With it being a little under a month until England’s second tier is back up and firing for the 2024/25 season, clubs have started to take steps towards bolstering their squad.
It has been a summer that has thrown up plenty of opportunities for teams to be effective in the free agent market.
Numerous Championship players have taken up the opportunity to run down their deal in order to take up a large signing-on fee and join the club of their choice, disregarding any long waits over clubs to agree fees.
However, there have been over 130 arrivals into the Championship with nearly £75 million having been spent, there certainly isn’t a lack of signings to choose from despite the relatively early stage of the window.
7 – Chris Willock to Cardiff (free transfer)
The Bluebirds have already completed some astute business already this window, having utilised the free transfer market.
Chris Willock was one of the standout names of the collection of players out of a deal this summer and Cardiff have pulled off an impressive feat to tie the 26-year-old down with them.
Having struggled to break through to the Arsenal senior team, Willock travelled to West Brom and Benfica before Queens Park Rangers finally offered the attacker a home with regular game time.
Willock has been a star player for the R’s ever since he joined, recording 44 goal contributions in 144 games whilst with the club (TransferMarkt). Fan favourite, Willock, frustratingly for QPR, departed the club for free in July after Marti Cifuentes’ side claimed they ‘were unable to reach an agreement’ over a new deal. (QPR)
The 26-year-old will provide Cardiff with some proven Championship star quality as the Welsh side look to improve upon the 53 goals they netted last campaign which saw them finish 12th but 11 points away from a play-off spot. (FotMob)
6 – Kieffer Moore to Sheffield United (undisclosed fee)
Clawing your way back to the Premier League is often harder than expected, just ask the likes of Stoke City, Sunderland Hull who have all fallen from the top division and been left languishing in the lower leagues after failing to go back up in the first few seasons following relegation.
That’s why Sheffield United’s business this summer is so critical. After finishing rock-bottom of the Premier League last campaign, Sheffield United need some big signings in order to rebuild their squad, even just to be in order to jostle for an automatic spot this season.
Bringing in a player with two Championship promotions in three seasons isn’t a bad move, therefore. Kieffer Moore is a tried and tested Championship forward whose haul of 25 goals in 64 Championship games for Cardiff meant he was snapped up by Bournemouth in January of 2022. (TransferMarkt)
Moore’s move to The Cherries came good at a vital time as the Welshman netted the goal that secured promotion for Bournemouth in 2022. The striker enjoyed a loan to Ipswich Town in the second half of last season, putting in seven goals for The Town to help them secure 2nd place in a close-fought promotion race.
Sheffield United will hope that Moore can bring some of his magical promotion-winning feats to Bramall Lane next season. Although at 31 Moore isn’t a deal for the future, he is certainly one tailor-made for the Championship and therefore the now for The Blades.
5 – Ephron Mason-Clarke to Coventry City (undisclosed fee)
Technically Mason-Clarke will be pulling on the Sky Blue of Coventry City for the first time this summer despite the deal being agreed in February with the forward being loaned back, so we’ll count it. (BBC Sport)
Mason-Clarke who is renowned for his pace and one-on-one ability is certain to make a difference for Coventry next season, especially following the departure of star player and main creative outlet, Callum O’Hare.
Although Mason Clarke’s side, Peterborough United fell short in the play-off’s last season, losing out to eventual winners, Oxford United, the 24-year-old winger still shone, smashing in fourteen goals and providing eight assists across the League One season. (TransferMarkt)
The tricky winger will be hopeful of following in the footsteps of another ex-Posh player who featured in the Championship, Ivan Toney, who is now an England international.
If Mason-Clarke can display even a fraction of Toney’s confidence and potency next season, he will soon become a fan favourite at the CBS Arena.
4 – Callum Chambers to Cardiff (free transfer)
I promise I am not a Cardiff fan; they have just done some impressive free transfers so far this window.
Although there is likely a hefty signing-on fee for these deals, whenever the signing is branded as ‘free’, especially when it’s for a player of Callum Chambers quality, it looks fantastic value for money.
Unlike Willock, Chambers made his mark with Arsenal before he moved on to Fulham and then Aston Villa, racking up 181 top-flight appearances in his career so far, with Cardiff hoping that this deal can help Cardiff have a shot at returning to that league. (TransferMarkt)
At 29 Chambers still has plenty to offer for a club and it’s a great deal for Cardiff considering Chambers still featured sporadically for Villa last season and likely could have moved to a lower-end Premier League side.
Cardiff’s defence was in desperate need of some star quality too with their defence leaking 70 goals last season, relegated Birmingham City conceded five less. (FotMob)
3- Joe Rodon to Leeds United (£10 million)
Would be higher had the deal not enclosed a move for Leeds United’s star academy product, Archie Gray, who went the other way in this deal to Spurs for a fee reportedly around £30 million. (BBC Sport)
Bringing Rodon back to Elland Road seemed a distant dream after Leeds’ failed promotion bid as Premier League sides in Leicester, Ipswich and Southampton became interested in the Welshman and were able to offer top-flight football to the defender. (Football Insider)
However, Leeds still managed to attract Rodon back to Yorkshire, sealing a deal worth £10 million. The ex-Swansea central defender was key to Daniel Farke’s team last campaign.
Leeds had the second-best defence in the Championship last season with plenty of it being accredited to Rodon’s defensive solidity and leadership with long-term servant and experienced defender, Liam Cooper, being injured or out of form for a lot of the season.
2 – Japhet Tanganga to Millwall (free transfer)
Much like Rodon, another Tottenham defender who could have got a Premier League switch but decided to return to the Championship club that gave him a chance at redemption after struggling with injuries and game time at Spurs, the difference? Tanganga was a free transfer.
Tanganga became an established Premier League player for Tottenham after breaking through to the first team under the legendary Jose Mourinho back in 2020. Japhet struggled continuously though with injuries and the constantly revolving door of managers at Hotspur Way.
Millwall took a chance on the central defender, who can also play right-back, in January following his failed loan to Augsburg in the Bundesliga where Tanganga arrived injured and was never given a minute after recovering. (TransferMarkt)
The 25-year-old was key to Neil Harris’ survival mission in the second half of the season at The Den as Tanganga chipped in with two goals as well as being crucial in seeing out victories that eventually fired Millwall as high as 13th after being in relegation jeopardy with only a few months of the season left.
At 25, Tanganga can make a huge contribution to Millwall next season and according to the club signed a ‘long-term’ deal with the club when signing as a free agent which means at the very least The Lions should pocket a decent sum should the defender continue to progress and leave in the coming seasons. (Millwall FC)
1 – Callum O’Hare to Sheffield United
The Championship’s deal of the summer so far.
O’Hare has been integral to Coventry’s progression through League One and the Championship in the last few years, consistently providing a moment of magic or grabbing a goal or an assist to win the game.
Sheffield United are clearly proud of the deal and who competition which they beat off to secure the Coventry’s man services, stating in the announcement of the midfielder ‘United have fought off fierce competition from a number of clubs to land the services of an exciting attacking player on a long-term deal’. (Sheffield United)
The Blades fought off interest from Premier League sides and Championship promotion favourites to sign O’Hare according to TEAMTALK who reported that Leeds, Burnley and Southampton all were looking to sign the 26-year-old, with The Guardian even stating that West Ham wanted the Coventry star.
O’Hare may be on a large wage at Sheffield United, but O’Hare cost them nothing and will join up with fellow former Sky Blue, Gustavo Hamer, who shone in a very poor Sheffield United side last season. The pair will be hoping they can reignite their partnership from their Coventry days in order to return The Blades to the Premier League.