Championship 2026/27: West Ham & Wolves hoping to climb straight back into the Premier League

Championship 2026/27: West Ham & Wolves hoping to climb straight back into the Premier League The 2026/27 Championship season gets underway on Friday with an eye-catching clash between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Blackburn Rovers at Molineux. Wolves are bidding to climb back into the Premier League at the first attempt, while Blackburn will be hoping for a resurgence under manager Tony Mowbray. The second tier is packed with clubs who have previously featured in the top flight, so the upcoming season promises to be extremely competitive. Read on as we look at the top summer transfers to date before previewing the upcoming campaign. Championship 2026/27 – Top summer transfers Championship 2026/27 – Preview West Ham United went into last season with high hopes of finishing in the top half of the Premier League. It would be fair to say that things did not go to plan. Manager Nuno Espirito Santo was unable to keep them in the top flight, but has been given the chance to rectify the situation this season, Nuno guided Wolves into the Premier League eight years ago, so knows what it takes to win promotion from the Championship . Jarron Bowen’s decision to stay with the club is a major boost, but their hopes of winning promotion will hinge on the business they complete in the rest of the transfer window. The Hammers should go straight back up given the resources at their disposal, but it would be foolish to think that outcome is a foregone conclusion. Wolves are also eager to win promotion at the first attempt, but they need to improve their squad before the transfer window closes. Raul Jimenez is back at Wolves after playing for Mexico at the World Cup, and he should be capable of scoring goals in the Championship. Burnley have become a yo-yo club in recent years, but may struggle to regain their top-flight status after losing several key players this summer. New manager Nick Hayen is unproven in English football, so it may take him some time to get to grips with life in the Championship. By contrast, Middlesbrough are experienced campaigners at this level and look a good bet to win promotion after missing out last season. Striker Will Lankshear is a shrewd acquisition from Tottenham Hotspur, while goalkeeper Radek Vitek is an excellent pick-up from Manchester United. United States national team midfielder Sebastian Berhalter should prove to be a superb replacement for Hayden Hackney. He has been a standout performer in Major League Soccer. Southampton will hope to be in contention for promotion despite starting the season with a four-point deduction following their spying controversies last term. If the south coast club can make a fast start to the new campaign, finishing inside the play-off places should be an achievable aim. Birmingham City, Wrexham, Norwich City and Sheffield United are amongst the other teams who will expect to be in contention for promotion this season. The expansion of the play-offs could open the door for a surprise package to force their way into the battle for the post-season shoot-out. With the teams finishing from third to eighth positions inclusive qualifying for the play-offs, more clubs will believe they can be in the mix. Blackburn may appear to be unlikely candidates for a top-eight finish, particularly after narrowly avoiding relegation last season. However, Mowbray’s return for his second stint as manager could be the catalyst for the club to enjoy a more productive season. The Rovers boss recently confirmed that owners Venky’s have agreed to support him in the transfer market, and it will be intriguing to see if they honour their word. Mowbray believes that Rovers are capable of challenging for promotion and is confident that he can help them defy the odds this season. “I’ve been back a few times in the past season to watch a few games, and it feels like home, especially considering I spent a long time here – five-and-a-half years,” Mowbray said . “That’s a long time in modern-day football, and we had some good times and felt like we’d built a half-decent team but couldn’t quite get over the line to reach our ambition of getting in the Premier League. “It almost feels like I’m coming back to finish the job, because the aim of every team in the Championship is to try and get to the Premier League. “I think you need the energy to do the job and my wife is so happy that this opportunity has come because I’ve been driving everybody mad in the house! “Football burns away in me. I can’t wait to get started, and I’m looking forward to making new relationships and reinventing the old ones.”