Championship angst: rejuvenation in the EFL is uneven as new season prepares to kick off
With the English Football League due to kick off on Friday night when Wolves host Blackburn in the Championship, the sense of rejuvenation across the division is not universal.
The second tier this season includes recent Premier League clubs and several sides tipped for promotion, creating a tougher-looking Championship and leaving supporters of less-resourced teams wary. Wolves and West Ham have dropped into the second tier, while Burnley, Middlesbrough and Southampton are among those expected to push for a swift return to the top flight. Supporters of clubs without parachute payment riches and squads still packed with top-flight talent are therefore cautious, with some fearing a long slog.
Blackburn provide a clear example of that apprehension after scraping to 20th place last season and reappointing Tony Mowbray as manager. Mowbray, 62, faces a substantial task to steer the club clear of another relegation fight, and fans believe the Rovers’ owners and the club’s head of football operations, Rudy Gestede, have not delivered enough signings, particularly in midfield.
Blackburn have made three summer additions so far — Moussa Baradji, Jayden Fevrier and the 34-year-old Sam Morsy on a free transfer — with Mowbray praising Morsy as “a real man, a soldier”. Mowbray said: “I’m a bit greedy for good players. I keep saying to Rudy: ‘I just want good players, doesn’t really matter where they come from, what age they are.’ I want to see personality on the pitch, players who are desperate to win.” The Rovers edged past Burton 2-1 in the Carabao Cup first round last week after late goals from Andri Gudjohnsen and Fevrier, whom Mowbray believes can bring “magic” on the right wing after signing from Stockport.
Bolton’s promotion celebrations — capped by a 4-1 demolition of Stockport in the League One play-off final — have given way to an urgent recruitment need driven by the perceived gulf between the second and third tiers. Steven Schumacher’s squad has been bolstered by David Watson, Ben Davies, Akin Famewo, Luca Stephenson, Kyliane Dong and Gaizka Larrazabal, but supporters and the club acknowledge more attacking firepower is required so as not to overburden the striker Sam Dalby.
Schumacher’s comment last week that Bolton “can’t afford to waste money” unsettled some fans, and he admitted: “We know we’re short, especially at the top end of the pitch. Our budget isn’t massive so we need to make sure we get the right players in, rather than just signing anybody to fill numbers. We need to try and consolidate this year, rebuild, get some more finances behind us, bring in a better squad that can keep us at this level, and then kick on.” Schumacher also said “this part of the journey is an exciting one,” but a 1-0 Carabao Cup defeat to Sheffield Wednesday reinforced concerns about goalscoring. Max Dean of Gent is a coveted target but is only 22 and his English experience is limited to a short spell at MK Dons.
Preston’s pre-season has its own complications: a public spat with Ben Whiteman over the midfielder’s desire to join Wrexham left a cloud above the club and “saw the Lilywhites lose their club captain.” Paul Heckingbottom said Whiteman “crossed a line” and was frustrated by the saga. Preston have spent in the window, bringing in Alfie Devine from Tottenham for a fee in the region of £6m, and Heckingbottom described Callum Lang, who arrived in January for around £2m before getting injured, as someone who “feels like a new signing.” The manager faces pressure after a run of just four wins from their final 20 matches last season, and with the club almost investing £1.5m to install a modern hybrid pitch at Deepdale they expect to improve on last season’s 14th-place finish.
Bolton meet Preston at the Toughsheet Stadium on Saturday lunchtime in a fixture the article describes as one that could set the tone for both clubs’ seasons, while Wolves hosting Blackburn on Friday night will open the EFL campaign. These early matches will provide the first competitive tests of the summer recruitment and managerial changes described above.