EFL transfer watch: Five Championship players who could move this summer

After scoring for Coventry City in the Championship play-off final at Wembley — a game they lost to Luton Town — Gustavo Hamer limped off with an ankle injury having played 80 minutes of the match.

It was a turning point. The Dutchman had been a key source of creativity for Mark Robins’ side in the game and over the season. It was also a sad way to see one of the club’s most talented modern players leave the field — quite possibly for the last time as a City player.

Speculation has been rife about Hamer’s future and he is far from the only Championship player who is the subject of rumours this summer, with the transfer window opening in mid-June.

Along with Hamer, those tipped to land a move before the start of the 2023-24 season include a young midfield prodigy, a prolific goalscorer and a World Cup semi-finalist.

Viktor Gyokeres (Coventry City)

Look away now, Coventry fans. The 21-goal Sweden striker is not exactly a surprise name in transfer talk this summer but that does not make it any less painful to those who suffered heartbreak in the play-off final shootout at Wembley — and now face the prospect of losing two of their best players.

It seems unlikely that Robins will have both Hamer and his 25-year-old striker in the team as they rebuild to chase promotion to the Premier League again, with a queue of top-flight sides interested in Gyokeres, who has a year left on his contract.

Aside from his goalscoring ability (18 of his goals were non-penalties), the Sweden international is effective with the ball at his feet and possesses great link-up play; his work on the left wing provided the assist for Hamer at Wembley. Gyokeres is also capable in the air and will run onto through balls played into the channels, offering the full package for a modern striker. Coventry signed him from Brighton for a reported £1million ($1.24m) in July 2021 and should make a healthy profit with Sporting Lisbon, West Ham, Brentford and Everton on a long list of clubs rumoured to be interested.

After an unremarkable loan spell at Swansea City in 2020-21 and no league appearances for Brighton since signing from Swedish side Brommapojkarna in 2017, Coventry’s decision to commit financially to sign him permanently after a short loan spell was a risk that paid off. From a fairly low-key arrival to becoming their star man, Gyokeres has looked at home at the CBS Arena, with Robins transforming yet another player into a saleable asset for the club.

Gyokeres is currently recovering from an unspecified injury that boss Robins said he had been carrying for a few weeks in the lead-up to the play-off final, one which required injections and reduced training time before the game. Whether the injury is enough to put the brakes on a move is yet to be seen.

Alex Scott (Bristol City)

Football’s second most famous Alex Scott (for now) has made an impression on the Championship with Bristol City in the past two seasons, particularly in 2022-23 when he picked up the division’s young player of the year award. The 19-year-old is said to be on the radar for Liverpool, West Ham and Wolves among other Premier League clubs, with serious interest in January rebuffed by City — expect those suitors to return with improved offers this summer.

City boss Nigel Pearson said it will take £25million as a minimum to prise the central midfielder away from Ashton Gate but his progress in the past three years since signing for the club’s academy shows even that much money could be a smart investment. After short spells with Bournemouth and Southampton, Scott returned to play senior football in non-League with local club Guernsey FC before the island club’s informal links with Bristol City saw Scott make the jump to the EFL.

He has two years left on his current deal and has contributed six goals and seven assists in his two full seasons in the team since making his debut in August 2021. Though he is still developing as a player, he is the heartbeat of City’s midfield, covering ground, breaking up play and progressing the ball. He played in 42 league games for Pearson this season and there is an argument for him staying at the club to further improve in senior football, but expect a battle for his services.

Ilias Chair (Queens Park Rangers)

The 25-year-old has been one of the most exciting creative midfielders in the Championship in the past few seasons and credits QPR with launching his career, but Chair is on the radar of a number of other clubs this summer. Recently relegated Leicester City are among those linked with the Morocco international, who was part of the squad that reached the World Cup semi-final in Qatar in December.

Chair moved to west London in 2017 after a stint with Belgian side Lierse and was handed his debut under Ian Holloway. He also spent a season on loan with Stevenage. With two years left on his contract and on the back of a difficult season for QPR which saw three permanent managers — Michael Beale, Neil Critchley and Gareth Ainsworth — in the dugout, Chair still scored five goals and registered nine assists — the most goal contributions in the team.

Gustavo Hamer (Coventry City)

Much like with team-mate Gyokeres, the outcome of the play-off final was never going to guarantee that 25-year-old Hamer would be at Coventry next season but it seems even less likely now that their Championship status has been confirmed. Born in Brazil before moving to the Netherlands, where he started out at Feyenoord, Hamer has been crucial to the recent success under Robins and has thrived in his partnership with Gyokeres.

They combined for the most goals and assists of any duo in the Championship last season, with Hamer scoring 11 goals across 45 appearances in total. The central midfielder is an attacking force capable of driving the team forward at speed and possesses the quality to come up with something magical in big moments. He has 12 months left on his current contract at the CBS Arena.

Like Gyokeres, he is something of an unknown in terms of his fitness heading into the summer window due to the ankle injury he sustained in the play-off final as well as a knee injury picked up in the semi-final win over Middlesbrough that required painkilling injections.

Dion Sanderson (Wolves)

One to watch for supporters of a number of Championship clubs this season is Wolverhampton Wanderers defender Sanderson, who has enjoyed two successful loan spells at Birmingham City as well as stints at QPR, Sunderland and Cardiff City. It is not a secret that the 23-year-old could leave Molineux if Wolves get the right offer. Birmingham and Stoke City are among those to have been linked although offers are not yet thought to have been submitted.

Sanderson made 34 appearances in all competitions for Birmingham last season and has built a reputation as a promising and reliable defender throughout his loan spells, with this summer presenting the most likely time for him to secure a permanent move with his current contract due to expire in 2025.

(Top photos by Alex Davidson, Pete Norton and Nathan Stirk; all via Getty Images)