Players stepping up from the Championship are responsible for 28% of the goals scored in the Premier League so far this season

Raúl Jiménez’s late equaliser for Wolves against Burnley on Sunday afternoon was the 82nd goal in the Premier League so far this season. It’s a decent return from 30 matches in three weeks – averaging out at 2.73 per game. Of the 80 goals scored at the right end of the pitch, only 50 have come from players who started last season in the Premier League. So, who accounts for the other 30?

A few big signings have found the net early in the campaign – Sébastien Haller, Joelinton and Tanguy Ndombele have all opened their accounts after their record moves – but players who have arrived in the league from abroad have only scored eight goals so far. The other 22 goals have come from players who were in the Championship last season – that’s 28% of the total.

It is perhaps an early sign that the gap between the top two leagues in England is not as big as we thought. From an attacking standpoint at least, there is real quality to be found below the Premier League. Nine of the top 10 scorers in the Championship last season are now in the Premier League, having either been promoted or signed over the summer, and they are faring very well. Indeed, of the 14 players who have scored at least two goals in the Premier League this season, five were in the Championship a few months ago: Teemu Pukki, Harry Wilson, Tammy Abraham, Daniel James and Mason Mount.

All four of Chelsea’s league goals this season have been scored by players who spent last season on loan in the second tier. Questions were asked about whether Mount and Abraham were ready for the top flight – and those murmurings grew even louder after Chelsea’s 4-0 defeat to Manchester United on the opening weekend – but the young duo have really stepped up.

Mount scored Chelsea’s first goal of the season against Leicester before contributing a second against Norwich on Saturday, a game Chelsea won thanks to a brace from Abraham, who is coming off a prolific season in the Championship with Aston Villa. Mount is only 20 and Abraham is only 21, but they have already shown the confidence and desire required to score a lot of goals in the Premier League. Mount has taken 12 shots so far this season; only Ashley Barnes, on 13, has more.

Mount and Abraham were not the only former Championship players lighting up the Premier League at the weekend. Harry Wilson, who spent last season playing alongside Mount on loan at Derby, hit a stunning free-kick for Bournemouth against Manchester City – continuing his knack for scoring long-range goals in the Premier League.

Daniel James also found the top corner with a fantastic finish in Manchester United’s defeat to Crystal Palace on Saturday to take his account for the season to two, while Teemu Pukki was on the scoresheet yet again for Norwich City. The 29-year-old striker scored one and set up another against Chelsea, taking his tally to five in the league so far – putting him top of the scoring charts alongside Raheem Sterling. Pukki has scored more goals than Arsenal, who sit third in the table.

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The Finland international arrived at Norwich last summer on a free transfer and hit 29 goals in his debut campaign in English football, helping his club secure the Championship title. He has carried that sensational form into the top flight. It’s still early days, but all three promoted clubs have a win on the board and they are all sitting above the bottom three. At the very least, they have shown that they will compete this season.

In fact, early signs show this season may prove more competitive than last year. Wolves and Watford are the only two clubs in the league who have not secured a victory yet in the Premier League; after three matches last season, seven clubs were still waiting for a win. Just one point separates Manchester United in fifth from Newcastle United in 19th in the table at this early stage. There is cause for optimism that this season will be more competitive than last. Right now, a group of former Championship goal getters are helping to ensure that is the case.

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