EFL Championship is one of the toughest leagues to predict because nobody knows what to expect when a team gets relegated from Premier League because key players might not show interest in staying at the club which puts clubs in a position where they have to rebuild which might go either way.

While the PL teams are rebuilding, there are teams that came into the league, One or Two years ago and still have parachute payments, then comes the teams that have missed last season’s promotion due to one or two bad games.

Then there are teams that got promoted from League One and were governed by SCMP and not FFP, which means they had restriction only on spending a maximum of 60% of their turnover on wages and League One is also not an easy league which means they were promoted because they were best among 24 teams.

All the while rest of the teams are trying to build on last seasons success, and One or Two quality signings or Player improvements could Transform them into title contenders.

There is also a chance that injuries, suspensions, coach changes, Referee quality which could all affect a team like any other League.

So we would like to stick to predicting which section of the table a team is going to finish and want to share the current squad status of the team.

Before we get started let us answer a very important question which is in the backs of many fans minds

When does the League One and League Two Summer transfer window close?

League One and Two Transfer window will close on Monday 2nd September at 5:00 pm. So it is safe to say there is still time for prospects to go on loan to lower tiers.

This is just the part One of the Preview and I am currently working on Part two So please stay tuned.

Barnsley

There is a strong feeling among Barnsley fans that the departure of Kieffer Moore could affect them this season as Conor Chaplin and Patrick Schmidt might not be able to fill the 19 goals and championship experience that is lost due to the sale of Moore.

Here is the list of players that departed the club this season.

Barnsley Transfers Out

Name	position	Transfer type	Squad status
Adam Davies	GK	Free	First Team
Zeki Fryers	LB’, CB	Free	Backup
Ryan Hedges	RW’, LW, CF	Free	Backup
Lloyd Isgrove	LW’, RW	Free	Backup
Adam Jackson	CB	Free	Backup
Liam Lindsay	CB	£2.5million	First Team
Will Smith	CB	Free	Prospect
Ethan Pinnock	CB	£3.1million	First Team
Kieffer Moore	CF	£2.5million	First Team
Victor Adeboyejo	CF	Loan	Backup

‘ indicates that the position is the players’ primary position.

Barnsley Transfers In

Name	Position	Transfer Type	Squad Status
Mads Juel Andersen	CB’, LB, RB	£920k	First Team
Mike-Steven Bähre	AM’, CM, LM, LW	£139k	First Team
Brad Collins	GK	Free	Backup
Şahin-Radlinger	GK	Free	First Team
Luke Thomas	RW’, AM, LW	£1.25million	First Team
Toby Sibbick	RB	Undisclosed	First Team
Aapo Halme	CB	Undisclosed	Backup
Bambo Diaby	CB	Undisclosed	First Team
Mallik Wilks	LW’, AM, RW	£1million	First Team
Conor Chaplin	CF’, RW, AM	Undisclosed	Backup
Clarke Oduor	LB	Undisclosed	Prospect
Patrick Schmidt	CF’, RW, LW	Undisclosed	First Team

Barnsley 2019-20 Analysis

Barnsley seems to have followed the policy of buying the players young and selling them on a profit which is never a bad policy for a team that was just promoted to Championship.

Most of the players they have brought don’t have Championship experience but the quality of players that they have brought in brings the confidence of Championship survival.

There is no doubt in saying that Daniel Stendel has brought in players that can complement the team that finished League One runners up.

The loss defensive duo Ethan Pinnock, Liam Lindsay, Club captain, and GoalKeeper Adam Davies who played part in a defense that conceded EFL’s fewest goals last season while keeping a club record 21 clean sheets will hurt them big time.

Barnsley Prediction

The departure of Kieffer Moore has increased pressure on Cauley Woodrow and new signing Patrick Schmidt while the departure of three key players in last seasons’ defense gives us vibes that Barnsley might find it tough to retain their Championship status.

Finishing Position: Relegation Zone

Birmingham City

The departure of Garry Monk following a conflict behind the scenes kicked off the pre-season for many Blues fans on a sour note while the inability to retain Club captain and six goals CB Michael Morrison increased the unease.

Then there was the inevitable sale of 22 goal striker Che Adams followed by Jota who was part of the swap deal that brought Gary Gardner to the club meant that Birmingham City fans might be in for a ride this season.

Birmingham City Departures

Name	Position	Transfer Type	Squad Status
Che Adams	CF	£15.5million	First Team
Jota	RW	£4.2million	First Team
Isaac Vassell	CF	Undisclosed	Backup
Michael Morrison	CB	Free	First Team
Viv Solomon-Otabor	LW,RW	Free	Prospect
Bez Lubala	CF	Free	Prospect
Josh Cogley	RB	Loan	Prospect
Greg Stewart	CF	Free	Not needed
Iván Guzmán	RW	Loan	Not needed
Tomasz Kuszczak	GK	Free	Backup
Cheikh N’Doye	CM	Free	Not needed

Birmingham City Arrivals

Name	Position	Transfer Type	Squad Status
Ivan Sunjic	DM’, CM	£7.4million	First Team
Álvaro Giménez	CF	£1.4million	First Team
Dan Crowley	AM’, CF	£700k	First Team
Agus Medina	CM	Free	Backup
Gary Gardner	CM	Swap Jota	First Team
Moha Ramos	GK	Loan	Backup
Jake Clarke-Salter	CB	Loan	First Team
Fran Villalba	AM	Undisclosed	First Team

Birmingham City Analysis

It is tough to predict where blues are going to end up at the end of the season but it is safe to say Álvaro Giménez, Dan Crowley’s performance could decide their fortunes.

It will also be interesting to see whether Pep Clotet will turn out to be the man that will stay as the manager at the end of the season as his expansive style of play can go either way.

It seems like Jake Clarke-Salter is Michael Morrison’s replacement, Álvaro Giménez is Che Adams’ replacement while Dan Crowley could turn out to be a valuable asset in forward positions.

Birmingham City Prediction

This season could go either way for them but we are trying to be on the safe side with our prediction.

Finishing Position: Bottom half (13-21)

Blackburn Rovers

The club seems to be gaining back the fans that it lost during the previous years but not in the pace that the board wants. Many fans seem to have taken Mowbray to their heart but some feel that he is spending too much on players which is not something you hear from fans these days.

Main objective Mowbray this season was to retain the services of his star players while adding quality and competition for places to the existing squad.

He seems to have managed exactly that but some people still feel Christian Walton should have better competition at Gk than Jayson Leutwiler and Andy Fisher while later should have been given chance to go out on loan.

Charlie Mulgrew’s departure on loan to join Wigan has also brought its fair share of criticism from the fans but it will be interesting to see if this leads to opportunities for Academy players but also arises the question of whether there are enough quality CBs at the club.

Blackburn Rovers Departures

Name	Position	Transfer Type	Squad Status
Charlie Mulgrew	CB	Loan	First team
Craig Conway	LW	Free	Backup
Paul Downing	CB	Free	Backup
Jack Doyle	LB	Free	Prospect
Lewis Mansell	CF	Free	Prospect
Jack Rodwell	DM	Free	Backup
Ben Gladwin	CM	Free	Not Needed
David Raya	GK	£3 million	First team
Joe Nuttall	CF	Undisclosed	Backup
Scott Wharton	CB	Loan	Prospect
Tyler Magloire	CB	Loan	Prospect

Blackburn Rovers Arrivals

Name	Position	Transfer Type	Squad Status
Christian Walton	GK	Loan	First Team
Tosin Adarabioyo	CB	Loan	First Team
Greg Cunningham	LB	Loan	First Team
Stewart Downing	LM	Free	First Team
Bradley Johnson	CM	Free	First Team
Sam Gallagher	CF	£5 million	First Team

Blackburn Rovers Analysis

While depth in attacking positions looks great the defensive especially CB and Goalkeeping positions could have been strengthened but there is still a chance to add free agents so it will be interesting to see what happens next.

The addition of Stewart Downing, Bradley Johnson, and Sam Gallagher will improve the quality and bring invaluable experience to their positions. If these players can combine with Lewis Travis, Joe Rothwell and Bradley Dack then this has the makings of a season to remember.

Blackburn Rovers Prediction

Blackburn Rovers leaked 69 last season so there was a need for strengthening at the back but the defense is not giving us vibes of ability to push for playoffs so here is our prediction.

Finishing Position: Top Half (7-12)

Brentford FC

With the opening of their new 17,250 capacity stadium, this is going to be their final season at Griffin Park and most of the fans wish it were a memorable one but the departure of Neal Maupay, Ezri Konsa, and Romaine Sawyers might have killed playoff push dreams.

The Bees are known for their ability to unearth unknown European talent and turning them into stars. Many said it was Dean Smith’s ability but Thomas Frank has also continued his legacy forward.

Like every Transfer market Bees have gone after the players whose stock value has fallen in recent years but who have the ability to raise their value quickly.

Brentford FC Departures

Name	Position	Transfer Type	Squad Status
Neal Maupay	CF	£20million	Star Player
Ezri Konsa	CB	£12.4million	First Team
Romaine Sawyers	CM	£3million	First Team
Daniel Bentley	GK	£2million	First Team
Lewis MacLeod	CM, LM	Free	Backup
Yoann Barbet	LB, CB	Free	First Team
Moses Odubajo	RB	Free	First Team
Jack Bonham	GK	Free	Not needed
Josh McEachran	CM	Free	Backup
Theo Archibald	LM	Free	Prospect
Justin Shaibu	CF	Loan	Prospect
Canice Carroll	RB	Loan	Prospect

Brentford FC Arrivals

Name	Position	Transfer Type	Squad Status
Bryan Mbeumo	RW	£6million	First Team
Pontus Jansson	CB	£5.7million	First Team
Mathias Jensen	CM	£3.5million	First Team
Christian Nörgaard	DM	£3.25million	First Team
David Raya	GK	£3million	First Team
Ethan Pinnock	CB	£3million	First Team
Joel Valencia	AM	£1.8million	First Team
Dominic Thompson	LB	Undisclosed	Prospect
Dru Yearwood	CM	Undisclosed	Prospect

Brentford FC Analysis

As they say, goals are the costliest stat in football and when you lose a 25 goal striker then the pressure on other players increases and it is not always easy to find a twenty-plus goal striker so this season might not be Brentford’s season.

The new defensive line of Ethan Pinnock, Pontus Jansson, Julian Jeanvier along with David Raya could also take some time to get used to each other.

Brentford FC Prediction

On paper, Brentford looks like a solid team but not the one we would expect to reach playoffs. Player development is sometimes unpredictable so never say never.

Finishing Position: Top Half (7-12)

Bristol City

Bristol City was part of an entertaining playoff race last season but a lack of 20+ goal striker proved costly to them as they only managed to finish the 8th. This meant that they needed to spend big in the transfer window.

Sale of defensive duo Lloyd Kelly, Adam Webster on huge transfer fees gave the feeling that Bristol City is sacrificing established name to sign a quality player and replace the duo with other quality options.

The Robins were linked with as many as eight strikers on the deadline day but none of them seem to have capitalized but they still managed to bring in Benik Afobe on a last-minute loan deal.

Many fans still feel Right Back and Center Back should have more quality options. Loan moves of Zak Vyner(RB), Jamie Paterson(AM/SS) don’t seem like the right moves for the club considering they could have served as a backup.

Loaning out Jamie Paterson to playoff rivals Derby makes the decision even worse considering his versatility play anywhere as a forward but every fan understands that players’ morale and dressing room morale is very important for a good run.

Bristol City Departures

Name	Position	Transfer Type	Squad Status
Adam Webster	CB	£20million	First Team
Lloyd Kelly	LB	£13million	First Team
Mohamed Eisa	CF	Undisclosed	Backup
Marlon Pack	CM	£766k	First Team
Jake Andrews	LM	Free	Prospect
Frank Fielding	GK	Free	Backup
Stefan Marinovic	GK	Free	Not Needed
Eros Pisano	RB	Free	Not Needed
Joe Morrell	CM	Loan	Prospect
Cameron Pring	LB	Loan	Prospect
Robbie Cundy	CB	Loan	Prospect
Max O’Leary	GK	Loan	Backup
Rory Holden	CF	Loan	Prospect
Jamie Paterson	AM	Loan	First Team
Zak Vyner	RB	Loan	Prospect

Bristol City Arrivals

Name	Position	Transfer Type	Squad Status
Han-Noah Massengo	CM	£8million	First Team
Ádám Nagy	CM	£2.35million	First Team
Daniel Bentley	GK	£2.1million	First Team
Jay Dasilva	LB	£2.25million	First Team
Rene Gilmartin	GK	Free	Backup
Tomáš Kalas	CB	£8.5million	First Team
Tommy Rowe	LM	Free	Backup
Sammie Szmodics	AM	Free	Backup
Kasey Palmer	AM	£2.6million	Backup
Pedro Pereira	RB	Loan	First Team
Benik Afobe	CF	Loan	First Team

Bristol City Analysis

The Robins should have brought in a regular goal-scorer with the money they had but they left it till the last minutes of deadline day and lost the battle to sign Eddie Nketiah.

There are also doubts about whether Jack Hunt and Jack Hunt are good enough to play at the Right Back position and CB pair of Taylor Moore, Tomáš Kalas has let in three goals in the first matchday which is also not a great sign for a team that won matches due to their defensive prowess last season.

The strength and quality they have added in the midfield can be considered a positive this summer.

Bristol City Prediction

As we have explained before Bristol ended in 8th and missed playoffs last season due to a lack of regular scorer which is a concern they failed to address and sale of key players like Adam Webster, Lloyd Kelly doesn’t give any new improvement vibes.

Finishing Position: Top Half (7-12)

Cardiff City

Cardiff City squad showed last season that they have the ability to compete for Premier League safety and missed it by two points. The core of the squad that was part of their 2017-18 Championship promotion season remained at the club.

They go into the season as favorites which comes with its own set of problems as many teams might play for a draw rather than a victory against them.

Fans seem to be enjoying their favorites tag and 18,000 season tickets sold might be proof. The only problem is the lack of regular goalscoring striker and departure of Kenneth Zohore puts pressure on newcomers Robert Glatzel, and Isaac Vassell and increases pressure on their wingers, other areas of the pitch.

Cardiff City New Signings

Name	Position	Transfer Type	Squad Status
Joe Day	GK	Free	First Team
Curtis Nelson	CB	Free	Backup
Will Vaulks	DM	£2.2million	Backup
Aden Flint	CB	£4.2million	First Team
Gavin Whyte	RW	£2.1million	Backup
Robert Glatzel	CF	£5.6million	First Team
Marlon Pack	CM	£766k	First Team
Isaac Vassell	CF	Undisclosed	Backup

Cardiff City Departures

Name	Position	Transfer Type	Squad Status
Aron Gunnarsson	CM	Free	First Team
Kadeem Harris	RM	Free	Backup
Jack McKay	CF	Free	Prospect
Stuart O’Keefe	CM	Free	Not Needed
Rhys Healey	CF	Undisclosed	Backup
Bruno Ecuele Manga	CB	£1.9million	First Team
Kenneth Zohore	CF	£8.35million	First Team
Loïc Damour	CM	Undisclosed	Backup
Mark Harris	LW	Loan	Prospect
Greg Cunningham	LB	Loan	Backup
Bobby Reid	AM	Loan	Backup

Cardiff City Analysis

The addition of Joe Day to compete against Neil Etheridge will hopefully place the best No.1 in between the sticks while Aden Flint seems to be the right replacement for Bruno Ecuele Manga.

Will Vaulks, Marlon Pack will bring depth to the midfield. The only big question now is where they can get goals consistently? Is Robert Glatzel or injury-prone but highly rated Isaac Vassell turn into reliable strikers?

Cardiff is a team that has players who can score goals from different areas of the pitch but they only managed to score 34 goals last season in PL so it will be interesting to see whether a change in the quality of opposition is going to increase their goal tally.

Cardiff City Prediction

Many people expect them to finish in automatic promotion spots but we still doubt regarding their goalscoring ability so we are going to stay safe and predict a

Finishing Position: Playoff (3-6)

Charlton Athletic

The Addicks have managed to retain the services of their 22 goals, 13 assist striker Lyle Taylor, rejecting as many as four bids which show that the wantaway owner Roland Duchatelet wants the club to retain Championship status.

The departure of Anfernee Dijksteel has left a gap in the Right Back position leaving Chris Solly as the only player who has the ability to play naturally at that position.

They made use of the loan market on the deadline day and have brought in Sam Field, Jonathan Leko, and Beram Kayal who can add some much-needed depth to the squad.

Charlton Athletic New Signings

Name	Position	Transfer Type	Squad Status
Macauley Bonne	CF	£210k	Backup
Tom Lockyer	CB	Free	First Team
Chuks Aneke	SS	Free	Backup
Ben Purrington	LB	Undisclosed	First Team
Ben Amos	GK	Free	Backup
Jonny Williams	AM	Free	First Team
Deji Oshilaja	CB	Free	Backup
Conor Gallagher	DM	Loan	Backup
Josh Cullen	CM	Loan	First Team
Sam Field	CM	Loan	Backup
Jonathan Leko	RW	Loan	Prospect
Beram Kayal	CM	Loan	First Team

Charlton Athletic Departures

Name	Position	Transfer Type	Squad Status
Nicky Ajose	CF	Free	Not needed
Terrique Anderson	CF	Free	Prospect
Joe Aribo	CM	Compensation	First Team
Patrick Bauer	CB	Free	First Team
Daniel Bowry	CB	Free	Not Needed
Jo Cummings	CB	Free	Prospect
Tariqe Fosu	LW	Free	Backup
Reeco Hackett-Fairchild	CF	Free	Backup
Mikhail Kennedy	CF	Free	Not Needed
Mark Marshall	RW	Free	Backup
Jamie Mascoll	LB	Free	Prospect
Josh Parker	CF	Free	Backup
Ben Reeves	AM	Free	Backup
Josh Umerah	CF	Free	Not Needed
Igor Vetokele	CF	Free	Backup
Anfernee Dijksteel	RB	£2.1million	First Team
Taylor Maloney	DM	Loan	Prospect
Ashley Maynard-Brewer	GK	Loan	Backup

Charlton Athletic Analysis

While the signings of Tom Lockyer, Ben Purrington, Macauley Bonne, Chuks Aneke, and resigning of Jonny Williams can be considered as positives, while the depth at various positions could cost them in a 46 game campaign.

Their success will be reliant on the youngsters if one of the starters gets injured especially in forward areas. There is no doubt in saying that they could have used two to three more signings in the Transfer window.

Charlton Athletic Prediction

This young Addicks squad doesn’t give the vibes of survival and signing more young players as loans might have improved the energy but brings up a simple question which is are they good enough?

So we are going to play safe and say

Finishing Position: Relegation Zone (22-24)

Rest of the team previews can be found at Championship or 72 in 72