Talent who clashed with Mourinho and ex-Arsenal starlet - EFL players we're excited about

As well as some blockbuster names in League One and League Two, the Championship looks set to be stronger than ever with 19 of the 24 clubs having previously played in the Premier League since its formation in 1992.

Team performances are all-important, but it's the individual stardust of the talent available that will really get fans off their seats.

With that in mind, here are some of the EFL stars that we here at talkSPORT are most excited about.

Ethan Ampadu (Leeds)

The Wales international feels like he's been around for absolutely years, but staggeringly, he's still only 22.

Ampadu was tipped for big things when he left Exeter for Chelsea in 2017, making his debut at just 17 years and six days.

While he made 12 appearances for the Blues at first team level, his career lost a bit of momentum as he spent the next four years out on loan at RB Leipzig, Sheffield United, Venezia and Spezia.

With 43 Wales caps to his name already, Ampadu is a real coup for the Championship and given how comfortable he is in both central defence or central midfield.

There's no doubt that Ampadu is Premier League quality and all at Elland Road hope he'll realise his potential there.

Chuba Akpom (Middlesbrough)

Once an Arsenal wonderkid, it looked like his career was fizzling out 12 months ago.

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Trotting around Europe and enduring two tough years at Middlesbrough, the striker didn't feature at all in pre-season last term and was being lined up for a move away - not that many clubs of note were interested.

However this summer, Akpom is going into the Championship season as arguably the hottest striker in the division after scoring 29 goals to be named as the second tier's top scorer and scooping the EFL player of the season award.

While injury has meant that he hasn't featured in pre-season, the 27-year-old is expected to be the talisman of Michael Carrick's promotion charge this term.

But with 12 months left on his contract, speculation remains over his plans to extend his stay, meaning that Middlesbrough could look to cash in and capitalise on the one electric season that he's enjoyed in his career so far.

Wilfried Gnonto (Leeds)

We don't know how long he'll be sticking around, but Gnonto will electrify the Championship for a few weeks at least.

The Leeds winger was a thrilling talent in the Premier League last term, scoring five goals and creating four in a poor team.

With pace and skill in abundance, the 19-year-old has plenty of Premier League suitors with Everton among those who have been in contact about a move.

So far, Leeds have held firm and appear keen to keep hold of the winger - something that is good news for Leeds fans and football fans, but not so much for opposition players.

Should he stick around at Elland Road, Gnonto could absolutely rip the Championship to shreds and that's something that we can't wait to see.

Jack Clarke (Sunderland)

The Yorkshire lad has felt pressure from day dot when Tottenham snapped him up at the age of 19 for a fee in excess of £10million.

While Spurs was expected to be a platform to send him to stardom, Clarke found it tough to find his way in north London under Jose Mourinho, leading to a less-than impressive loan spell with Queens Park Rangers.

Returning to Spurs that summer, Mourinho turned to Clarke and said: "Either you're s*** or QPR are s*** And we'll find out today."

QPR haven't exactly covered themselves in glory in the years since and Clarke knew that he needed a change of scene if he was fulfill his early promise.

He did that with a move to Sunderland in League One, helping the club to promotion in his first season.

However last term in the Championship, the 22-year-old winger showed exactly what the fuss was about four years ago as he scored 11 and created 14 to help the Black Cats into the play-offs in their first season back in the second tier.

Heavily linked with a move to Premier League side Burnley, Sunderland will be desperate to keep hold of the York-born star - after all, he has the potential and experience to play a big role in taking the Wearsiders back to the Premier League.

Harry Winks (Leicester City)

It's not often you get a Champions League finalist playing in the Championship, but that's exactly what Leicester have pulled off.

Winks is a Tottenham lad and played more than 200 games for the club, including the biggest game in European football against Liverpool in 2019 - a match that they lost 2-0 in Madrid.

Injuries have frustrated in recent years, leading him to leave for Sampdoria on loan last season, but this year, Winks has found a new home for himself.

A midfielder who can both sit deep and drive forward while dictating play, Winks will be hoping to take the Championship by storm and secure an immediate return to the Premier League under new Leicester boss Enzo Maresca.

Callum Doyle (Leicester City)

A Manchester City defender who looks every inch a Pep Guardiola player in the making.

The 19-year-old is a ball-playing defender who has been hugely impressive in his two previous EFL loans.

Doyle helped Sunderland to promotion from League One in 2022, before playing a key role in Coventry's journey to last season's play-off final, ultimately losing to Luton at Wembley.

Seemingly set for one last crack at the Championship before he breaks into the Premier League, the defender will be a key man for Leicester under Guardiola's former assistant, Maresca.

Comfortable with the ball at his feet, Doyle will be looking to prove he's a Premier League quality player.

Paul Mullin (Wrexham)

We couldn't finish a list of most exciting EFL stars without featuring Wrexham's star man, could we?

The powerful striker has been described by club owner Ryan Reynolds as 'the special person in his life', while he's also been getting comfy at Rob McElhenney's home after puncturing a lung against Manchester United in pre-season.

But once he's back, fans know exactly what to expect from Mullin.

The 28-year-old has 74 goals in 90 appearances for Wrexham, playing a key role in their promotion from the National League last term.

Stepping up to League Two will be a challenge for the club, but not for Mullin who scored 32 goals during the 2020/21 season with Cambridge, shortly before leaving for Wales.

Mullin has global fame as a result of his starring role for Wrexham amid their growing fanbase around the world and that's likely to grow even further if he can help the club to consolidate their EFL status this term, or even better, help them push for promotion once again.

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The talkSPORT network will bring you 120 exclusive EFL commentaries this season, including every playoff game, and it all kicks off this Friday night with Sheffield Wednesday v Southampton.

Plus we'll have the best round up of the weekend's action with EFL All Access with Hugh Woozencroft, every Monday at 6pm on talkSPORT2, also available as a podcast.