England head into a World Cup full to the brim with talent once again, many of whom have been developed in the Championship or EFL, be it Morgan Rogers at West Bromwich Albion, or Adam Wharton at Blackburn Rovers.

That Premier League pairing will no doubt be joined in the States by another shining example of homegrown English talent, in the form of Jude Bellingham, the Real Madrid golden boy having started out from humble beginnings himself.

A teen sensation at Birmingham City, the 22-year-old is now a Champions League winner and global superstar at Madrid, via his time at Borussia Dortmund, having initially made his first-team debut for the Blues at the age of just 16 back in 2019.

Considering what he has gone on to achieve, and his status as the sixth-most valuable player in the world, as per Transfermarkt, Bellingham arguably remains the biggest talent the second tier has seen in recent times.

But could that be about to change this summer?

West Brom and Blackburn could battle it out for 37-cap England star

It's gearing up for a pivotal summer at the Hawthorns and at Ewood Park, with the Championship rivals having both endured miserable seasons in 2025/26, finishing 21st and 20th, respectively.

There's been managerial chaos and relegation fears, yet back on stable footing again, both clubs will be looking to mount a playoff or promotion push when things reset next season.

Considering their similar situations, both West Brom and Blackburn are likely to be in the same conversation when it comes to new signings too, with recent days bringing links to the likes of former Leeds United star Sam Greenwood.

There might well be bigger fish to fry than that, however, with SportsBoom reporting earlier this year that the two sides are also interested in signing current free agent, Dele Alli, with the 30-year-old still waiting for a return to action.

As per the report, Blackburn were said to have already made enquiries, with the experienced midfielder having been training at former club Tottenham Hotspur in an attempt to build up his fitness.

The 37-cap England international has been without a club since a brief spell at Como ended last summer, yet considering his prior brilliance for both club and country, could he be worth taking a risk on?

Why Dele could be the Championship's biggest talent in years

There is a world in which Dele could have been joining Rogers, Wharton and Bellingham at this summer's World Cup, having revealed in an emotional interview with Gary Neville in 2023 that he was still working toward that goal, despite his declining status.

The one-time MK Dons starlet had spoken openly about the childhood trauma and off-field issues that had impacted him, with it difficult not to be saddened by his current plight, following a full season now without game time.

It would be a risk for any club to sign him, considering that lack of recent action, but it's a risk worth taking, not least when considering his heroics at Spurs.

Having risen up to become a teenage star himself in Milton Keynes, much like Bellingham in Birmingham, Dele went on to immediately hit the ground running after moving to north London in 2015 on what proved to be a bargain £5m deal.

By the end of his first season, he was already part of England's Euro 2016 squad, while by the end of 2016/17, he had netted 28 goals in just his first two Premier League campaigns.

They were heights he never truly reached again, although even in 2019/20, under Jose Mourinho, the mercurial maverick scored nine top-flight goals, serving a fresh reminder of what he could offer in that advanced number ten berth.

By the time of his Spurs exit in 2022, Dele had scored 67 goals in 269, 51 of which came in just 181 Premier League outings, a proven figure at the very highest level.

It was the midfielder's flick which teed up Lucas Moura's winner as Spurs famously completed the comeback against Ajax in 2019, while a year earlier, he had helped England into a first World Cup semi-final since 1990, powering home a header against Sweden.

Perhaps for some, those days are too long ago, but it's difficult to ignore Dele's true raw talent, with the aforementioned Bellingham hailed as "very similar" to Dele at his best by former teammate Alan Smith.

That's the kind of level the now 30-year-old was operating at in his 2016 to 2018 peak, with his recent woes perhaps a symptom of too much change and instability, having witnessed managerial upheaval at both Spurs and Everton, while hardly given a look in in Italy.

There were brief glimpses during his time on loan at Besiktas in 2022/23, as he scored twice in just 13 Super Lig, suggesting that if he is to find a settled home again, such quality could come to the fore.

This was once a talent being spoken of in the same conversation as the likes of Paul Gascoigne and Frank Lampard, a future England superstar in the making.

Considering he's now available on a free, West Brom and Blackburn would be wise to at least consider such an exciting, statement signing. Who doesn't love a comeback story, after all?