The Championship is a notoriously competitive division, with each side desperate to reach the promised land of the Premier League or avoid the dreaded drop to League One. To do so requires strength in every area of the pitch, especially having a striker who can be trusted to score goals.
Last season, Norwich City’s TeemuPukki led the Championship scoring charts with 29 goals, and he has already found his feet at Premier League level. Let’s take a look at this season’s current leading goal-scorers in the Championship at the time of writing, those who are hoping to establish their sides as contenders in the Championship betting odds.
AleksandarMitrovic, Fulham (12 goals)
Fulham’s AlexsandarMitrovic is proving to be something of a Championship goal-scoring specialist. Having bagged 12 goals in 17 appearances during his loan spell at Fulham in the 2017-18 season, Mitrovic has resumed his Championship scoring form in this campaign, with 12 goals to his name so far. Given his impressive Premier League goal tally last season in spite of Fulham’s struggles, there is a sense that he is a cut above the Championship, and this star quality is what makes him so important to Fulham’s chances.
The Serbian’s bullish playing style makes him a nightmare for opposition defenders, and his physicality and natural finishing ability make him one of the division’s top centre forwards. With Fulham hovering outside the play-off positions at the time of writing, they will need Mitrovic to continue firing on all cylinders if the Cottagers are to secure a return to the Premier League.
Ollie Watkins, Brentford (10 goals)
Ollie Watkins is a player who seems to be getting better with each passing week. After the departure of Neal Maupay from Brentford in the summer transfer window, Thomas Frank has converted winger Watkins, into an out-and-out centre forward. The 23-year-old has taken to this new position like a duck to water and has already notched double figures this season.
Watkins possesses all the skills needed to succeed at the highest level – pace in abundance, trickery, finishing prowess, and the ability to produce moments of magic when Brentford need it most. His brace inOctober’s west London derby against QPR proved Watkins’ importance to the team, and the Bees will be hoping that he can fire them towards the play-off positions.
Karlan Grant, Huddersfield Town (9 goals)
Huddersfield have found it difficult to re-adjust to life in the Championship after their relegation from the Premier League last season, winning only four games from their first 16. But in Karlan Grant they have a striker in top form. The 22-year-old joined in the January transfer window after impressing in League One with Charlton Athletic.
Although Grant could not save the Terriers from Premier League relegation, he has flourished in the second tier, establishing himself as one of the first names on manager Danny Cowley’s team sheet. While Huddersfield are unlikely to be in the hunt for the playoffs, they will be hoping that Grant’s goals will propel them up the table and away from any threat of suffering successive relegations.
Jarrod Bowen, Hull City (9 goals)
Jarrod Bowen has become a key part of the Hull City team since the club’s relegation from the Premier League in 2016. He featured in all 46 Championship games for the Tigers last season, bagging 22 goals along the way. This season, he has continued his good form, with nine goals to his name so far.
The winger is still only 22 years old and will be vital to Hull’s chances if they are to rise up the table and compete for the play-offs. The longer Hull spend in the middle reaches of the Championship, the more likely it is that other clubs will swoop in to try and poach Bowen. The speedy forward has been impressive over the last few seasons, and it would be no surprise to see him gracing the Premier League soon.
