The EFL transfer market has closed for another summer, with lots of huge money being flung around in the second tier of English football.
However, unlike in previous years, the largest deals have not always gone to centre-forwards, who are the game-changers at the top of the pitch who can propel clubs to the promised land of the Premier League.
But who are the most important strikers in the second tier of English football in 2026-27?
Here, FLW looks at the EIGHT centre-forwards in the Championship with the highest market valuations, as determined by Transfermarkt.
8George Hirst – Stoke City
Stoke City were one of the largest spenders – if not the biggest – in the Championship this summer, with the Coates Family’s investment levels benefiting from the summer’s changes in financial laws.
Aside from Swansea City midfielder Ethan Galbraith’s early summer window signing, Ipswich Town’s George Hirst was the most notable attacking addition of the period.
Hirst, a promising teen with Sheffield Wednesday, took some time to settle in senior football, with his 2021-22 League One loan at Portsmouth showing early signs that he could become a good centre-forward, but his first decent Championship return came last year with 11 goals in 42 Ipswich Town appearances.
Given the Tractor Boys’ ambitions, Hirst was unlikely to get a look at Portman Road in the Premier League this year, prompting his move to the Potters for an initial £6 million – a fee that might rise depending on his performance.
Transfermarkt values the 27-year-old at €10 million (£8.6 million), and in order to recoup that amount and more, he may need to score 15 goals per season and possibly help City return to the top flight.
7Patrick Agyemang – Derby County
Derby County gambled on Charlotte FC striker Patrick Agyemang last summer, spending £5.8 million on the USA international, and the results have been encouraging.
Agyemang, a 6ft 4in striker with pace and physical strength, scored 10 goals in 37 Championship appearances in his debut season, occasionally playing out wide or off the main centre-forward in the form of Carlton Morris.
Disaster struck against Stoke City in April, when the 25-year-old suffered an achilles tendon rupture, which might keep him out until the end of 2026, or perhaps early next year.
It’s unclear how good he’ll be when he returns, but with a Transfermarkt valuation of €10 million (£8.6 million), he, like Hirst, remains a prized asset.
6Joel Piroe – West Ham
West Ham have three centre-forwards in the top eight most valuable Championship strikers, with Joel Piroe also worth €10 million.
The newly-capped Suriname international is an experienced second-tier bagman, having first established himself at Swansea City over two seasons, which led to a big-money move to Leeds United, who were seeking to return to the Premier League at the earliest opportunity.
Having fallen out of favour at Elland Road in the top division, West Ham have taken a chance on Piroe, paying £4 million for the loan deal, with an additional £8 million required to sign him permanently next summer.
Piroe faces stiff competition up front to score the goals that will propel the Hammers back to the top flight right away, but he will back himself to do it at a level he is all too familiar with.
5Tommy Conway – Middlesbrough
Despite the hype surrounding summer arrival Will Lankshear, who could one day become an England international if he continues on his current path, Transfermarkt rates Tommy Conway as Middlesbrough’s most valuable centre-forward at €14 million (£12 million).
Borough paid £4.5 million for the Scotland international in August 2024, after he scored 10 Championship goals for Bristol City in his final year at Ashton Gate. Since his move to Teesside, he has increased his goalscoring slightly, scoring 13 league goals in both full seasons.
While he missed 30 good chances in his first two years at Borough, Conway remains one of the division’s finest strikers, but he has a tough battle to be the leading centre-forward under Kim Hellberg, with the aforementioned Lankshear appearing a force to be reckoned with.
Conway may need to play a supporting or broader role to augment Lankshear, but the Scotland international still has worth and room to grow.
4Jay Stansfield – Birmingham City
Birmingham City shook a few cages two years ago as a League One club by negotiating a £15 million deal to buy Jay Stansfield from Fulham, a deal that had never been witnessed at the third tier level in English football.
His 19 goals helped Blues return to the Championship, although fans may have expected more than the 10 he scored in the Championship last season as they missed short of the play-offs by a few places, despite the fact that he did not frequently play as the top striker under Chris Davies.
A Transfermarkt valuation of €18 million (£15.5 million) is undoubtedly reasonable for a versatile forward with his finest years ahead of him at the age of 23, although Stansfield may need to start finding the back of the net more frequently to justify such a value.
3Pablo – West Ham
With their Premier League troubles clear in January, West Ham spent big on a number of new acquisitions, including Gil Vicente forward Pablo for £18.3 million.
Pablo had scored 10 goals in 13 Primeira Liga matches before moving to England, but he failed to score in any of his 14 top-flight appearances, making the transaction appear to be a bad one.
And, with the Hammers keeping Taty Castellanos and recruiting Joel Piroe this summer, Pablo is unlikely to make many starts for the East London club this season, and he has yet to demonstrate that he will become prolific at the second-tier level.
Transfermarkt values the Portugal-born striker at €18 million (£15.5 million), similar to Stansfield’s, and it is a few million less than what they paid earlier in 2026 – it’s difficult to imagine them obtaining that sum right now if they sell the 22-year-old.
2Zan Vipotnik – Swansea City
Swansea City landed a bit of a bargain in the summer of 2024 with the free transfer arrival of Slovenian striker Zan Vipotnik, whose contract at Bordeaux was terminated due to the club’s financial difficulties, but there was still concern about whether he’d be able to cope with the demands of the Championship.
Seven goals in his maiden season in South Wales may have seemed lacklustre, but Vipotnik burst in 2025-26, scoring 25 goals in all competitions in a spectacular breakout year.
Naturally, there was transfer speculation about the Slovenia international all summer, but the EFL transfer window closed with the 24-year-old remaining in the Championship – though overseas windows in select countries are still open at the time of writing, and Swansea have two other good strikers in Adam Idah and Ross Stewart when both are fit.
Vipotnik’s valuation on Transfermarkt is €22 million (£18.9 million), which is definitely fair for what he performed last season, but no one was prepared to take a chance for a cost that is likely a little lower than what Swansea was asking for – we’ll soon find out if he was a one-season wonder.
1Taty Castellanos – West Ham
Despite interest from Premier League and Serie A clubs, Taty Castellanos has remained with West Ham, and it appears that he will score goals in the Championship.
Castellanos, like the aforementioned Pablo, joined the London Stadium from Lazio in the January window of 2026 for an undisclosed amount that was anticipated to exceed £20 million, and he did his best to assist his new club avoid relegation, scoring six times.
Those goals were insufficient, but Castellanos established himself and attracted attention, making it all the more unexpected that he remained in the Championship for at least the first half of the season.
With a Transfermarkt valuation of €28 million (£24.1 million), West Ham have a true asset on their hands at the age of 27 – he’ll be right up there with the top scorers in the second tier by May 2027.
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