Foreign Influence in the EFL
LONDON, ENGLAND: Teemu Pukki of Norwich City in action during the Sky Bet Championship match between Millwall and Norwich City at The Den.
For years players from the leagues outside of England have come to the Championship or Leagues below and have made an impact on a club. As recently as last year, when Zian Flemming came to Millwall, he changed the whole complexion of the club.
His goalscoring and playmaking capabilities thrust Millwall into play-off contention, only to miss out on the final day.
There have been more such stories in the past where a player has just come in and reinvigorated a whole club and took them to the next level. Let’s take a look at some of the players and their stories.
Teemu Pukki and Norwich City
Arguably the greatest foreign striker in the history of the Championship. Pukki (pictured in the featured image) arrived on a free transfer and immediately hit the ground running in his first season at Norwich scoring 29 goals to secure Premier League promotion. Pukki scored 11 goals in his debut Premier League campaign but Norwich got relegated.
Teemu Pukki was again prolific in the Championship for Norwich as he scored 26 goals and again helped Norwich to gain promotion to the Premier League. He again scored 11 goals in the Premier League and again went down with Norwich the same season.
In his final season at the club, Pukki scored 11 championship goals as Norwich missed out on promotion. All-in-all, Pukki scored 87 league goals for Norwich and remains an iconic figure at the Canaries. Teemu Pukki won numerous individual awards at Norwich and he goes down as one of the greatest signings in Norwich history.
Ben Brereton Diaz and Blackburn Rovers
What a story this is. Ben Brereton went from Ben Brereton to Ben Brereton Diaz all in his single spell at Blackburn Rovers. Brereton moved for an estimated 7m fee from Nottingham Forest. After an underwhelming first couple of seasons, Brereton’s star started shining after the 2021/2022 season.
Ben Brereton Diaz scored 36 goals over two seasons for Blackburn between 2021-2023 as they chased a spot in the Play-offs, but they missed out on the playoffs spot in both seasons finishing 8th and 7th respectively. Brereton added Diaz to his name during his boom period and represented Chile on the International stage.
Since 2021, Ben Brereton Diaz has become somewhat of a cult figure in both Blackburn and Chile.
Diaz’s overnight stardom brought some limelight to the club, his influence on Blackburn for the past 3 years is undeniable and he went from a fringe member of the squad to a superstar in a short period and all thanks to his time at Blackburn Rovers.
Said Benrahma and Brentford
All’s well that ends well, for both parties. Both got into the Premier League and both are consistent performers currently. Benrahma joined Brentford from Nice in 2018 and he was an instant hit at Griffin Park.
Benrahma’s impact was unquestionable, he scored 27 goals and provided 24 assists in his two full seasons at Brentford. He was a genuine superstar for Brentford and hence he was off to West Ham in his 3rd season at the club. That was his size of impact at the championship club.
Benrahma and Brentford failed to gain promotion with each other but did come close when they ended up as the losing finalist in the 2020 Championship play-off. Now both are in the Premier League and Benrahma can be considered as one of the best players to ever play for Brentford.
Daniel Ayala and Middlesborough
It is easy to forget that Ayala is a Spaniard considering he has been in the Championship for more than a decade. Ayala’s main contribution has been for Middlesborough in the Championship. Ayala made a staggering 176 appearances at Boro.
Ayala spent the majority of his career at Boro in the Championship with one solitary season in the Premier League. He had been a stalwart for several years at Boro and helped them keep steady in the Championship.
Ayala has also represented Blackburn Rovers, Hull City, Derby County, and Nottingham Forest in the Championship. He is a bonafide Championship legend and one of the finest defenders in Championship history.
Adel Taarabt and Queens Park Rangers
If ever there was a single most influential reason to get a club promoted to the Premier League then that is Adel Taarabt. The ultimate streets won’t forget the player. He was highly influential in getting QPR promoted to the Premier League in the 2010/11 season.
Taarabt scored 19 goals in just 44 appearances for QPR as they gained promotion to the league. Neil Warnock, the legendary Championship manager, once said in an interview that he banned his defenders to give Taarabt the ball if he came looking for a pass inside QPR’s half and even told Taarabt that he would sub him if he went into the QPR half.
Taarabt is hailed as a hero in West London and why shouldn’t he be? He was the main reason QPR played in the Premier League and he is also one of the greatest players to ever grace the Championship. Period.
