19/05 - 19:45
19/05 - 20:00
19/05 - 20:00
19/05 - 20:00
20/05 - 17:30
20/05 - 19:45
19/05 - 19:45
20/05 - 17:30
20/05 - 19:45
19/05 - 20:00
19/05 - 20:00
19/05 - 20:00
We’re now tucked inside the top ten of our ’72 of the 72’ and are once again focusing in on the top end of the Championship table for this one.
It's certainly been no easy task, but - just to clarify - our '72' is less a roll call of the best footballers in the EFL and more a tribute to those players who have enjoyed the most memorable seasons while racking up the most impressive stats.
Whatever the criteria, we're confident in our selections of the most outstanding players through the Championship, League One, and League Two and welcome any debate on the subject!
This man has a ridiculous EFL record and has enjoyed yet another impressive campaign in the second-tier. Next up is Southampton striker Adam Armstrong.
In the summer of 2021, Southampton agreed a deal believed to be worth in the region of £15 million for the signing of Adam Armstrong from Blackburn Rovers. Armstrong was moving to the Premier League on the back of scoring 28 goals in 40 appearances the previous season for Rovers.
He had played for Coventry City, Barnsley, Bolton Wanderers as well as Blackburn in the EFL before Saints’ relegation last year and the 27-year-old Newcastle-born Newcastle United academy graduate has once again proven his outstanding credentials in the second-tier.
In 293 appearances in the EFL, Armstrong has notched 106 times – that includes 21 goals in 46 appearances for Russell Martin’s promotion chasers this season.
Only Sammie Szmodics, now himself of Blackburn Rovers, scored more goals than Armstrong in the Championship this season but it was not just his goalscoring prowess that really caught the eye.
In fact only three players, Leif Davis (18), Georginio Rutter (15) and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (14) provided more assists throughout the campaign than Armstrong’s 13. His 34 direct goal involvements is the most of any player in the league.
His stats in comparison to the rest of the league are already extremely impressive but even more so when comparing to his teammates; whereby he has six more assists than anyone else as well as being one of just two players, alongside Che Adams, to have notched more than six times this season.
Able to play off either flank as well as down and the middle, and even in an attacking midfield or ‘number ten’ role on occasion during his career, Armstrong is matching a technical proficiency and tactical flexibility with genuinely impressive efficiency and effectiveness as he moves through his 20’s.
The way in which Russell Martin’s teams play is sophisticated, complex but extremely high risk. The reliance on individual talent is supposed to be minimised by a more overarching, all-encompassing style of football so for Armstrong to have been so important with such impressive numbers is a testament to his performances throughout the campaign.
If Saints don’t make it through the playoffs then there will undoubtedly be Premier League interest in the attacker once again but he is carving himself out a reputation of being an EFL great.
10: Davis Keillor-Dunn 11: Georginio Rutter 12: Gabriel Sara
13: Marlon Pack 14: Macaulay Langstaff 15: Ephron Mason-Clark
16: Dan Kemp 17: Joe Taylor 18: Eiran Cashin 19: Ali Al-Hamadi
20: Jack Clarke 21: Isaac Olaofe 22: Carl Piergiani 23: Jaden Philogene
24: Alfie May 25: Will Evans 26: Jamie Reid 27: Morgan Whittaker
28: Conor Chaplin 29: George Thomason 30: Mickey Demetriou
31: Stephy Mavididi 32: Marc Leonard 33: Josh Sheehan
34: Matt Smith 35: Kwame Poku 36: Illan Meslier 37: Aden Flint
38: Ronnie Edwards 39: Josh Sargent 40: Alex Gilbey 41: Ben Sheaf
42: Jobe Bellingham 43: Devante Cole 44: Jacob Greaves 45: Paddy Lane
46: Herbie Kane 47: Dan James 48: Archie Collins 49: Karamoko Dembele
50: Haji Wright 51: Dan Crowley 52: Cameron Brannagan 53: Aaron Collins
54: Andy Cook 55: Connor Shaughnessy 56: Jannik Vestergaard
57: Willy Gnonto 58: Ellis Simms 59: Charlie Hughes 60: Fatawu Isshaku
61: Sam Hoskins 62: Paul Mullin 63: Chris Martin 64: Omari Hutchinson
65: Isaac Hutchinson 66: Sam Tickle 67: Ben Hinchcliffe 68: Michał Helik
69: Lewis Wing 70: Rob Apter 71: Kyle Walker-Peters 72: Alex Palmer
