotion back into the Premier League with relative ease this season under the management of Vincent Kompany.
He’s one of the slightly older players inside the top-ten of this list, but that doesn’t make him not deserving of a place here. Brownhill made 48 appearances for Burnley in the 2022/23 season, and chipped in with seven goals and ten assists from the centre of midfield, and he’ll be hoping that he can build on that impressive tally heading into life back in the Premier League next season.
Iliman Ndiaye – £15,000,000
Ndiaye’s quality has been there for all to see with Sheffield United in the last couple of years in particular. The tricky winger signed for the Blades back in 2019, and hasn’t looked back since. The Senegal international made 52 appearances for Sheffield United in the 2022/23 season, and scored 15 goals, whilst also being on hand to provide 12 assists for his promotion-winning team-mates.
He’s a player that was a nightmare to play against in the Championship last season, and it won’t be surprising to see him holding a market value of £15m. This is only like to continue to rise if Ndiaye continues to impress moving forwards.
Taylor Harwood-Bellis – £15,000,000
Harwood-Bellis was on loan with Burnley from Premier League champions Manchester City, and it’s safe to say that he made a positive impact with Vincent Kompany’s side, as they won promotion back into the top-flight.
The central defender made 35 appearances in total for Burnley, and despite spending time in the treatment room through injury, he played a hugely important role as they finished top of the table. Harwood-Bellis had previously been on loan with Belgian side, Anderlecht, who were managed by Kompany at the time, and he was clearly impressed with what he saw from the England Under-21s international. It’ll be interesting to see whether another loan spell is on the cards for Harwood-Bellis, as it seems unlikely that he’ll be able to force his way into Pep Guardiola’s plans with the Manchester City first-team.
Alex Scott – £14,000,000
Bristol City winger, Alex Scott is the final player making up our top-ten, with the 19-year-old being valued at £14m. Scott burst onto the scene this year, and caught the eye with some strong performances for Bristol City, who have been inconsistent for much of this year’s campaign.
Scott’s strong run of form has seen Premier League clubs reportedly register their interest in striking a deal to land his signature this summer, although it remains to be seen as to whether those interested parties will strike an agreement with Bristol City.
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