The Championship’s top playmakers in 2021-22

The ability to see a pass and create a goal is not something that comes naturally to all players, but these Championship stars certainly had a knack for getting assists in 2021-22.

In this article, we have broken down the passing stats of the top five assist makers in the English second division, so you can see who the best playmakers in the league are. 

If you’re a fan of a Premier League side and you think you need a creative player in your team, all five of these players could be a valuable addition to any top-flight squad. 

 

Harry Wilson (Fulham) 

Harry Wilson played a big role in helping Fulham get back into the Premier League at the first opportunity and with 19 assists, he has proved that he is good enough to play at the highest level. 

Wilson has great ability on the ball and his passing is second to none in the Championship, providing inch-perfect through balls and crosses for the likes of Aleksandar Mitrovic and

Neeskens Kebano to pounce upon. He also chipped in 10 goals himself, so he really is a huge asset for Fulham to have at their disposal. 

He undeniably has a great left foot on him and probably has the ability to play in a team close to the top of the Premier League, but then again, it does help to get assists when your striker is Mitrovic banging in 43 goals a season. Let’s see if they can continue to link up effectively in the Prem this time around.  

Played: 40
Key Passes per game: 2.5
Passes per game: 35.4
Pass success rate: 83.3%
Assists: 19

 

John Swift (Reading)

John Swift is an excellent player who has just made the switch from struggling Reading to playoff contenders West Brom after a good season. He stood out from his teammates in 2021-22 and it’s almost a surprise a team near the bottom of the Premier League didn’t come in for him too.

With 13 assists, Swift has bags of ability. Playing from the middle of the park, he has an impressive pass success rate of 83% and enjoys pulling the strings, pinging balls over the top with his excellent vision and is good at set pieces too, where he also gets assists. 

He also pitched in with 11 goals – a great tally for a central midfielder. Could he help Steve Bruce’s West Brom push for promotion next season? 

Played: 36
Key Passes per game: 2.7
Passes per game: 35.4
Pass success rate: 83.2%
Assists: 13

 

Antoine Semenyo (Bristol City) 

21-year-old Antoine Semenyo earned himself a call-up to the Ghana national team this year after a season where he stood out from a struggling Bristol City side. 

A striker who is also an effective playmaker, it took Semenyo three loan spells away at Bath City, Newport County and Sunderland to break into City’s first team, but he will surely be one of the first names on the team sheet now after contributing to 32% of Bristol City’s goals in 2021-22, scoring  

Unfortunately for him, he has just picked up a nasty injury which could rule him out for up to 12 weeks. If that hadn’t happened, The Robins may have looked to move him on amid interest from Celtic, given the club’s current poor financial situation. 

Played: 24
Key Passes per game: 1.1
Passes per game: 16.5
Pass success rate: 73%
Assists: 12

 

Jed Wallace (Millwall) 

A real fan favourite at Millwall, Jed Wallace had another solid campaign in 2021-22, contributing 12 assists and to a third of his team’s goals overall. 

Wallace is a good crosser of the ball and links up well with his teammates, he also has a good eye for through balls over the top and along the floor. With an average of 27.8 passes per game, he is always involved in the game. 

He doesn’t score too often, but when he does… they’re usually absolute screamers; think of him as the Championship’s Andros Townsend. Reportedly, Vincent Kompany is very interested in making Wallace his first signing at Burnley, so we will have to see if that deal happens in the next few weeks. 

Played: 33
Key Passes per game: 2.5
Passes per game: 27.8
Pass success rate: 71.1%
Assists: 12

 

Sorba Thomas (Huddersfield Town)

Sorba Thomas joined Huddersfield Town from Boreham Wood last year and he’s already proved to be worth the risk, after playing a huge part in the Terrier's push for promotion, which very nearly came off.

Thomas is a quick player with very skilful feet and great vision. He also often takes corners for Huddersfield and picked up several of his 12 assists from set-pieces. With 43 appearances in 2021-22, he was clearly highly thought of by manager Carlos Corberan. 

At just 23 years old, you can see why he was on the books with West Ham as a youngster and we might just see him playing in the Premier League in the future if he keeps picking up assists and exciting fans with his dribbling and skill moves.  

Played: 43
Key Passes per game: 2.1
Passes per game: 21.5
Pass success rate: 67.2%
Assists: 12