The January window is three months away, and Premier League scouts already have eight rounds of Championship fixtures to study. Promotion is one route to the top flight, and the Championship promotion odds will move plenty before May. For some players, a January transfer is the quicker way up. These Championship players have made the strongest case so far.

Cyle Larin, Southampton

Larin leads the Championship with seven league goals and was the division’s Player of the Month for August. Southampton turned his loan from Mallorca into a permanent two-year deal on 5 June. At 31 he is a short-term buy, but he has 32 goals in 95 caps and was Canada’s record scorer until Jonathan David passed him in November 2024.

Will Lankshear, Middlesbrough

Middlesbrough paid Tottenham Hotspur an initial £10 million for Lankshear on 22 July, with add-ons that could make it a club-record £20 million. The 21-year-old has six goals in seven league games, second only to Larin. He scored 11 times in 44 league games on loan at Oxford United in 2025-26 and was their Young Player of the Season.

Konstantinos Mavropanos, West Ham United

Mavropanos is level with Bowen as West Ham’s top league scorer on four, a rare return for a centre-back. The 28-year-old has 44 caps for Greece and Premier League experience with West Ham since 2023. West Ham have the division’s best attack, with 22 goals in eight games.

Finn Azaz, Southampton

Azaz joined Southampton for a reported £12 million on 29 August 2025 and scored 10 league goals in his first season. He has three in seven league games this term. The 26-year-old has 15 caps for the Republic of Ireland.

Tyreece Campbell, Charlton Athletic

Campbell joined Charlton’s academy at nine and now has four league goals in eight games, one more than in 45 league games last season. The 23-year-old Jamaica international signed a four-year deal in August running to 2030, and Charlton turned down offers before he did. That contract means any January bid would have to be a big one.

Fer Lopez, Wolverhampton Wanderers

Wolves paid £19 million for Lopez in June 2025, but he played nine Premier League games without scoring as they went down. The 22-year-old Spain under-21 international is Wolves’ top scorer under Cesar Peixoto. Wolves sit fourth with a game in hand.

Jimmy-Jay Morgan, West Bromwich Albion

Morgan joined West Brom from Chelsea on 18 June on a four-year contract. He had scored 12 League One goals on loan at Peterborough United in 2025-26. The 20-year-old, capped by England from under-16 to under-20 level, has three league goals for fifth-placed West Brom, more than anyone else in their squad.

Joseph Opoku, Swansea City

Opoku signed for Swansea from Zulte Waregem on 23 July after scoring 10 Belgian Pro League goals in 2025-26. The 21-year-old Ghana international scored in the 3-0 win at Derby County on 29 August and has two league goals. For anyone checking the Championship betting odds, his pace on the wing is one reason Swansea are top after eight games.

Ethan Galbraith, Stoke City

Galbraith came through Manchester United’s academy and joined Stoke from Swansea on 1 July on a four-year contract. He already has three league goals, matching his total from 39 league games for Swansea last season. The 25-year-old has 18 caps for Northern Ireland, and Stoke are seventh, level on points with sixth-placed Queens Park Rangers.