Centre-backs with the Best Potential in Championship 26/27

The highest-potential centre-backs in Championship in 26/27, ranked on Field Insider.

Best goalkeepers in Championship Best defenders in Championship Best midfielders in Championship Best attackers in Championship Most in-form centre-backs in Championship Top-scoring centre-backs in Championship

At a glance

C. Doyle of Wrexham is the standout for raw talent across centre-backs in Championship, with a Field Insider Rating of 70.5, and S. Sambo has been the form player this season, grading 41.9, and K. Mavropanos leads the scoring with 5 goals.

The numbers a scout watches are the year-on-year jumps: C. Burgess has improved his Season rating most, up +30.5 on last season, while G. Campbell's scouting Rating has risen fastest, +22.9 over the same span. Those are the players whose trajectory is bending upward fastest.

By our market-value index, S. Sambo of Burnley is the most valuable name in this group at 32.2.

West Brom · 24/25→25/26

Most improved

C. Burgess+30.5SsN

Swansea · 24/25→25/26

50 players · ranked by best potentialCustomise →

	Player	Team
1	C. Doyle Centre-back	Wrexham	23	1939.3%	711.7%
2	Ruairi McConville Centre-back	Norwich	21	478.1%	67±0%
3	G. Campbell Centre-back	West Brom	25	1265.6%	662.5%
4	L. Kitching Centre-back	Sheffield Utd	27	1761.3%	669.1%
5	B. Cabango Centre-back	Swansea	26	2637.1%	66±0%
6	C. Klarer Centre-back	Birmingham	26	2132.9%	65±0%
7	M. Pollock Centre-back	Watford	25	1237.6%	652.7%
8	D. Sanderson Centre-back	Derby	26	1069.7%	640.9%
9	S. Langås Centre-back	Derby	25	960.8%	63±0%
10	I. Mesík Centre-back	Charlton	25	1514.9%	63±0%
11	H. Clarke Centre-back	Preston	25	845.8%	637.9%
12	B. Chrisene Centre-back	Norwich	22	1013.5%	62±0%
13	S. Sambo Centre-back	Burnley	25	4210375%	617.6%
14	N. Phillips Centre-back	West Brom	29	1760.5%	6033.9%
15	K. Mavropanos Centre-back	West Ham	28	2040.5%	60±0%
16	Z. Swanson Centre-back	Portsmouth	26	1441.6%	608.1%
17	B. Wilmot Centre-back	Stoke City	27	1832.8%	59±0%
18	J. Tanganga Centre-back	Sheffield Utd	27	2247.8%	59±0%
19	G. Tanner Centre-back	Bristol City	26	1073.5%	58±0%
20	L. Morrison Centre-back	QPR	23	2192.7%	585.7%
21	Toti Gomes Centre-back	Wolves	27	559.3%	58±0%
22	J. Storey Centre-back	Preston	29	973.1%	5310.9%
23	J. Dunne Centre-back	QPR	29	1257.4%	52±0%
24	N. Djiga Centre-back	Wolves	23	1354.5%	528.9%
25	J. Bagan Centre-back	Cardiff	25	1078.1%	512.6%
26	L. Graham Centre-back	Stoke City	22	1746.5%	49±0%
27	K. Schlotterbeck Centre-back	Southampton	29	1638.3%	49±0%
28	R. Towler Centre-back	Lincoln	24	2419.8%	49±0%
29	D. McNamara Centre-back	Charlton	27	1336.7%	483.3%
30	M. Kilman Centre-back	West Ham	29	1713.4%	47±0%
31	A. Malanda Centre-back	Middlesbrough	25	1468.5%	460.9%
32	Z. Vyner Centre-back	Wrexham	29	1355.7%	464.4%
33	Neto Borges Centre-back	Middlesbrough	30	878.9%	4518.6%
34	C. Burgess Centre-back	Swansea	31	39346.6%	4516.9%
35	D. Hyam Centre-back	Wrexham	30	1361.8%	45±0%
36	P. Neumann Centre-back	Birmingham	29	24±0%	44±0%
37	B. Osayi-Samuel Centre-back	Birmingham	28	2051.5%	44±0%
38	L. Eissat Centre-back	Bristol City	21	859.9%	447.4%
39	S. Welsh Centre-back	Swansea	26	2345.4%	43±0%
40	D. Elerewe Centre-back	Lincoln	23	2993.3%	4223.4%
41	J. Clarke-Salter Centre-back	QPR	29	612.3%	3915.3%
42	S. Wharton Centre-back	Blackburn	29	1526%	3834.8%
43	R. Dickie Centre-back	Bristol City	30	971.4%	38±0%
44	C. Ogilvie Centre-back	Portsmouth	30	2616.8%	3731.9%
45	R. Burke Centre-back	Charlton	30	21132.6%	3421.1%
46	G. Osho Centre-back	Cardiff	28	666.8%	31±0%
47	K. Walker Centre-back	Burnley	36	1063.3%	31±0%
48	Travis Akomeah Centre-back	Watford	20	12	29
49	A. Bell Centre-back	Charlton	32	1835.3%	29±0%
50	C. Taylor Centre-back	Derby	33	1143%	2428.9%