How will the Newcomers Fare in the Championship this Season?

Whilst we have already had both League One and League Two entertain us throughout last weekend, the Championship is just a matter of days away - completing the EFL’s full set.

This season, the second tier welcomes six new teams from both the Premier League and League One, all restless and eager to stamp their mark on the league, despite arriving from opposite ends of the pyramid.

Ironically, Friday night’s opening fixture bridges the gap between these two leagues, as Tom Brady’s invested Birmingham City take on relegated Ipswich Town.

In fact, all three promoted League One sides have pumped a fortune into the summer transfer window, making promotion a much more plausible outcome for them. Alongside the Premier League’s regurgitated trio, how will the newbies get on?

Leicester City

Leicester City have yo-yoed straight back down from the Premier League after their 2024 title-winning promotion under Enzo Maresca.

However, this time round, the Foxes will arrive to the Championship with a suspected points-deduction dangling over them and the absence of any stellar signings. Asmir Begovic is the only acquisition Leicester have made all summer, as the goalkeeper arrived on a free transfer from Everton.

(Leicester City Arrivals and Departures 2025/25: Transfermarkt)

Of course, that does not come as a surprise given King Power’s (Leicester City majority owners) current financial status, but it does hamper their chances of a promotion.

Leicester’s squad is still Championship ready, with many retained stars and the addition of highly rated manager Marti Cifuentes. However, it may become impossible for the midlands side to compete near the top while they have little capacity to bolster their squad. Therefore, a playoff finish would be a fantastic achievement next term.

Southampton

Southampton joined Leicester in the crew to have been relegated consecutively from the top flight. They also did it in humiliating fashion, as the Saints nearly broke the record for the least number of points in a Premier League season – with just 12.

This drop has seen the Saints lose a number of key players, including Kyle Walker-Peters, Aaron Ramsdale and Kamaldeen Suelemana. On the bright side, these departures give way for the flurry of young talent Southampton obtain, which could be ignited through the fresh management of Will Still this season.

Still has quickly sprung his name in the headlines since becoming a manager, coaching both Reims and Lens in France, at the age of just 32 and with no professional playing experience.

WILL STILL: MANAGER PROFILE 👁‍🗨

In this thread, I'll break down Will Still's tactics at Lens, touching on:

- His aggressive m2m pressing
- Interesting approach to build-up
- Flaws in attack
- And why, overall, I'm pretty positive about his future! ✅ pic.twitter.com/Cx0aS6CKDu

— Alex (@AlexanderBrkr) December 7, 2024

It will be interesting to see how the new man in charge copes in English football. Though one thing for certain is that Southampton will have their eyes set on a promotion spot – just like last time.

Ipswich Town

So far, so good – Ipswich Town have managed to keep their hands on manager Kieran McKenna throughout the ongoing whispers about his future. Alongside their beloved manager, the Tractor Boys have retained the bulk of their investments throughout last summer, making them more than ready for the new campaign.

The £130 million they did spend on transfers upon their Premier League arrival now means that Ipswich’s squad is not one that requires a lot of work thrown at it. This has been demonstrated by just four additions this summer – three of which being free agents.

With Championship Golden Boot holders and Euros U21 winners within their squad, Ipswich are certainly among the favourites for promotion back to the first tier. However, we all know the 46-game season is never that easy and time will only tell.

Birmingham City

After they spent a staggering £30 million on League One transfers last summer and broke the division’s transfer record on three occasions, it soon became clear what Tom Brady’s future plans were for Birmingham City.

Seven-time Super Bowl champion and entrepreneur, @TomBrady, has entered into a partnership with Knighthead Capital Management to become a minority owner of Birmingham City Ltd.

Brady will become Chairman of the new Advisory Board.

— Birmingham City FC (@BCFC) August 3, 2023

They have just been expectedly promoted from the third tier on a record number of points and have now celebrated by orchestrating another star-studded transfer window. The Blues have brought in the expertise of Demarai Gray, Kyogo Furuhashi, Tommy Doyle, Bright Osay-Samuel and more.

With the accelerated process Chris Davies’ Birmingham City is going through, they could be on for another promotion this season or at least contend for playoff football in the Championship.

Wrexham AFC

Birmingham’s Hollywood promotion partner Wrexham are following a similar but less extreme journey. The Welsh side have continued their long-term strategy of investment and success by making sure that every box is ticked prior to their EFL Championship debut.

Three promotions in three years is an achievement that no other team can say they have accomplished, but it now needs to be topped in the right way.

Whilst the Championship may be the toughest test of them all, another top two finish is not expected of Wrexham. However, their squad should be more than capable of at least cementing a place in the second tier.

This summer, Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenny’s have added various talent to their potent squad, through new signings such as Lewis O’Brien, Liberato Cacace, Josh Windass, Conor Coady and Kieffer Moore. Players which have plenty of Championship experience – some who have even been promoted from the league before.

Charlton Athletic

Charlton finished the lowest out of the League One promotion pack last season, as they sought second tier status after glamorous playoff campaign. Heading into the new campaign, Charlton would have been one of the favourites to go straight back down. That was until the phenomenal transfer window they have just had.

The Addicks have boosted their Wembley winning team with last season’s League One Golden Boot winner Charlie Kelman, a £2 million duo in Harvey Knibbs and Rob Apter, as well as stealing Luton trio Reece Burke, Amari’i Bell and Thomas Kaminski. That is before you even begin to mention all the other aces they have brought in.

(Charlton Athletic Tranfers 2025/26: Transfermarkt)

Nathan Jones has essentially built a team stacked with League One’s best players, hoping that will be enough to pave his way up the Championship table. On paper, Charlton certainly have a better squad than many other teams in the league and it could be the year that they stay in the second tier for good.