Top 20 best strikers in the EFL Championship (Ranked) | OneFootball

Football League World ranks their best strikers in the Championship from 20th to first.

The Championship continues to be one of the most exciting and dramatic leagues in the world, and as the clock starts to tick down on the final weeks of the season, there are a number of stories still yet to be written.

Up and down the division, battles are raging as teams look for a return to the Premier League, whether automatically or through the play-offs, while the fight at the bottom has taken more twists and turns in the last few matches than ever.

There is still plenty of history to be written and clubs will need their forwards to be on form to help score the goals that will make the difference come the final whistle on May 3.

In that spirit, Football League World has ranked the top 20 strikers in the Championship playing this season.

20 Jerry Yates - Derby County (on loan from Swansea City)

Jerry Yates joined Derby County on loan from Swansea City in the summer, and while he has not quite been the most prolific of strikers, it is his workrate off the ball that leads him to 20th on this list.

He has been a key part of the Rams' recent success under John Eustace, and his tireless running has been a key feature of his game all season long. He does still have the ability to find the back of the net, and he scored a goal of the season contender against Plymouth Argyle back in November with a stunning bicycle kick.

Emmanuel Dennis has not quite had the chance to show Blackburn Rovers supporters what he is made of just yet, but he has proven throughout his time at Watford in the past that he can be an incredibly dangerous forward.

He has not quite had the rub of the green in recent years, with his move to Nottingham Forest coming at the wrong time with the Reds now flying high in the Premier League, but on his day he can be a substantial threat in the final third.

18 Makhtar Gueye - Blackburn Rovers

It's been a decent first season in England for Makhtar Gueye, and it is clear to see why Blackburn brought him to Ewood Park in the summer, with his physical presence up top handing them an advantage when they get the chance to cross the ball.

However, he found it difficult to find the back of the net during his first couple of months at the club, and he does need to find more consistency in shooting areas next season.

17 Vakoun Bayo - Watford

Vakoun Bayo has finally proven to be the threat that Watford have needed in the final third for the last couple of years, and he has a good year for the Hornets.

His pace and strength make him a real handful for defenders, and he has proven on multiple occasions now that, when given the chance, he will score goals. However, these opportunities have been few and far between recently and he needs to find form once again to ensure that his team finish the season strongly.

16

A former Premier League winner, Kelechi Iheanacho, is yet to show supporters of his new club what he is all about.

The on-loan Leicester City man has big shoes to fill at Middlesbrough following the departure of Emmanuel Latte Lath in the January transfer window to Atlanta United and he has not quite pulled up any trees. However, there is a reason that he has found himself playing in the top flight for the majority of his career, and when given a good chance on the right day, he will take it.

15 Tom Cannon - Sheffield United

It just has not worked out for Tom Cannon at Sheffield United so far, and the form that he started the campaign with at Stoke City has not followed him to Bramall Lane.

Nevertheless, there is a reason the Blades spent £10m on him from Leicester City in January, and once he finds some confidence, there is no doubt that he will start finding himself in the right positions more often.

Inconsistency has been an issue for many strikers in the second tier in 2024/25, and Emil Riis is another that has not quite been able to perform at his very best as often as he would like this term.

However, there is no denying just how deadly he can be in front of goal, and he finds the back of the net in a variety of ways. The Dane often finds himself in a sort of poacher position, and despite his 6ft 3in frame, he can make his way into dangerous positions undetected, much to the delight of his Preston North End teammates.

13 Carlton Morris - Luton Town

Few would have expected this season to be as tough for Carlton Morris and his Luton Town teammates as it has been, but they have struggled throughout.

While the Hatters have picked up in recent weeks, they still remain incredibly threatened by the drop and they need their number nine to start showing the same form as he did in 2022/23 to ensure that they do not find themselves in League One.

He scored 11 goals in the Premier League last season, but Morris is yet to get close to that number in the Championship. Nevertheless, it is clear to see he is lacking confidence, and if his team's form turns around, then it would not be a surprise to see him play a part in that.

12 Ellis Simms - Coventry City

Ellis Simms has found this season to be difficult at Coventry City, and his lack of numbers in the goalscoring chart is clear evidence of this. However, Frank Lampard continues to trust him and he has shown positive signs in the last couple of months.

The Sky Blues' poor start to the campaign did not help the 24-year-old in any way, but he is starting to look more and more confident under the guidance of one of England's greatest ever players and there are hopes that he can return to the same form that landed him 13 goals in the Championship last year.

Colby Bishop's importance to Portsmouth cannot be denied, and after missing the first 14 games of the season as he recovered from heart surgery, he hit the ground running with a goal in his first match back.

He helped lift Pompey off the foot of the table in the following weeks, and while his side are by no means safe, they are in a much stronger position than they once were and he has played a huge role in making that happen, as he was in helping them to promotion in 2023/24.

Cardiff City's Callum Robinson is single-handedly trying to steer his team to safety in the Championship this campaign, as without him, the Bluebirds would no doubt be in a whole heap of trouble.

The 30-year-old found it difficult in his first two years at the club, but he has put those woes behind him to reach double figures in league goals for the first time since 2018/19, when he was playing for Preston. If Cardiff stay up, then Robinson will be a critical reason behind that.

Tyrese Campbell has perhaps proven to be the best free signing of the season, with Sheffield United reaping the rewards of the deal after he left Stoke in the summer.

The 25-year-old has not always been the biggest threat in front of goal, but since moving to Bramall Lane he has found himself becoming more and more of an important figure, with three goals in four matches before the international break proving his worth.

He is now keeping Cannon out of the team, and he has already written his name into the history books with a winning goal against bitter rivals Sheffield Wednesday.

Tommy Conway is one of the Championship's most natural finishers, and despite the loss of Latte Lath, Middlesbrough do have their ready-made replacement in the former Bristol City man.

At just 22, the future is incredibly bright for the young striker and he has all the talent to become one of the second tier's very best and had it not been for an injury halfway through the season, he would be on for a 20-goal campaign.

7 Josh Maja - West Bromwich Albion

Josh Maja started this season in incredible form, scoring seven goals in West Bromwich Albion's first seven Championship matches as the Baggies set the pace early on.

He has added five more to his tally since then, but he suffered a calf injury in January that halted all of his momentum - although it did ensure that he stayed at The Hawthorns in the transfer window.

West Brom have played their best football this campaign with Maja in the team, and when he returns, there is no doubt that Tony Mowbray will have one of the most exciting forward lines in the division.

6 Ben Brereton Diaz - Sheffield United (on loan from Southampton)

Sheffield United's decision to bring Ben Brereton Diaz back to S2 on loan from Southampton for the rest of 2024/25 is already paying off, and the Chile international is already proving why Wilder worked so hard to get a deal done in the January window.

The forward was one of the only true bright sparks for the Blades last season in the Premier League, and there will be a great desire to see him signed permanently in the summer as Southampton return to the Championship.

It's easy to forget that Brereton Diaz is just 25, and he has a wealth of experience in the second tier that could prove crucial in the run-in.

5 Haji Wright - Coventry City

Coventry struck gold when they signed Haji Wright from Turkish side Antalyaspor in the summer of 2023, and he is once again proving why the Sky Blues spent £7.7m on him.

An ankle injury has halted him from making true inroads this season, but he has returned from the treatment room excellently, scoring a hat-trick in a 3-0 win over Sunderland before the international break.

Quick, strong and powerful, Wright has everything needed to make it to one of the top five divisions in Europe in the coming years, and Lampard will be hoping that he sticks around at the CBS Arena for the long-term.

Leeds United supporters have been treated to some excellent football this season, with their attacking threat incredibly strong all over the pitch. However, without a consistent striker, success will not be found and the Whites have exactly that in Joel Piroe.

The Dutch star's first year at Elland Road was not the best by his own standards, but he has improved greatly as his side have pushed for the league title this time around and he continues to impress on a weekly basis.

It is hard to find a better finisher in the Championship than Piroe, and if he had more pace, he would be a true force to be reckoned with.

3

The second Southampton loanee on this list, Adam Armstrong, has been one of the deadliest strikers in the Championship in the last decade. Incredibly fast and dangerous in the box, there are few strikers that provide a threat quite like the current West Brom ace.

He played his best football in the past under Mowbray, and he has come back to his former manager for the final months of this campaign to help the Baggies in their push for the play-offs. If he can recapture the same form as he did for the Saints this time last season, then he could prove to be the difference in the last few weeks.

2 Wilson Isidor - Sunderland

Wilson Isidor arrived at Sunderland in the summer without much knowledge of his true potential, however, Regis Le Bris held him in very high regard and it is now clear to see why.

Pacy and direct while also having a shot that packs a punch, the Frenchman has been simply incredible for the Black Cats since originally joining on loan from Zenit. The deal was made a permanent one in the winter transfer window for around £5m.

Isidor is still an incredibly raw talent, and there are areas of his game that need to be improved upon still, but at just 24, the sky is the limit for the striker.

1 Josh Sargent - Norwich City

Josh Sargent takes the crown as Football League World's best Championship striker, with the Norwich City ace by far and away the most talented forward player in the division.

His technical ability, and the ease in which he carries the ball forward is second to none in the second tier, and it seems incredibly unlikely that the Canaries will be able to keep hold of the American in the summer, with it incredibly likely that they will finish mid-table.

Sargent's unavailability halfway through the season coincided with a drop-off in form for Norwich, and he returned to score eight goals in eight matches. He has combined excellently with Borja Sainz over the course of the campaign, and the Norfolk outfit must cherish the talent that they have at their disposal.