Premier League clubs eyeing next emerging talents in EFL after £36m double deal

The transfer market has already sprung more than a few surprises as it kicks into life this summer.

Whilst the deals involving Erling Haaland and Raheem Sterling will garner plenty of attention, other Premier League arrivals have gone under the radar. Wolves sprang a shock by splashing out a fee of £20.5m for Burnley's centre-back Nathan Collins.

The 21-year-old had only arrived at Turf Moor 12 months prior and made just 19 appearances in the top flight, culminating in relegation for the Clarets last term. But Wolves clearly see beyond his short stab at the Premier League and see his long-term potential. To that end they have moved to pay a big fee for what is technically a Championship player.

The fee surpasses the figure spent by Brentford on Keane Lewis-Potter. That fee is reported to be around the £16m mark and is another clear sign Premier League sides are more than prepared to shell out extensive eight-figure amounts for players in the EFL.

The transfer for Lewis-Potter looks, on the face of it, like a shrewd move by the Bees. Also aged 21, the forward has more than 100 league appearances under his belt and has scored double figures in each of his last two seasons.

The trend is pointing towards more of these type of deals with the second tier's talents cherry-picked by top flight sides. And they are now prepared to pay out fees that until recently would have been unthinkable. Such has been the frequency of these kind of transactions that neither Collins nor Lewis-Potter's fee, as vast sums as they are, makes it into the top five most expensive deals between clubs in the top two tiers.

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That tag is held by Emi Buendia following his £35m move from Norwich to Aston Villa last summer. The other four players - Ollie Watkins, Ben Godfrey, James Maddison and Said Benrahma - all moved up a step within the past four seasons.

The question now is who will follow in Collins and Lewis-Potter's footsteps?

Djed Spence is almost certain to, most probably this weekend. Spence, a revelation on loan at Nottingham Forest last season, is a Middlesbrough player but he is on the cusp of a £12.5m move to Tottenham. That transfer would be just reward for an outstanding campaign with the Reds, who achieved promotion via the play-offs.

Lewis O'Brien, of Huddersfield Town, is another who looks destined to play in the top flight. Indeed, last season he came within one game of reaching there with his current employers. Ironically, the side that edged the Terriers out at Wembley back in May - Nottingham Forest - are heavily linked with a move.

And you can see why they, and no doubt other top flight sides, are interested. O'Brien has huge potential, has been one of the stand-out performers in the Championship over the last few seasons and at 23 he is only likely to get even better and therefore increase his market value.

Another who falls into this bracket is Ben Brereton Diaz. Also 23, the Chilean striker has seen his exposure sky-rocket over the past year despite being a second tier player. It would be no surprise if this summer he was plucked from Blackburn by a Premier League side.

Top level clubs are still invariably buying from abroad, but the Championship, and to a lesser extent Leagues One and Two, has now become one of the prime hunting grounds for top tier sides. And the more success stories that develop as a result, the more that pattern is likely to continue.