New Championship youngsters hoping to hit the middle ground running

There’s less than a week until the big kick-off in the Championship and clubs are busy attempting to finalise their squads ahead of the upcoming transfer deadline.

Some notable deals have already been made, however, and we look at three young midfielders to England’s second tier that will be desperate to impress in their new colours.

Oghenekaro Etebo (Stoke)

Arriving for a notable fee ahead of Nigeria’s World Cup campaign, the £6.5m fee Stoke paid to secure the services of Etebo already looks as though it could prove to be astute business. The 22-year-old was arguably the Super Eagles’ standout performer in Russia, earning a WhoScored.com rating of 7.52 having started all three group games for the African nation.

The youngster completed 16 dribbles in that time from 17 attempts, while keeping his composure in possession with an 88.7 per cent pass accuracy. Throw in 11 tackles and his all action displays on the grandest stage will have caught the eye of top tier clubs around the continent, so Stoke got their man just in time. Etebo will want to prove what others missed out on and will see this move as a stepping stone to bigger and better things.

Mason Mount (Derby)

A player in his new manager’s image, while Mason Mount will be hoping to repay the faith shown in him by former Chelsea legend Frank Lampard, ultimately he’ll want to show that he can be the long awaited academy graduate that makes the grade for the Blues. He’ll need another strong season out on loan to do so, having excelled in the Eredivisie with Vitesse last year, but if he can come even close to replicating his form in Holland he’ll be an instant success at Pride Park.

The 19-year-old, who was invited to train with the England senior squad ahead of the World Cup, ended the campaign in sensational fashion, firing Chelsea’s partner club to the Europa League in the process. Mount had a direct hand in 23 goals in total from midfield, with seven goals and six assists in his last eight appearances for the club.

Ryan Ledson (Preston)

While midfielder Ledson may not be a high-profile signing, for a club like Preston the youngster’s arrival should be considered a coup. Still just 20, the former Everton academy graduate was identified as one of the top young talents in England in his mid-teens and has represented the country’s youth teams since 2012. It was a surprise them, that the Toffees allowed him to join Oxford two seasons ago but his time spent in the lower leagues has been evidence that the youngster is ready to make a step up in his career.

He should see plenty of action this season given that Preston aren’t inundated with options in the middle ground and the 20-year-old is capable of sitting deep in the middle of the park or pushing further forwards. A strong all rounder in that sense, Ledson will hope to prove that a modest £1m transfer fee was an absolute steal for Alex Neil’s side.