Once a player has conquered the Championship, the natural next step is to try their luck in the Premier League and see if they are ready for a shot in the big time. There has been a number of examples over the years of players who made that next step and excelled in the top flight, proving they well and truly belong amongst the elite, but other times, players have struggled to adapt and haven’t faired quite as well.
With that being said, let’s look at each of the last five top scorers in the championship and see how they all got on when they made that next move into the Premier League and rank them on how successful they were.
5. Matej Vydra – 10 Goals in 100 Apps
After scoring 21 goals the previous season for Derby County, Matej Vydra joined Burnley as the Lancashire side looked to strengthen their side ahead of season in the Europa League in the summer of 2018.
Things actually got off to a pretty decent start for the Czech Republic international as well, scoring on his debut in the Europa League play-off round against Olympiacos, but that was about as good as it got. Seven league goals in 76 appearances for Sean Dyche’s side, coupled with three goals in a further 24 appearances in spells at West Brom and Watford leave Vydra at the bottom of our rankings.
4. Ivan Toney – 6 Goals in 21 Apps
While it is unfair to really judge Toney just yet, as his debut season in the Premier League is still underway – his return of six goals in 21 appearances is a little lacklustre when compared to the record breaking season he had last year as Brentford secured promotion to the top flight.
Toney’s 31 goals last season were instrumental in the Bees making it to the Premier League for the very first time, and a lot of the club’s survival hopes this season were pinned on the 25-year-old and his goalscoring exploits. That makes it all the more surprising then that, despite the forward only hitting the back of the net six times so far, Brentford are sitting in 14th, seven points clear of the relegation zone.
3. Teemu Pukki – 17 Goals in 58 Apps
At one point, it looked like Teemu Pukki was going to take the Premier League by storm. With four goals in his very first two Premier League games, many believed the Finnish striker was an early favourite to finish the season as the league’s top scorer.
It wasn’t to be though and Pukki’s form took a nose dive, finishing the season with an admirable, but anti-climactic 11 league goals as Norwich were sent straight back down to the Championship. With just six goals so far this season, it doesn’t seem like the 31-year-old will ever show the sort of form he enjoyed early on in that 2019-20 season.
2. Aleksandar Mitrovic 24 Goals in 98 Apps
The notion that Aleksandar Mitrovic isn’t good enough for the Premier League is one that has been blown out of proportion. Sure, the manner in which he dominates the Championship, with the striker all but guaranteed to break Toney’s goalscoring record this season, makes his record in front of goal in the top flight a little underwhelming, but he has shown on numerous occasions he has what it takes to play in the division.
24 league goals in just under 100 appearances for both Fulham and Newcastle isn’t as bad as many would leave you to believe. It remains to be seen just how well he’ll fare next season when the Cottagers are inevitably promoted, but if he can replicate even a fraction of the form he has displayed this season, he will still be one hell of a player.
1. Ollie Watkins – 19 Goals in 56 Apps
While he hasn’t scored quite as many goals at Mitrovic in the Premier League, there’s no question that Ollie Watkins has been the most successful player in the division out of the last five Championship top scorers.
His debut season saw Watkins hit the back of the net 14 times, more than any other player on this list and he played a integral role in Aston Villa’s success. That being said, his second season in the Premier League hasn’t been as fruitful, with the Englishman scoring just five league goals so far.
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