Shock Watford returnee, Sheff Utd coup among the best eight Championship summer signings

Our eight-man list of the best Championship summer signings includes additions for Sheffield United, Sheffield Wednesday and a shock Watford returnee.

All fees are taken from transfermarkt…

Vikor Johansson (Rotherham United to Stoke City, £840,000)

This one still stings.

As this site’s resident Rotherham United supporter, it was tough to say goodbye to the club’s beloved Swedish goalkeeper. But it would have been equally difficult to begrudge him a move elsewhere following another relegation to League One.

The Millers broke their yo-yo to stay in the Championship for two seasons but they would have been relegated at the end of the 2022/23 campaign had it not been for the unrelenting brilliance of an overexposed Johansson.

While the 25-year-old’s distribution is not always the greatest, his immense shot-stopping made him one of the Championship’s best ‘keepers, who was included in our 2023/24 Championship Team of the Season.

With the relegation release clause in Johansson’s previous Rotherham contract not surpassing £1m, he was not short of suitors this summer. So Stoke did well to fend off serious competition to land him and they stand to make a significant profit in a couple of years.

Macaulay Langstaff (Notts County to Millwall, £700,000)

Millwall’s summer transfer window got off to a stunning start as they edged out Championship rivals to pluck away last season’s top scorer in League Two.

After Longstaff’s 42-goal campaign fired the Magpies to promotion from the National League in 2022/23, the 27-year-old managed another stunning tally last season in League Two as he grabbed 28 goals in his 42 appearances.

The jump from League Two to the Championship is huge, so Langstaff’s debut season should be considered a success if he passes the 15-goal mark in his debut season in the second tier.

But it’s hard not to get excited about this signing, which reeks of the more expensive deal that saw Leicester City sign Jamie Vardy from Fleetwood Town in 2012 for £1m.

Jamal Lowe (AFC Bournemouth to Sheffield Wednesday, free transfer)

No matter what happens from now until the end of the window, Sheffield Wednesday’s best deal of the summer will be tying Danny Rohl down to a new contract.

The inexperienced boss got the maximum out of an extremely limited squad as Sheff Weds performed a great escape last season and their positive summer transfer business suggests they will be looking upward next season instead of being in the mix for relegation again.

Among the clear winners of this window, the Owls have already made nine signings (with more pending) and ex-Bournemouth forward Lowe is arguably the best of the bunch.

Let go by Bournemouth last month, 30-year-old Lowe was quickly snapped up by Rohl’s side after contributing nine goals and three assists while on loan at Swansea City last season. More eye-catching additions at Hillsborough could eventually usurp Lowe, but he’s certainly going to be a handy addition.

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Josh Murphy (Oxford United to Portsmouth, free transfer)

Oxford United upset the odds to earn promotion via the League One play-offs last season and have since worked astutely in the market to boost their survival chances. But Murphy’s exit to fellow promoted side Portsmouth is a blow.

The brother of Newcastle United’s Jacob Murphy goes under the radar compared to his sibling but had his time in the limelight in the play-off final, scoring a match-winning brace in Oxford’s promotion-sealing 2-0 win over Bolton Wanderers.

This stellar performance secured a Championship return for the experienced winger. This is justified after he starred for Oxford in his 16-goal campaign, but he has headed elsewhere after the play-off winners failed to tempt him to sign a contract extension. The U’s potential relegation rivals will now benefit from the winger being a nuisance to opponents on the left flank.

Callum O’Hare (Coventry City to Sheffield United, free transfer)

The hearts of Coventry City supporters would have sank upon seeing the video of O’Hare reuniting with former Sky Blues teammate Gustavo Hamer at Bramall Lane after Sheffield United pulled off a major coup to sign the midfielder on a free transfer.

The playmaker has been among the best players in his position for several Championship seasons and is arguably deserving of a crack at the Premier League, but Sheff Utd – with the benefit of parachute payments and a long-awaited takeover looming – swooped to sign him on a four-year deal.

Question marks remain over manager Chris Wilder’s credentials coming on the back of his struggles at Middlesbrough, Watford and last season in the Premier League, but he is gradually building a promotion-calibre squad with Kieffer Moore, Sam McCallum and Harrison Burrows their other standout additions so far.

The pairing of Championship specialists O’Hare and Moore could deliver devastating results for the Blades as they attempt to earn promotion straight back to the Premier League.

📣TO THE COMMENTS! Who is the Championship signing of the summer so far? Join the debate here

Jack Rudoni (Huddersfield Town to Coventry City, £4.9m)

O’Hare will be sorely missed at Coventry City, but they have signed a suitable potential replacement in Rudoni, who joins after shining for relegated Huddersfield Town last season.

The void left by O’Hare will be filled further when summer signing Ephron Mason-Clark returns from his loan at Peterborough United, but 23-year-old Rudoni is another promising addition.

He fits into Coventry’s formula of recruiting developing and potentially high-value talents with room to grow. He should also benefit from having a much stronger crop of attacking talents primed to take advantage of his creativity.

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Moussa Sissoko (FC Nantes to Watford, free transfer)

Well, this deal came as a surprise, but was wholesome all the same…

The former Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur workhouse earned the admiration of previous clubs during his prolonged spell in the Premier League, with his final season in the top flight being with Watford in 2021/22.

Watford’s relegation to the Championship cut his spell at Vicarage Road short but after two seasons back in France with Nantes, the Hornets have re-signed 34-year-old Sissoko on a two-year deal.

Watford are coming off back-to-back seasons out of the promotion picture. But with little between the play-off and mid-table sides, an unlikely push for promotion cannot be fully ruled out, especially if Sissoko lights up the Championship as expected.

Chris Willock (QPR to Cardiff City, free transfer)

Willock was often overshadowed by former QPR teammate and fellow winger Ilias Chair at Loftus Road, but the 26-year-old consistently delivered for the Hoops in his four seasons with the club.

So Cardiff City managing to land the talented winger is another statement of intent after manager Erol Bulut got the Welsh side back on track last season.

Joining another impressive signing – ex-Aston Villa defender Calum Chambers – in signing for Cardiff, Willock is a coup for the Bluebirds as they look upwards towards the play-off picture, with the former Arsenal academy product likely to contribute at least 10 goal involvements next season.