The Championship's Fantasy Champion - Who is Sorba Thomas?

For those of you who do not closely follow the Sky Bet Championship, allow me to introduce you to Stoke City’s Sorba Thomas.

Sorba Thomas’ screamer is cancelled out as Joe Gelhardt snatches all three points off title-chasing Stoke away from home in the dying stages! 😰 pic.twitter.com/cm32dxped6

— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) November 29, 2025

Capable of playing five different positions, ranging from right-wing back to his preferred left wing, Thomas has been making more than just waves this season. An irresistible force in a Stoke side who find themselves as surprise participants in a title race, the winger’s performances this season have already seen him labelled as the best player in the Championship.

Now, this may seem like a stretch for a 26-year-old who has scored a less than grand total of 24 senior goals over the course of his nine-season career - but Thomas is so much more than just goals.

Leading the EFL Championship fantasy points tally with 134 points to his name, Thomas has undergone a complete transformation over the last 12 months and, out of nowhere, has become the first name on the Stoke team sheet. So, who is Sorba Thomas?

Sorba Thomas has taken the lead in the @SkyBetChamp Fantasy rankings with more points than any other player (134) 🔝#FantasyEFL | @stokecity pic.twitter.com/1V8QxujK34

— Fantasy EFL (@FEFLOfficial) November 30, 2025

Stoke’s Swiss Army Knife

Born Benjamin Sorba William Thomas, the Welsh international, is not your conventional Championship star player - able to play anywhere up the right flank as well as at defensive midfielder, many assume that because of his ability to play the role of utility man, Thomas lacks star power.

This is not so - if you caught Stoke’s game with Hull City yesterday, then you will have caught Thomas’ worldie to open the scoring. With a corner delivery headed towards the stratosphere, Thomas had taken up a position on the left side of the box with no one within 10 yards of him.

The ball was coming down with snow on it, and only the very bravest players would even think of taking the ball on the volley. Thomas waited, and waited, and waited, until finally pulling the trigger. Many claim that the resulting strike created tremors underfoot, felt much farther afield than just Stoke-on-Trent (a bit of creative license, but you get the idea).

STOP AND WATCH THIS GOAL IMMEDIATELY.

This is stunning from Sorba Thomas.pic.twitter.com/Haynot6H9h

— Second Tier podcast (@secondtierpod) November 29, 2025

The ball absolutely cannoned into the top corner, past the keeper before he could register that the shot had been taken, and simply by the quality and technique of the strike, it is already a shoo-in for goal of the season come the end of the campaign.

It was a goal that just underlined the quality Sorba Thomas had been operating at since the very start of the season, a goal worthy of any star player. But, as I said earlier, Thomas is so much more as a player than just goal output.

First and foremost, he is a creative force - this season alone, he has five assists to go along with his seven goals, and across his career, his assist tally (46) is almost double that of his goal total of 24.

His creative credentials are further backed up by his 36 chances created (fourth most in the Championship) and 10 big chances created (joint most alongside Barry Bannan), with the Welshman’s ability to deliver the ball with both feet a key trait on the left wing - countless second-tier defenders have been left bamboozled by Thomas’ two-footedness.

And when it comes to crossing on either foot, the delivery is just as likely to find the net without a touch as with one - already this season, Thomas has scored from crossing positions on three separate occasions. Two took nicks of defenders on the way through, but his strike against Charlton in midweek can only be categorised as a deliberate attempt to catch the goalkeeper out - no cross is hit with that much venom.

Surely he didn't mean this? 😮

Stoke's Sorba Thomas somehow finds the net past Thomas Kaminski after crossing the ball from the left-hand side. pic.twitter.com/AeSnwiEZew

— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) November 25, 2025

His catalogue of spectacular goals is growing fast at Stoke City, and while goals are not typically seen as the primary part of his game, a more ruthless Sorba Thomas in front of goal can only spell bad news for everyone else.

Wales’ New Star?

The Welshman's clear growth as a player in the last few seasons has also resulted in increasing international opportunities. Granted, he was very slow to get off the mark for his country, failing to register a goal or assist in any of his first 15 caps.

However, in the last year or so, Thomas has hit another level on the international stage - across his last eight caps, he has registered five assists along with his first ever international goal, as he became a key player for the Dragons as they secured their spot in the World Cup qualifying play-offs. They are scheduled to face Bosnia and Herzigovina in their play-off tie, a chance for Thomas to exhibit his class on a stage where everything is on the line.

Sorba Thomas has created more chances (26) than any other player in the 2025/26 UEFA World Cup Qualifiers. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🎯 pic.twitter.com/UmOP7JmY3I

— WhoScored (@WhoScored) November 18, 2025

His impressive rise in form for club and country coincided with a loan move to French top-flight side Nantes last season, a club which has been consistently playing and surviving in the mid-table of the French Ligue 1 since 2013.

Despite failing to register remotely impressive figures during his season-long stint in France - he scored once and assisted three times - it was the Welshman’s first taste of top-flight football in his career, and no doubt he learnt a lot in that year abroad.

Returning to England in the summer and being picked up by Stoke for just £2 million, he is displaying what he learnt for all to see - time seems to slow down for him, allowing him to pick whichever pass he fancies, and his ball striking has gone from being good to being superb, illustrated by his volley against Hull.

What Next for Stoke and Sorba?

Though his magnificent strike against Hull proved worthless, with the Potters falling to a 2-1 defeat, Thomas and his side still sit fourth in the Championship, two points inside the play-off spots, and just three back from second-placed Middlesbrough, who occupy the last automatic promotion spot.

Since the international break, Thomas has been at his sizzling best, contributing three goals and an assist in the three games since returning from Wales duty.

Sorba Thomas is Stoke's first number seven to score seven league goals in a season since Liam Lawrence (07/08). pic.twitter.com/DshmXgmN4j

— James Knowles (@jtwknowles) November 29, 2025

In a side boasting names with hoards of top-flight experience, such as Steven N’zonzi and Aaron Cresswell, mixed with a host of recognisable EFL veterans in Ben Pearson, Lewis Baker, and Ben Gibson, Sorba Thomas has put in the work to make himself stand out from the pack, no mean feat when you look at the CVs of some of his teammates.

It is made all the more impressive when you remember he was playing for National League side Boreham Wood just five years ago, where, despite being their obvious standout player, his goal and assist tally left a lot to be desired.

Picked up by Huddersfield in 2020, Sorba got a taste of high-level football, and took to it like a duck to water, netting three goals and providing a further 15 in his first full season with the Terriers.

However, a below-par couple of seasons followed - it turns out the move to Nantes was just what he needed to revive his career. Now having had a taste of top-flight football in another country, he has reinstated his hunger to succeed in England, arguably the toughest footballing pyramid in the world.

And now flying with surprise title chasers Stoke, Sorba Thomas is finally getting the recognition his quality deserves. He may have taken a roundabout route to get here, but looking at what he is capable of now, I very much doubt he would change anything about the path he took to get here.