The Premier League is increasingly looking to the Sky Bet Championship to find the talent who can make an impact in England's top-flight.
Jarrod Bowen joined West Ham from Hull in January while Josh Brownhill switched Bristol City for Burnley. They are two of the most recent examples.
Bowen commanding a near £20m fee shows how valuable these players are. Championship clubs are increasingly holding the power in the negotiations; while Premier League clubs are more willing to pay the higher prices.
The current indefinite pause to English football has left question marks surrounding the transfer window, when it will take place and how much money top-flight clubs will actually be able to spend.
EFL players look set to become a firm target for Premier league outfits no longer able to sign international stars.
Here, Tom Carnduff looks at six players who are ready to make the step up to the Premier League.
Eberechi Eze
Eberechi Eze continues to impress as the season goes on with a number of eye-catching performances for QPR.
The ability to dribble and drive forward has been a major contributing factor in the 12 goals he has scored from the attacking midfield positions this season, alongside a further eight assists.
Eze is a player with all the characteristics of being a fan-favourite. The speed and advancing dribbles go alongside an ability to keep hold of the ball which leads to fouls against, particularly as he looks to cut inside to beat a defender.
He was a player who would have been top of the shopping lists in January, if clubs were looking at potential Championship signings, but he stayed at QPR and his form has been excellent throughout the campaign.
His current club aren't in a position to challenge for promotion this season, and Eze is a player who could be making the switch to the top-flight during the next transfer window.
Kalvin Phillips
Marcelo Bielsa's global reputation as one of the game's best coaches is partly due to his ability to develop players.
Kalvin Phillips is someone who has benefitted greatly from Bielsa's presence at Leeds. The midfielder was always searching for a clear role since making his first-team debut in 2015, and the Argentine was the one who completely transformed his game.
Phillips had often been viewed as an attacking-based midfielder at Elland Road. However, Bielsa utilised him in defensive midfield; providing security to the defence while contributing to attack by starting moves through the middle of the pitch.
Make no mistake, Phillips is the best midfielder in the Championship and there's a reason why Gareth Southgate has considered him for England involvement.
Aston Villa were serious about signing him last summer and offers around the £20m mark were rejected - such is his importance to this Leeds side.
The Whites are currently top of the league and seven wins away from a Premier League return. Phillips is a player who is ready for the top-flight.
Ben White
Ben White is another member of this talented Leeds side and has caught the attention of the Premier League's top clubs due to his efforts during his loan spell from Brighton.
The youngster has quickly become a fan favourite at Elland Road and it would be fair to say that he is the best centre-back in the league.
He has everything required for a modern centre-back. He can carry the ball and pick out team mates with short or long passes. A defender who can create attack and be comfortable in possession significantly increases their value in the transfer market.
White is also in the perfect environment at Leeds, working under the guidance of Bielsa. The former Argentina coach wants his defenders to be able to take the ball out for the back and the 22-year-old ticks all the boxes.
What colour shirt White wears next season will largely depend on Brighton's league status. Graham Potter likes ball playing defenders but will struggle to hold onto the player if they are relegated once the Premier League is concluded.
It's certain that Leeds will want him back next season and could have switched leagues with Brighton, strengthen their bidding power. However Liverpool and Arsenal are also interested in White and should be in a position to offer higher fees and wages.
Whichever way it falls, White will be playing in the top-flight of English football in the very near future.
John Swift
The Reading midfielder seems to go under the radar in the Championship, particularly when it comes to discussing transfer targets, but John Swift possesses all the right attributes for a player in his position.
The ability to dribble, pick out key passes and play those through balls to the attackers are all eye-catching elements - but he also has the defensive contribution to support the back line.
The Royals benefit from the set-piece presence. Picking out a pass also transfers to dead-ball situations, while he can strike when those opportunities are in shooting distance.
Swift's age of just 24 also means that there is plenty of time to continue that development. His presence in the centre of the pitch hasn't be receiving the wider credit that it deserves.
Alongside that, there is of course the five goals and eleven assists on his tally this season.
Ollie Watkins
The Brentford forward has enjoyed playing more centrally following the departure of Neal Maupay to Brighton last year.
The 23-year-old has 22 goals in 37 appearances this season and that form will have alerted Premier League clubs to his potential.
He may well appear in the top-flight as a Brentford player. The Bees are battling for the play-offs and appear to be a club on an upward trajectory.
Watkins matched his tally of ten goals that he posted in the 2018/19 campaign back in early November, although he was deployed in his more natural left-wing role then as part of a forward three.
What it does demonstrate is that ability to line-up in any of the three main forward spots. The Brentford man also has small experience in the attacking midfield area.
That versatility would be of use to more than one side in the top-flight, but the goals record will also provide an appeal.
Matty Cash
Matty Cash nearly made a switch to the Premier League in January as West Ham attempted to sign the Nottingham Forest star on deadline day.
Not only that, but he was also attracting attention from some of Europe's best-known clubs with AC Milan also said to be in the running.
The 22-year-old has found himself utilised primarily as a right-back throughout the 2019/20 campaign but has experience playing in the right midfield role.
On the defensive side of things, he boasts a high number of successful tackles and clearances per game while his interceptions stand at a better rate than one per match; demonstrating his ability to read an attack coming against them.
Tackling could be pointed to as the stand-out strength in defence but his all-round defensive contribution has helped to establish him as one of the first names on Sabri Lamouchi's team sheet.
Cash has three goals and four assists on his tally this season but the attacking threat he provides goes much further than that.
In an age where full-backs are increasingly important to the way a team wants to play, Cash has stepped up and demonstrated all the right credentials to adapt to what his position has now become.
It becomes more than simply defending. A right-back needs to be as good in attack as he is in defence. Forest have that in Cash and it goes some way to explaining why there was so much interest in the January window.
