The Championship Player of the Season award annually recognises the leading performer in the second tier. It is typically given to an attacking player who puts up an impressive rate of scoring and assisting throughout an individual campaign.
As the season has progressed well into its latter half, it is clear who the frontrunners for the Player of the Season award will be. Several players have mounted impressive campaigns and could claim the award if they maintain their high-level performances.
Adam Armstrong
Huge things were expected of Adam Armstrong after he was a part of the England Under-20 World Cup-winning squad in 2017. He has fallen short of expectations in the time since, however, in his current season he has shown signs of living up to some of that potential.
Armstrong scored 13 times and assisted nine in his opening 26 fixtures of 2023/24 which made him the leading contribution maker at that point. His team Southampton are also one of the highflyers in the league which should boost his chances.
Many bookmakers offer the Saints as promotion favourites including Paddy Power who offer them at 11/10, they are also one of many bookmakers that have free bet offers with no deposit on the major football leagues this season.
Adam Armstrong’s New Year’s resolution 🗣️:
— Saints Socialite (@SaintsSocialite) December 31, 2023
“To get promoted”
Love this man❤️#SaintsFC pic.twitter.com/cyZv3Dyy38
The Player of the Season award is most commonly received by one of the teams that earn promotion. With Southampton being one of the frontrunners to claim a Premier League ticket, and Armstrong in league-leading form so far, the Englishman is in with a strong chance of claiming the prestigious award.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall has been consistently excellent in the midfield for comfortable league leaders Leicester City. He is clearly Premier League quality and he has undoubtedly been a driving force in his team’s charge back to the English top tier.
In his opening 25 appearances of the Championship season, he scored eight times and assisted on nine occasions. He has been one of the league’s greatest offensive threats from his midfield role, while he has also been extremely reliable in general midfield play with 84% pass completion.
Highest rated midfielders in the Championship on @WhoScored:
— The Second Tier (@secondtierpod) January 3, 2024
1️⃣ Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall – 7.54
2️⃣ Gabriel Sara – 7.35
3️⃣ Ben Sheaf – 7.21
4️⃣ Finn Azaz – 7.07
5️⃣ Alan Browne – 7.03
6️⃣ Josh Eccles – 7.02
➡️ Juninho Bacuna – 7.02#LCFC #NCFC pic.twitter.com/MyPR4LQWgj
Dewsbury-Hall may have the upper hand in the race to be named Player of the Season with his club being so dominant in the league. Leicester’s potential title success looks almost certain, and a member of the league champions usually receives the award – barring a record-breaking goalscoring return from a player of another club.
Sammie Szmodics
Sammie Szmodics emerged as the leader in the Championship goalscoring charts at the culmination of matchday 26 with 16 goals on the board, and he also added three assists.
However, what makes his feat so impressive is that he plays in attacking midfield for Blackburn Rovers. Szmodics has been the league’s most prolific player while not even leading the line for the Lancashire-based club.
He has certainly been one of the top individual performers in the league this season, although his position on a team likely to miss out on the playoffs, may cost him in the running for the POTS award.
Here we have discussed the league’s outright leading contribution maker going into the latter stages of the Championship campaign, as well as the leading goalscorer from a surprising midfield role.
However, if the award goes to the league champions, as it often does, then Dewsbury-Hall will certainly stand out as Leicester City’s most impressive player at the end of the season if he continues to impact the scoresheet regularly from midfield.
