Five players to watch in League One including Sunderland’s £11 million star and prolific Portsmouth striker

While Sheffield Wednesday have the likes of Barry Bannan and Josh Windass in their ranks, plenty of other clubs also have talent in abundance ready for a promotion charge of their own.

One thing’s for sure, the third tier promises to be more competitive than ever next season.

Here, The Star has picked out five players to watch in League One.

Charlie Wyke – Wigan Athletic

As far as an eye-catching bit of business in concerned at this level, Wigan’s move for striker Wyke is unlikely to be topped this summer.

He bagged 26 goals last season as Sunderland finished fourth. Only Peterborough United’s goal machine Jonson Clarke-Harris, who netted 31 times, managed a better return.

Expect more goals in abundance for a club that looks to have bounced back from their financial woes.

Scott Fraser – Ipswich

Attacking midfielder Fraser grabbed 14 goals and provided six assists for MK Dons last season and was linked with a move to the Championship after being crowned the club’s Player of the Year.

Ipswich continued an impressive summer of recruitment by capturing his signature, however, as they bid to earn promotion under Paul Cook.

The 26-year-old previously enjoyed a successful spell with Burton Albion at this level, contributing 16 goals and 19 assists in two seasons.

John Marquis – Portsmouth

The 29-year-old marksman is a guaranteed goalscorer at this level and averages a goal just under every three games. He managed 18 last season as Portsmouth finished eighth.

Despite his impressive record, Pompey boss Danny Cowley feels there’s still more to come from him. With Portsmouth tipped to mount a play-off charge, a revitalised Marquis could be one to watch.

Alex Pritchard – Sunderland

The attacking midfielder cost Huddersfield a whopping £11 million when he signed from Norwich in 2018 and has made nearly 50 Premier League appearances.

Still only 28 – and a veteran of more than 100 games in the Championship – Pritchard should add creativity and quality to Sunderland’s attack and help fill the void left by Wyke.

He will also be playing alongside evergreen winger Aiden McGeady – formerly of Sheffield Wednesday – who could easily have made this list.

Joe Pigott – Ipswich

There’s a theme here. Look out for the Tractor Boys next season, who are second favourites to go up.

Striker Pigott, 27, turned down a new deal with AFC Wimbledon having scored regularly in a team that has tended to struggle at the wrong end of the table.

He bagged an impressive 22 goals last season, despite the Dons narrowly avoiding relegation.

This year, along with a host of impressive new Ipswich signings – including Matt Penney – Pigott could set the division alight.