West Ham threaten to end Sunderland’s season, Hull’s X Factor signing and Plymouth punished

Our Championship Spotlight column is back for 2024 and with it being the season for signings and exits, we’re kicking things off with a January transfer special.

Hull City are given their flowers for *potentially* pulling off the transfer coup of the season, while the Premier League big-hitters prepare to snatch Sunderland’s best player.

Plus: Reaction to relegation (and panic) stricken Huddersfield Town splashing out over £1m to sign a new striker and Plymouth Argyle being punished for their strong return to the Championship…

CARVALHO TO HULL CITY: COUP OF THE SEASON?

After taking the Championship by storm in 2021/22 with 18 goal involvements to further establish himself as a top talent for the future, it’s been frustrating to see how Fabio Carvalho‘s career has stuttered over the past 18 months.

That potentially star-making winning goal for Liverpool against Newcastle United was not enough to win the heart of Jurgen Klopp as the 21-year-old endured a stop-start debut season with the Premier League giants before only starting three games across all competitions for RB Leipzig during his loan at the start of this campaign.

Free from his disastrous spell in the Bundesliga, Carvalho found himself at a crossroads at the start of this window and in need of a new home until the summer. And despite being linked with Premier League sides and Championship automatic promotion contenders, he has opted for life with play-off candidates Hull City.

This transfer raised a few eyebrows to begin with as Carvalho should be playing regularly in the Premier League. But with him in desperate need of a confidence boost, a spell at Hull with highly-respected young coach Liam Rosenior could be perfect for all parties.

With Rosenior and their ambitious owner Acun Ilicali at the helm, Hull’s pulling power was evident even before Carvalho joined as they previously fended off competition to land Jaden Philogene, Scott Twine and Tyler Morton.

The addition of flailing Liverpool youngster Carvalho is a major shot in the arm for Hull and their play-off hopes and it’s just the move the player needs to get his career back on track.

WEST HAM TO STEAL SUNDERLAND’S PRIZED ASSET?

While one play-off candidate have finalised – what may be – a season-defining signing, another could be forced into an unwanted sale in the coming weeks.

Jack Clarke’s name was touted in the media throughout the summer and his immense form this season has done nothing to dissuade interested Premier League parties from signing him.

After perhaps joining Tottenham Hotspur too soon, Clarke has spearheaded Sunderland‘s promotion push over the past 18 months. After losing Amad Diallo following their play-off failure in 2022/23, the winger has stepped up this season to become an even more important player.

Simply put, when Clarke plays well, Sunderland tend to as well and they have become increasingly reliant on their star player who has 12 goals and two assists in his 26 Championship outings.

Clarke’s sensational performances have him well-placed in the running for Championship Player of the Year, but also (sadly for Sunderland) on the radar of Premier League clubs.

While Sky Sports’ Keith Downie reckons Clarke “will move” at some point this year, Sunderland understandably want to delay his exit until the summer as they are demanding at least £15m with West Ham (and others) chasing to sign him.

With funds tight, Sunderland may well manage to keep Clarke until the summer but for a player of his talents, £15m would be a worthy investment and West Ham should not be deterred by this price tag.

For Sunderland’s sake, they will be praying that their strong stance puts off clubs because their play-off chances would at least hugely decrease significantly (or end immediately) if Clarke heads elsewhere.

RELEGATION-THREATENED HUDDERSFIELD LAND £1M+ STRIKER

The January transfer window is rife for panic buys and we’ve seen an example of that with Huddersfield Town, who are just three points clear of safety as Sheffield Wednesday’s resurgence under Danny Rohl has them fearing for their lives.

A common theme with sides at the bottom of the Championship is their lack of firepower and in a desperate attempt to get a step ahead of their rivals, Huddersfield have invested over £1m to land a new number nine.

Signed from Finnish champions HJK Helsinki after scoring 25 goals in 42 appearances in 2023, Bojan Radulovic is the man whom Huddersfield Town (and Winty) will be relying upon to fire the club to Championship safety after the brilliance of Neil Warnock got them over the line in 22/23.

After previously having a failed stint in England with Brighton and Hove Albion, Radulovic has a lot to prove and under-fire Terriers manager Darren Moore will be delighted that he can finally call upon a proper striker.

With Plymouth Argyle, Blackburn Rovers, QPR and Sheff Weds coming up in Huddersfield’s next four games, Moore will be hoping that his new £1m striker does not wait too long before getting off the mark.

FEATURE: Leeds United, Leicester, Southampton trio among six Championship stars tipped for January exits

PLYMOUTH ARGYLE PUNISHED FOR STRONG CHAMPIONSHIP RETURN

The Pilgrims’ sole aim for this season will have been to stay up and they are on course to do so with seven points currently between them and the relegation places.

Plymouth – with the help of in-form attacker Morgan Whittaker – have been a breath of fresh air this season but the Championship is ruthless and they have been punished for their strong start.

After losing head coach Steven Schumacher to Stoke City, loan pair Luke Cundle and Finn Azaz have been sent elsewhere after shining at the start of the season.

Cundle has linked back up with Schumacher for a loan spell at Stoke, while former team-mate Azaz has joined Middlesbrough permanently for around £2.5m.

A big blow to Plymouth and these deals are further proof that the Championship big spenders will always exploit the league’s small fry when given the chance.

Thankfully for the Pilgrims, admired coach Ian Foster is a great replacement for Schumacher on paper and with the sellable assets at their disposal, they are well-placed to stay in the Championship (with superb loan additions Darko Gyabi and Ashley Phillips) and kick on with an increased budget next season.