Who’s in the driver’s seat to make it to the Premier League?

As we slowly approach the halfway point in the season and the January transfer window as well, who in the Championship is ready to take the step up? And just who is in the driving seat to stake a claim at a place in the Premier League?

As the busy festive period begins, where Championship teams will play at least five league matches, it’s two recent former top-flight teams that currently lead the way.

Fulham currently tops the table on 43 points, with Scott Parker’s AFC Bournemouth in hot pursuit, just a point behind. There’s a seven-point gap to the playoffs below, as QPR sit on 35 points, West Bromwich Albion, who were relegated last season, are on 34 and both Blackburn and Coventry are on 33 points.

Who are frontrunners for a Premier League promotion?

Fulham are the current frontrunners to go back to the top and bounce back to the Premier League. Marco Silva’s side have blown teams away with their slick passing and sheer quality going forward.

Striker Aleksandar Mitrovic has scored 21 goals in 19 league appearances, with summer signing Harry Wilson notching up six goals and seven assists in 17 league appearances. Fulham’s offensive powerhouse has sprung them to the top of the Championship, but they’re not out of the woods yet, by any means.

AFC Bournemouth have continued where they left off under Scott Parker. The Cherrie’s, like Fulham, have a lot of quality going forward, with the likes of Dominic Solanke and youngster’s Jaidon Anthony and Morgan Rodgers, being huge parts of the team’s philosophy.

Despite having stalwart, Gary Cahill at the back, Bournemouth’s issue this year has been keeping hold of leads, if they can plug this hole soon, they could be right onto their rivals in first place.

Fulham and Bournemouth’s biggest threats in the Championship

There is currently a seven-point gap between the frontrunners and those chasing them, but there is a lot of football left to play. The two biggest threats to the top two right now, look to be Queens Park Rangers and Blackburn Rovers.

QPR are undefeated in their last six league matches, winning four of them. They have a team full of seasoned Championship players and a strong blend of exciting youthful players coming through. Mixing the likes of Ilias Chair, one of the most skilful players in the league, with a finisher like Andre Gray, has skyrocketed this side into contention.

Blackburn aren’t too far behind, after languishing lower down in the league, they look like a playoff team this year, if not a bit more.

The Lancashire club have won three out of their last four, and have seen them fly up the table through the emergence of Tyrhys Dolan and the form of now-Chilean Ben Brereton Diaz, who has 16 goals in 19 league games. Certainly, a team not to rule out.

The Championship is famously one of the most exciting leagues in the world, and it looks like it will be again this year, Fulham and Bournemouth currently sit up top, but they will be chased down, right until the last day.