Football League World examines the current generation of wingers playing in the English second division. Over the years, the EFL Championship has been blessed with some exceptional wide attacking ability.
Wingers’ roles and placements have changed as football has progressed over time.
Recent years have seen some amazing talent travel through the Championship, such as Michael Olise, Antoine Semenyo, Christos Tzolis, and Morgan Rogers, all of whom used the division as a platform before excelling on the international scene.
Football League World has made an effort to rate every club’s greatest winger from worst to best based on current skill, from youthful talent hoping to emulate former second-tier greats to current internationals in their prime.
24Filip Bilbija
As we begin with Derby County’s Filip Bilbija, ranking the worst of the group is never simple or enjoyable.
Only Bilbija and Corey Blackett-Taylor are eligible for this list due to the Rams’ dearth of wide options. The German, who joined Derby in the summer on a free transfer from Paderborn, has spent the majority of his career in the 2. Bundesliga, and his lack of influence in English football makes it challenging to assess his present skill level.
23Thierry Gale
Over the summer, Bolton Wanderers signed 13 new players, including wide alternatives like Kyliane Dong, Jayden Nelson, and Samuel Iling-Junior. However, our choice is Thierry Gale, a player who helped them get promoted the previous season.
Before moving to Greater Manchester in the summer of 2025, the Bajan winger lived in Hungary, Georgia, Austria, and Poland. He scored five goals and provided four assists in League One last season, nearly outscoring his teammates.
22Romelle Donovan
Romelle Donovan rose through the ranks at Birmingham City before moving to Brentford in 2025. She spent a year on the sidelines of the Bees team before going on loan to Sheffield United in the summer.
Donovan is the only viable option for the Blades, and his lack of senior-level experience and influence makes it tough for him to rate any higher. However, it wouldn’t be shocking if the 19-year-old had a truly breakthrough year at Bramall Lane.
21Chiedozie Ogbene
Due to injuries, Chiedozie Ogbene has had a challenging few years. The Irishman made 30 Premier League appearances for Luton Town after coming on a free transfer from Rotherham United in 2023. The following summer, he paid £8 million to join Ipswich Town.
Since then, injuries have severely curtailed his playing time, and last season’s loan stint at Sheffield United didn’t do much for him. He and Adam Reach were now the only serious contenders in Lincoln City, with Ogbene narrowly defeating the 33-year-old.
20Oladapo Afolayan
While playing for Loughborough University in 2017, Oladapo Afolayan was noticed by Solihull Moors. In 2018, West Ham United signed him after he excelled in non-league.
Before moving to Blackburn Rovers in January 2026, where he hasn’t yet lit up Lancashire, he had stints with Bolton Wanderers and St. Pauli and made just one appearance for the Hammers, scoring in his lone game.
19Yu Hirakawa
After helping Oli McBurnie score the game-winning goal for Hull City in the 2026 play-off final and scoring the game-winning goal for Bristol City away to Burnley earlier this season, Japanese winger Yu Hirakawa has developed a habit of being involved in pivotal occasions.
The 25-year-old has had difficulty securing a spot at Ashton Gate since joining the Robins in the summer of 2024. Similar to Scott Twine, who spent the majority of his career in the middle, Hirakawa is the team’s best all-around winger right now.
18Callum Lang
Throughout his career, Callum Lang has played for Wigan Athletic, Shrewsbury Town, Portsmouth, and now Preston North End in both League One and the Championship.
Lang, who has spent much of his career playing off the right side, has shown himself to be a reliable player at the second-tier level, and the Lilywhites will be counting on him to play frequently this season.
17Chris Willock
At the age of 28, Chris Willock has made close to 200 Championship appearances while playing for teams like Cardiff City, Queens Park Rangers, and Huddersfield Town.
Even though Willock is as reliable as they come, he has mostly been overshadowed by his brother Joe during his career. Despite this, he has built a good resume, albeit his rating is limited due to his lack of top-level experience.
16Nathan Broadhead
In the summer of 2025, Nathan Broadhead, a Welsh attacking midfielder who helped the Tractor Boys win back-to-back promotions from League One to the Premier League, joined Wrexham from Ipswich Town for a possible £10 million.
He hasn’t quite reached the levels expected of him upon his return to North Wales, though, and at 28, it’s hard to imagine him making much progress at this point.
15Million Manhoef
One of the casualties of Stoke City’s recent change to a 3-4-2-1 formation is Dutch winger Million Manhoef, who finds it difficult to fit into any position in the team.
Manhoef is the club’s next best all-around winger after Sorba Thomas left, but he probably won’t be around for very long because he has less than a year left on his current contract.
14Othmane Maamma
Amin Nabizada, a young Afghan who has been Watford’s breakout player of the season, is in close competition with Othmane Maamma for a spot on this list, but the Moroccan narrowly makes it.
Maamma, who is 20 years old, solidified his place in Watford’s starting lineup last season. If he continues to grow as anticipated, he has the potential to rise significantly higher on this list in the future. However, we are now unable to place him much higher.
13Mikey Johnston
Mikey Johnston, an Irish winger, continues to be the best of the group, although West Bromwich Albion, like some other teams on this list, don’t have many wide options to brag about.
Although Kareem Tunde and Harry Whitwell might be discussed, Isaac Price has primarily played through the middle throughout his career; for the time being, Johnston is still our choice.
12Tyreece Campbell
Tyreece Campbell, a winger for Charlton Athletic, entered the 2026–2027 Championship season with a lot of confidence, and his reputation is quickly growing.
The Jamaican, who can play off either wing, won’t be with the Addicks for very long if he keeps up his current level of play.
Goalkeepers throughout the division find it nearly hard to stop the 23-year-old, who is a nightmare for opposing defenders due to his signature low-driven shots.
11Joseph Opoku
Joseph Opoku, a Ghanaian winger who scored 10 goals and provided six assists in 34 league games for Belgian team Zulte Waregem, signed a £6 million contract with Swansea City this summer.
The 21-year-old is a really exciting alternative for the Swans because of his energy, speed, and flair. If he can fulfilll his potential, there is no reason why he won’t rank much higher in the near future.
10Ilias Chair
Ilias Chair, a winger for Queens Park Rangers, is still among the finest in the Championship on his day, despite his recent decline in prominence.
The Moroccan is one of the most seasoned players on this list, with 39 goals and 42 assists in 265 games in the second division and almost 300 appearances for the R’s in all competitions.
9Marcus Edwards
Although Burnley currently has a number of wide alternatives, including Jacob Bruun Larsen, Largie Ramazani, and Jaydon Banel, our selection—which is somewhat controversial—is English winger Marcus Edwards, who was recently left out of Nicky Hayen’s 25-man roster.
Even if Hayen isn’t picking him, the 27-year-old, who should be in the prime of his career and has experience in both the Portuguese and English top flight, gets the nod on our list.
8Camiel Neghli
Although Millwall’s loss of Femi Azeez to Brighton & Hove Albion will have dealt Alex Neil’s team a serious blow, they still have players like Romain Esse and Camiel Neghli on each flank.
The former, who had a strong debut season in the English capital last time around with five goals and four assists in 48 league games, narrowly wins for us.
To show everyone what he is capable of, Esse needs to complete a strong year.
7Liam Millar
Despite scoring the game-winning goal for Hull City against Coventry City, Canadian winger Liam Millar, the only player on this list with a Premier League goal this season, was permitted to sign a summer loan with Birmingham City.
Demarai Grey, Carlos Vicente, and Patrick Roberts will compete with Millar for a spot out wide, and any of those three may make the case for surpassing him on this list. However, in our opinion, despite the warning regarding recency bias influencing our judgement, Millar essentially takes his place in the ranking.
6Amario Cozier-Duberry
Amario Cozier-Duberry, a Brighton winger, had a fantastic season on loan at Bolton Wanderers the previous time around, contributing 20 direct goals for the Trotters in 41 games across all competitions.
League One statistics for Amario Cozier-Duberry Bolton Wanderers in 2025–2026 (FotMob data)
Appearances
34.
Objectives
8
Anticipated objectives
6.40
helps
Ten
53 successful dribbles, 65 defensive contributions, and chances generated
71 Almost every Championship team was interested in the 21-year-old this summer, but Middlesbrough emerged victorious. With two goals in his first two league games for the team, he is demonstrating why he is among the finest in the division.
5Adrian Segecic
We find it amazing that Portsmouth star Adrian Segecic stayed at Fratton Park this summer—this may be a bit of a hot take.
In 38 league appearances for a rather underwhelming Pompey team last season, the Croatian, who just switched allegiance from Australia to the European nation in an attempt to break into their national team, scored 11 goals and provided four assists.
No one in John Mousinho’s ranks is comparable, having spent the most of his games out wide. If he can continue to play at the same level as he did the previous season, he won’t be at Portsmouth for very long.
4Andre Brooks
This summer, Andre Brooks moved from Sheffield United to Norwich City for £8 million. The Canaries saw his potential and chose to spend the majority of their summer budget on the Jamaican.
The 22-year-old has had a strong start to his career at Carrow Road. In due course, he will try to demonstrate why he was such a significant loss to the Blades and why that investment was worthwhile.
3Rodrigo Gomes
This ranking is elevated by Portuguese winger Rodrigo Gomes, a 23-year-old who has emerged as Cesar Peixoto’s top option on the right side at Molineux this season.
Gomes has nearly 50 years of Premier League experience, and if he can lead Wolverhampton Wanderers back to the top division, there will undoubtedly be a discussion about moving up a few spots.
2Leo Scienza
Leo Scienza, a Southampton star and one of Tonda Eckert’s most useful players, is a Brazilian forward who can only be defeated by one player on this list.
With 17 goals in his first season at St Mary’s, it was crucial to keep the former Heidenheim winger around this summer despite interest from other teams.
Scienza’s ability to create something out of nothing is crucial to Southampton’s chances of promotion, and sometimes it’s hard to believe he’s still playing at this level given his effortlessness off the left side.
1Jarrod Bowen
No matter how much we wax poetic about Scienza and others, the top slot was actually always the simplest placing on this list, and it’s not even close.
The division is fortunate that Jarrod Bowen, a 22-cap England international and West Ham captain, has decided to stay with the team in an effort to help the capital-based team return to the Premier League after their relegation last season.
At the age of 29, Bowen has made about 300 appearances for the team and has contributed more than 100 direct goals in the Premier League. He has been the Hammers’ standout player for the majority of the last five or so years.
Championship-wide alternatives don’t get any better than Bowen, who is by far the greatest winger in the league and very likely the top player. This is one of the easiest decisions we will ever make.
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