With the January transfer window now upon us, we pick out seven EFL stars who could be set for moves.
Ben Brereton Diaz
- Age: 23
- Position: Striker
- Club: Blackburn
- Linked with: Everton, Southampton, Nottingham Forest
A former EFL Apprentice of the Year, Ben Brereton Diaz - or simply Brereton, as he was known when he scooped the award in 2017 - saw both his career and his fame blow up over a blistering 2021/22 campaign.
His summons to represent his mother's birth nation of Chile in two World Cup qualifiers in May 2021 came right out of left field, but appearances at the Copa America, four international goals and that Pepsi advert cameo followed as Brereton-Diaz's club reaped the on-field rewards back home.
The frontman hit 22 goals last term as Blackburn, who fell short of a play-off spot, triggered a deal extension. With his contract ending in June, the 23-year-old has reportedly found himself on the radar of Premier League strugglers Everton, Southampton and former club Nottingham Forest.
Viktor Gyokeres
- Age: 24
- Position: Striker
- Club: Coventry
- Linked with: Everton, Wolves
Viktor Gyokeres - who happened to share top goalscoring honours at the 2017 European Under-19 Championship with a certain Ben Brereton-Diaz - has been a real asset to Coventry as they haul themselves away from the Sky Bet Championship drop zone.
Brighton were left kicking themselves when the Swede, allowed to leave the Amex Stadium in 2021 for a paltry £1million following a series of loans, hit 12 goals in his first 25 league games this term.
The 24-year-old, a hybrid of the classic winger and number nine, is on course to beat his 17-strong tally from last season, leading Everton and Wolves to consider him their ticket out of a relegation scrap.
Ross Stewart
- Age: 26
- Position: Striker
- Club: Sunderland
- Linked with: Brentford, Middlesbrough, Stoke, Swansea, Rangers
A whole host of clubs from the Premier League, Championship and Scottish Premiership are said to be tailing Sunderland's Ross Stewart, whose 24 league goals helped the Black Cats earn their long-awaited Championship return last season.
The striker has nine this term and with his team entering 2023 on the fringes of the play-offs, boss Tony Mowbray is understandably 'in no rush' to let him go amid much speculation.
Ivan Toney's injury means Brentford could be in league for an alternative frontman, though Sunderland have the option to extend the Scotsman's current deal - expiring in summer - by 12 months.
Jerry Yates
- Age: 26
- Position: Striker
- Club: Blackpool
- Linked with: Sunderland
Having already lost Ellis Simms after Everton recalled their loanee to pad out their meagre strike force, Sunderland are reportedly making contingency plans in the event of Ross Stewart's departure this January.
Matching Stewart's nine goals in this season's Championship, the diminutive attacker has proven his credentials over the past two campaigns, hitting eight last term and 21 the season prior as the Seasiders won promotion from League One.
With Blackpool struggling to stay afloat down the wrong end of the table, their leading man could well have his head turned by the chance to battle for the top six.
Chuba Akpom
- Age: 27
- Position: Striker
- Club: Middlesbrough
- Linked with: Everton, Southampton
No list of potential January movers would be complete without the Championship's leading scorer.
Chuba Akpom's goal in Middlesbrough's New Year fixture against Birmingham was his 13th in the league this season - and his ninth in ten games.
Such figures are said to have caught the eye of both Everton and Southampton and although, like Stewart, a clause in his contract means the former Arsenal youth is effectively tied to his club for another 18 months, that is unlikely to deter Premier League clubs desperate to secure their top-tier survival.
Ronnie Edwards
- Age: 19
- Position: Centre-back
- Club: Peterborough
- Linked with: Chelsea, Crystal Palace
Impressing at London Road since moving from Barnet as a 17-year-old, Ronnie Edwards was on the radar of Chelsea during the last transfer window, with Crystal Palace submitting multiple bids touted to have been worth up to £8million in add-ons.
His club intimate that Edwards is not for sale in January, as Posh push to reach the Sky Bet League One play-offs, but owner Darragh MacAnthony and director of football Barry Fry have employed a policy of selling on lower-league players for profits in recent years.
The long-range pass master's price tag is rumoured to be set at £20million - though the sacking of manager Grant McCann on Wednesday may throw a spanner in the works.
Dan Happe
- Age: 24
- Position: Centre-back
- Club: Leyton Orient
- Linked with: None yet
A remarkable resurgence following a knee dislocation last February makes Leyton Orient defensive charm Dan Happe a veritable Sky Bet League Two success story - though an early 2023 injury could prove an obstacle to a potential move.
Almost 200 senior appearances into a career that has seen the Londoner and his club make the climb from the National League to the fourth-tier summit, the 24-year-old is turning heads as a dominant aerial defender, adept at handling one-on-ones - and Orient's decision to turn down a £300,000 Tottenham bid for the centre-half in 2019 looks a good one.
Happe missed just one league game for Richie Wellens' side from the start of the season to the turn of the year, though he limped off just a quarter of an hour into the defeat to Northampton on January 2nd, his manager blasting a cramped fixture schedule.
The rumour mill has been quiet regarding Happe this season, possibly due to his injury absence through the first half of 2022, but Leicester, Leeds and Norwich have all been linked with the defender in previous seasons.
Many an eye will be kept on news of his latest injury.
Michael Cooper
- Age: 23
- Position: Goalkeeper
- Club: Plymouth
- Linked with: Aston Villa
Last term saw ever-present Plymouth stopper Michael Cooper rack up a joint-best 18 League One clean sheets and 2022/23 has seen him continue his rich vein of form.
Coming into the new calendar year on the back of 116 consecutive league starts, Cooper, who joined the club's centre of excellence aged nine, has proved a cornerstone of Plymouth's divisional title challenge with his game-changing saves and sage distribution.
The Pilgrims do not plan to sell him, with boss Steven Schumacher ruling out an exit except in the event of a 'crazy money' bid.
His contract runs until the summer of 2024.