The Championship was full of creative players last season but incredibly, six of the top seven playmakers are not in the division for 2021/22.
Emiliano Buendia (16 assists) and Michael Olise (12 assists) secured big moves to Aston Villa and Crystal Palace respectively, while Harvey Elliott (11 assists) returned to Liverpool after a breakthrough campaign at Blackburn. On top of that, Brentford trio Bryan Mbeumo (10 assists), Ivan Toney (10 assists) and Sergi Canos (eight assists) all gained promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs.
Even Harry Wilson (fourth on 11 assists) will be playing for a new team in 2021/22, leaving Anfield to join recently-demoted Fulham on a permanent basis, but there are some constants in Jake Bidwell, Dominic Solanke and Callum O’Hare (all eight assists), who have remained at their respective Championship clubs.
So, with six of the top seven now in the Premier League, the assist chart for the new campaign will have a completely different feel to it come May, but who will scoop the ultimate bragging rights for best playmaker?
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Keep track of which player has provided the most assists throughout the season below.
Championship most assists: 2021/22 season | English second tier
Players with the same amount of assists are ranked by fewer minutes played. Stats correct as of 13:00, 25/01/22.
| Position | Player | Assists | xA | Minutes Played |
| 1st | John Swift | 11 | 6.2 | 2,313 |
| 2nd | Harry Wilson | 10 | 5.77 | 1,975 |
| 3rd | Ryan Giles | 9 | 6.49 | 1,764 |
| 4th | Callum Robinson | 8 | 3.85 | 1,524 |
| 5th | Sorba Thomas | 8 | 5.3 | 2,366 |
| 6th | Bobby Decordova-Reid | 7 | 3.96 | 1,497 |
| 7th | Joe Rothwell | 7 | 3.82 | 2,050 |
| 8th | Chris Willock | 7 | 6.3 | 2,115 |
| 9th | Aleksandar Mitrovic | 7 | 2.22 | 2,179 |
| 10th | Billy Sharp | 6 | 3.03 | 1,645 |