In August 2019, former Leeds United and England defender Danny Mills was asked for his views on newly-promoted Sheffield United, here is what he said:
“It’s not the most glamorous club. Ok. A bit harsh on Sean Bean, but OK. It’s not the most glamorous way of playing, they might play a little direct at times, they’ll be similar to Cardiff.”
Mills could not have been further from the truth with his infantile analysis of Chris Wilder’s fluid 3-4-1-2, overlapping centre-back, swashbuckling style of play. In his summation of Sheffield United, Mills inadvertently admitted having never watched Sheffield United play under Chris Wilder.
The arrogant disregard that pundits, fans and even managers in the Premier League have toward the Football League is actually a good thing for fans of Football League clubs. It helps to keep their prize players under the radar, just out of sight of the Premier League’s multi-million-pound transfer committees.
Until now that it is… Read on find out which three EFL strikers are grabbing the attention of football scouts all over the country.
Karlan Grant, Huddersfield Town
22-year-old wide forward Karlan Grant first made a name for himself in League One playing for Charlton Athletic. 14 goals in 28 League One games brought him to the attention of then-Premier League side Huddersfield Town in January, 2019.
Despite arriving midway through the season and only costing £2 million, Grant would go on to become Huddersfield’s top scorer that season as they were relegated back to the Championship.
Last season he was top scorer again, notching 19 times for a struggling Terriers side that only narrowly avoided the drop. Grant’s 0.44 goals per game last term are even more impressive when you consider that he spent most of the campaign deployed on the left wing.
With either Fraizer Campbell or Steve Mounie picked as the main striker in the team, Grant had to quell much of his attacking instincts to provide defensive cover to a side that often found themselves under the cosh in most of their games.
If Grant can improve his hold-up play and bulk up physically, he could be a real asset to any team in the bottom half of the Premier League next season. Town fans however will be hoping that he has the chance to improve those skills under new boss Carlos Corberan in the Championship next term and perhaps guide a team to glory, although they are currently long odds for promotion at Betsafe sports betting.
Karlan Grant notched his first goal for Huddersfield Town against Arsenal in only his second appearance for the club
Tyler Walker, Nottingham Forest
Diminutive forward Tyler Walker appears to be on the cusp of realising his potential at the City Ground after a series of loan spells away from the club. The England U20 international failed to assert himself at spells with Burton, Stevenage, Port Vale and Bolton before finally finding his groove on loan at League Two Mansfield Town in the 2018-2019 campaign. After hitting 22 times in 44 games, Walker was once again sent out on loan, this time to League One Lincoln City.
In the first half of the season the 23-year-old struck 14 times in 29 games for the Imps and had one of the highest chance conversion rates (29%) in the league before he was recalled by his parent club
Walker found first-team opportunities hard to come by upon his return to the City Ground but did manage to score impressively in the club’s hard-fought 2-0 victory over Leeds United back in February.
With less players in his way ahead of the coming season, Walker could well recreate his League Two and League One goalscoring form in the Championship.
In the past two seasons Tyler Walker has added finishing to his list of attributes which include, pace, power and skill
Bez Lubala, Crawley Town H2
Last season Crawley Town finished 13th in League Two in an unspectacular season under the stewardship of 60-year-old manager John Yems. Tactically, Yems is somewhat of an old-fashioned coach who opts often for the tried and tested staple of the English game, 4-4-2.
In his formation there is little room for individual flexibility, unless of course you happen to be Bez Lubala. The 22-year-old Congolese forward arrived from Birmingham City in the summer of 2019 as a versatile forward that could also play on the wing.
Yems deployed Lubala as a left midfielder in his 4-4-2 but gave him the flexibility to swap flanks and also to play through the middle on occasion. The right-footer excelled in this role, notching 12 times for Crawley which represented an impressive 24% of the side’s overall league goals.
Lubala is a player with a mean turn of pace and the ability to beat an opponent in a one v one situation. This dribbling ability allowed him to find his way into a number of goalscoring positions last term from which he showed himself to be an adept finisher.
So far this summer he has been linked with moves to League One Sunderland and Championship side Sheffield Wednesday. Lubala clearly has the talent to excel at a higher level than League Two and could well go on to become a lethal goal scorer if he is afforded the opportunity to play up top more often.
