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Five to watch in Championship
- Updated: August 5, 2016
The Sky Bet Championship kicks off on Friday night when Fulham host hotly-tipped Newcastle but which players will shine this season?
From big-money signings to players who’ve made their way up the football pyramid, Sky Sports’ EFL expert Andy Hinchcliffe picks five key men for the division ahead of the Craven Cottage curtain-raiser – and one manager he thinks could make the difference…
Ross McCormack – Aston Villa
It might be an obvious one given he could cost them £14m but, for me, signing McCormack changes the complexion of the whole league, let alone Aston Villa’s season. Everyone’s been saying the feeling around Villa is flat and I understood that but they might now be challenging in the top six.
The new man guarantees you 20 goals a season and with the likes of Rudy Gestede and Jordan Ayew, Villa have got different ways of playing. McCormack can play off a target man or with Ayew – two speedier, clever players. He gives them more balance and more of a threat going forward. He’s a really important signing.
Almen Abdi – Sheffield Wednesday
Wednesday might have missed out in the play-off final but they’re a club on the move. Abdi’s top-quality; he helped Watford get to the Premier League and it’s perhaps a surprise in some ways that he’s not been picked up by other Premier League clubs. He’s creative, he can score goals and he adds to an already impressive midfield; for Wednesday to sign him permanently is a coup.
The Owls are a top-six side in my book but with the added quality of Abdi and Steven Fletcher in their ranks, they might just be …
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