There is just over five weeks to go until the new Championship season gets under way. Second tier clubs have started to ramp up their transfer business.
Although Hull City are now operating under a three window transfer fee restriction, the Tigers have already added Reda Laalaoui, Dillon Phillips and Semi Ajayi their ranks. Free agent Jonjo Shelvey is currently training with the club and City are in talks with Belgium club Westerlo over a loan deal for Croatian forward Matija Frigan.
The Tigers visit Coventry City for their league opener on Saturday, August 9. Sky Blues boss Frank Lampard has brought two fresh faces to his squad in his first major recruitment drive at the CBS Arena, with Kaine Kelser-Hayden being the most recent addition last week, joining for a fee north of £3.5million from Aston Villa, reports Coventry Live.
Since then, however, Coventry’s fellow Championship clubs have been busy, including Midlands rivals Birmingham City and Stoke – the latter seeing former manager Mark Robins continue to revamp his inherited group at the bet365 stadium.
Let’s take a look at the deals that have been sealed in the past few days.
Birmingham City
Birmingham City’s ambitious recruitment drive has continued unabated with the signing of ex-Celtic forward Kyogo Furuhashi from French top-tier side Rennes for an undisclosed fee.
The Blues have secured the Japan international on a three-year contract following their promotion to the Championship as League One champions.
Furuhashi netted 85 goals in 165 appearances during his stint at Celtic and was the Scottish Premiership’s top scorer in the 2022-23 season with 27 goals.
He moved to Rennes in January for £10m but is back in Britain just six months later with Chris Davies’ newly-promoted side, despite strong rumours linking him with a return to Celtic.
Charlton Athletic
Charlton Athletic manager Nathan Jones has revisited his old stomping ground at Luton Town to secure the signature of defender Amari’i Bell, a player he previously brought to Kenilworth Road.
The 31-year-old, whose contract with the Hatters expired this summer, has joined the Addicks on a free transfer, penning a two-year deal with the club that has just clinched promotion.
Bell, who is also a Jamaican international, was instrumental in Luton’s ascent to the Premier League in 2021 and featured in 21 matches during their stint in the top tier before their relegation last year. He remained a key figure in the team as they descended to League One in the following season.
Having earned 28 caps for Jamaica, Bell recently netted a goal against Panama in last month’s Concacaf Gold Cup encounter.
“Amari’i’s someone I know well. I signed him at Luton and he did fantastically well for me,” Jones expressed on the club’s official website.
Ipswich Town
Manager Kieran McKenna has ensured that striker George Hirst will remain at Portman Road for an extended period, with the forward committing to a new four-year contract.
Hirst, aged 26, has racked up 81 appearances and bagged 19 goals since initially arriving on loan from Leicester City in January 2023, with his move becoming permanent six months thereafter.
His contributions have been pivotal in Ipswich’s successive promotions from League One to the Premier League, and he celebrated his Scotland debut in March.
“I’ve enjoyed every single day at the club since joining, and am really pleased to have signed a new deal,” Hirst shared with the club’s website.
Preston North End
Preston have secured a four-year contract with Brighton’s Odel Offiah, for an undisclosed fee rumoured to be in the ‘seven-figure’ range. The defender spent last season on loan at Blackpool, where he made 40 appearances in League One and scored once.
Offiah, who is versatile enough to play as a right-back or centre-back, is a product of Brighton’s youth system and has six Premier League appearances under his belt.
Speaking to the club website, the 22 year old said: “Speaking to the gaffer [Paul Heckingbottom], I think we saw eye to eye in terms of how I want to develop as a footballer – this is definitely the right place for me.
Preston have also signed Daniel Iversen, Thierry Small, Jordan Thompson and Pol Valentin.
Stoke City
The Potters made two moves in one day when they signed Plymouth defender Maksym Talovierov and striker Divin Mubama on a season-long loan from Manchester City. Talovierov has signed a three-year deal and the pair join Sorba Thomas as new signings in the summer transfer window.
Talovierov has signed for an undisclosed fee after just six-months at Argyle where he became a firm favourite following his move from LASK. Former West Ham trainee Mubama arrives off the back of a debut season at City in which he netted his first senior goal for the club in a 8-0 romp against Salford in the FA Cup.
Swansea City
Swansea City have snapped up Ethan Galbraith from Leyton Orient for an undisclosed fee. The Northern Ireland midfielder has agreed to a three-year deal with the option of extending it for another season.
The BBC report that Swansea have been long-standing admirers of the former Manchester United prospect, having initially tried to secure his services during the January transfer window.
“Ethan is hungry and motivated for the challenge of stepping up to the Championship,” Swansea head coach Alan Sheehan said.
Galbraith joins defenders Cameron Burgess and Ricardo Santos, winger Zeidane Inoussa and forward Bobby Wales as Swansea’s summer signings.
Watford
Watford have completed the signing of Portuguese striker Vivaldo Semedo on a five-year contract for an undisclosed sum from Serie A outfit Udinese.
The 20 year old spent the previous campaign on loan with Portuguese second-tier club Vizela, netting nine goals in 25 outings.
“Vivaldo is exactly the kind of player profile we want and need at Watford,” sporting director Gian Luca Nani told the club website.
“He will learn under [head coach] Paulo [Pezzolano] and we know he will adapt quickly to English football because we have already seen the development over a short period of time.”
Semedo has featured for Portugal’s youth teams from under-17 through to under-20 level. He becomes the Hornets’ fifth summer acquisition following the captures of Hector Kyprianou, Nathan Baxter, Marc Bola and Semedo’s former Udinese colleague James Abankwah.
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