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Norwich City and Watford earned promotion to the Premier League by finishing 1st and 2nd, respectively in the EFL Championship last season. Meanwhile, Brentford won the Championship play-offs by defeating Swansea 2-0 in the final to earn promotion to the Premier League for the first time in the club's history.
Promoted players looking to impress in the Premier League
Every year the promoted teams bring new talents to the Premier League. Many players in these teams had a brilliant campaign in the Championship last season, helping their respective teams earn promotion to the Premier League.
While the likes of Teemu Pukki, Todd Cantwell and Ismail Sarr already have Premier League experience, there will be quite a few new faces who will look to make a mark in the English top-flight. Here are a few Championship players we cannot wait to see in the Premier League.
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#5 Grant Hanley (Norwich City)
Captain Grant Hanley was at the heart of Norwich's defense last season, with the Scottish centre-half benefitting from a relatively injury-free campaign. The defender maintained his fitness and showcased his quality throughout the season, establishing himself as a pivotal member of Daniel Farke's squad.
His form earned him a call-up for Scotland at Euro 2020, where he started all the games in the group stage before getting injured against Croatia in the final game.
Hanley played a crucial part in Norwich's Championship win last season, forming a strong partnership with Burnley loanee Ben Gibson. The Scot's pace allows him to match any striker in a foot race.
His defensive intelligence helped Norwich keep 18 clean sheets last season. The Canaries conceded only 36 goals throughout the campaign, the second-lowest in the division.
Hanley struggled in the Premier League last time out, making only 15 appearances as his campaign was interrupted by a series of injuries. The Canaries skipper, though, will be hoping to play a crucial role in Norwich's fight to stay afloat in the Premier League next season.
#4 Joao Pedro (Watford)
Joao Pedro enjoyed a breakthrough campaign with Watford last season and was one of the key players for the club in the absence of the injured Troy Deeney.
Pedro joined Watford from Fluminese during the January transfer window in 2020, and while he did not play much in the Premier League that season, the forward came into the limelight in the Championship last season. He played 38 games during the campaign, scoring nine goals and providing two assists to help Watford earn promotion back to the top flight.
Apart from scoring goals, the 19-year-old also contributed defensively for his team and averaged 1 tackle per game in the league last season.
The Brazilian youngster's recent performances earned him a new contract that runs until 2027 and the club will be hoping that he can continue to perform the same way in the Premier League as he did last season.
#3 Bryan Mbuemo (Brentford)
Brentford finally got promoted to the Premier League after ten years in the Championship and Bryan Mbeumo played a big part in the success. Having played for France at various youth levels, the winger is really mature for his age.
Signed from Troyes in 2019, the 21-year-old has been brilliant for Brentford, scoring 23 goals and providing 17 assists over the last two seasons. He is not only a great dribbler but also knows when to pick out his teammates with a cross. The young Frenchman is also very pacey and has no problems leaving defenders behind.
Capable of cutting inside and creating chances, the winger could be a treat to watch in the Premier League next season. He's not a household name yet, but there's every chance that he will soon be on the radar of other big clubs in the Premier League and Europe.
#2 Daniel Bachmann
Ben Foster started the 2020/21 season as the Hornets' first-choice shot-stopper. But a thumb injury in January forced him to sit out the next few matches as Daniel Bachmann replaced him in goal. Bachmann has been excellent for Watford since then and kept his place in the starting XI even after Foster's return from injury.
Bachmann has had to be patient for his chance at Watford. After returning from an impressive loan spell at Kimarnock during the 2018/19 season, the Austrian played third-choice the following campaign, almost rejoining Kilmarnock on loan last summer. But he stayed on as Foster's deputy and that decision has reaped rewards.
During the 23 appearances that the Austrian international made for the Hornets in the Championship, he managed to keep an impressive 13 clean sheets, helping his side clinch a second place finish in the league and earn promotion back to the Premier League.
As a result of his promising performances for the Hornets, Bachmann was called up by Austria for Euro 2020 where he played a crucial part in helping them qualify for the knockout stages before eventually losing out to Italy in the Round of 16.
According to reports, Watford are now preparing to offer the 26-year-old a new contract to fend off any potential interest from other clubs and will be hoping that he can play a key role for them in the Premier League next season.
#1 Ivan Toney (Brentford)
Another player from the brilliant Brentford side, Ivan Toney, played a crucial part in the Bees' promotion to the Premier League. In the 45 matches that he played in the EFL Championship last season, the lethal forward scored 31 goals and provided 10 assists to help the club finish 3rd and qualify for the playoffs.
The 25-year-old, who joined from Peterborough United for just £5 million, has turned out to be a bargain. Toney was brought in to replace the 2019/20 EFL Championship's Player of the Year, Ollie Watkins, and has done so quite brilliantly in his journey to the Premier League.
He had a goal contribution of 0.96 per 90, almost double that of Watkins and narrowly missed out on the Championship's Player of the season to Emiliano Buendia.
The former Newcastle striker also broke the Championship record for most goals in a season with his 31 goals. It will be exciting to see how the forward performs in the Premier League, having climbed through various levels of English football.
If Brentford are to survive the demands of the Premier League, Toney will have to play an influential role for them
