Is 2023/24 Going To Be The Hardest Championship Season Ever?

Burnley, Sheffield United and Luton Town have escaped. The Hatters did it by the slimmest of margins at Wembley but now they have a season in the Premier League to look forward to. Meanwhile, Coventry City and the rest of the losing play-off contenders have to come to terms with another season in the Championship. 

And it looks on paper like being the toughest one yet. 

It’s partly been caused by the success of the teams promoted to the Premier League last year. Bournemouth, Nottingham Forest and Fulham all defied the odds to stay in the top flight, and it has caused a shake up of the top and second tiers. Now, three relatively fresh faces to the Championship in Southampton, Leicester City and Leeds United are back – all three being tipped by Betfred to perform well. 

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But it might not be that simple for the sides that have dropped out of the top flight. All three look like they will have new managers in place come the start of the new campaign in August. Southampton arguably look in the best shape based on the fact they look like getting Russell Martin in and retaining most of their squad, barring James Ward-Prowse and Romeo Lavia. 

Meanwhile, Leicester City are all over the show at the start of this window. They are sure to lose all of their key players and will need to bring in several new faces in order to compete at the top. They will have to get their managerial appointment bang on, given Dean Smith clearly isn’t the man to lead them forward. 

The same can be said for Leeds United. Clearly a huge club, their stint in the top flight lasted for just three years, and now they will be desperate to make sure this absence doesn’t last for 16 years – like the last one. Sam Allardyce failed to keep them up and now the club are desperate for a leader to bring the good times back to Elland Road. Finding the next Marcelo Bielsa won’t be easy.

Having said that, you would expect by August, Leeds and Leicester to have built the squads ready to compete at the top end of the second tier. They’ll have parachute payments to soften the blow and will retain some of the stronger players in the division. They’ll certainly hope to perform better than both Watfod and Norwich City did last term, but those two clubs will be throwing everything at it to get into the top six this time around. 

Valerien Ismael is now Watford manager (at the time of writing), and will hope to imprint his chaotic style onto the Hornets as he did with Barnsley two years ago. Meanwhile, David Wagner has been given another chance at Norwich after a disappointing end to the season and they look to have changed styles, replacing club legend Teemu Pukki with Ashley Barnes. Expect clubs in yellow to be a lot closer this time around. 

But the strength of the division has not only been improved by those coming down, but those coming up. League One last term was unquestionably the strongest it has ever been and the three best teams, eventually, got promoted. Plymouth Argyle, Ipswich Town and Sheffield Wednesday amassed a simply ridiculous 295 points between them and all three could thrive in the Championship next term. 

Meanwhile, they’ve replaced a Wigan Athletic side that was unpaid and poor, a weak Blackpool outfit and a Reading team that haven’t offered the Championship anything in recent years. All three newcomers will have hopes of challenging in the top half once they establish themselves, while Kieran McKenna’s Ipswich Town have been placed as the 5th favourites for the 2023/24 season by Betfred. 

The Tractor Boys will hope to make an instant impact having played some scintillating stuff in League One, but they’ll have to overcome several of the established Championship sides to break into the top six. Of the remaining incumbents, Middlesbrough and Michael Carrick look well-placed to have another crack at things, as the former Manchester United midfielder embarks his first full season in charge at the Riverside. 

Other play-off losers Sunderland and Coventry City could compete in the top ten again, if they can keep hold of key assets. Millwall and Swansea will be there or thereabouts, Hull City are expecting further investment and West Brom could enjoy a resurgence under Carlos Corberan. Everywhere you look there are arguments to be made for teams enjoying positive seasons.

It’s made predicting the bottom three tougher than ever. Beleaguered Birmingham City are currently relegation favourites but they made progress as they finished 17th under John Eustace last term. Plymouth have been written off but achieved over 100 points in League One, while Rotherham United actually stayed in the Championship for once and have looked competitive under Matt Taylor. 

The Championship is stronger than ever before. It’s impossible to pick a winner at this early stage but one thing is for sure, you don’t wanna miss it when it all begins in August.

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