Coventry
Twenty-five years after last competing in the Premier League, Coventry have completed a remarkable journey back to the top. Their long absence included financial collapse, temporary moves to Northampton and Birmingham, and a period in League Two. The celebrations are now over, however, and the club must demonstrate that it can compete at this level.
Frank Lampard already has a strong foundation on which to build. Last season’s achievements came from teamwork and several years of intelligent recruitment rather than dependence on one prolific forward. Seven members of the squad registered at least seven league goals.
Coventry recorded more shots on target than any other team in the division. They also finished second for major chances created, touches in the attacking third and touches inside the penalty box. Their speed in transition and low number of passes per attacking sequence resembled the direct style used by top-flight teams such as Brentford and Bournemouth.
They secured the championship with three matches remaining and posted the division’s strongest defensive record, allowing only 45 goals across 46 games. Their total of 97 goals was the fourth highest in a 46-match second-tier campaign, trailing only Fulham in 2021-22, Bournemouth in 2014-15 and Reading in 2005-06. The subsequent progress made by Fulham and Bournemouth may provide encouragement.
Keeping the core of the team together will be crucial to their survival prospects. Unlike Sunderland, who invested roughly £155m last summer, Coventry recorded a net outlay of about £3.5m. New arrivals accounted for only 17% of the team’s league minutes. Retaining sought-after players such as Jack Rudoni and Milan van Ewijk may therefore prove to be their most valuable transfer-window achievement.
Coventry have avoided excessive spending but have still strengthened the squad. Centre-back Aurèle Amenda has arrived from Eintracht Frankfurt, winger Loum Tchaouna has joined from Burnley and midfielder Caleb Yirenkyi has moved from Nordsjælland. The club have also made Frank Onyeka and Carl Rushworth permanent additions after their loan spells, while former favourite Gustavo Hamer has returned following his time at Sheffield United.
Lampard’s main task is to reshape a system designed to control Championship matches into one capable of securing Premier League survival. Coventry’s direct and adventurous football will carry greater danger against opponents with the speed, technique and tactical awareness to exploit hurried passes and ambitious vertical balls.
They are also unlikely to dominate territory or create chances as frequently as they did last season, making players who can advance the team especially important. Haji Wright’s speed and movement into open space should help, while Ellis Simms, who is most effective inside the penalty area, will require a reliable supply of opportunities.
Hull
Hull’s presence in the Premier League is an extraordinary outcome. Only two seasons ago, they avoided relegation to League One on goal difference. They then began the 2025-26 campaign under a transfer restriction, reached the playoffs by defeating Norwich on the final day and won the playoff final with an added-time goal. Few expected them to succeed, but Sergej Jakirovic surpassed every prediction during his first season in charge.
Based solely on expected goals, Hull would have ended last season second from bottom in the Championship. Their most serious weakness was the defence, which conceded 66 times and produced the division’s fourth-worst record. Among the previous 15 promoted teams, only Southampton came close, having allowed 63 goals in 2023-24 before conceding 86 in the Premier League and finishing last with 12 points.
Hull’s defensive figures could easily have been worse. Their opponents failed to score from 10 chances rated at 50% or higher by expected-goal models, more than against any other club in the league. Significant improvement is essential because such favourable outcomes are unlikely to continue in the top flight.
There are still grounds for confidence. Hull performed particularly well away to stronger opponents, conceding only eight goals at teams that finished in the top 10. They kept clean sheets in both meetings with Coventry and did not allow a goal throughout the playoffs.
Jakirovic repeatedly demonstrated his ability to alter tactics according to the opposition and the changing pattern of a match. A notable example came in the second leg of the playoff tie with Millwall, when he replaced Hull’s normal 4-2-3-1 with a three-man defence and wing-backs. The adjustment surprised Millwall and helped Hull earn a 2-0 victory at the Den. While Coventry may depend on stability, Hull’s strength could be their unpredictability. As striker Oli McBurnie observed last season, preparing to face them is difficult because they approach different opponents in many different ways.
Hull also possess considerable resilience. They overcame a relegation struggle, transfer restrictions and unfavourable statistics to earn promotion. Jakirovic credited their success to the unity developed within the squad, describing the season as a puzzle whose difficulties ultimately brought the players closer together. That mentality could be important. Robert Earnshaw, part of Derby’s troubled 2007-08 season, has previously explained how accepting defeat mentally can effectively ensure relegation. Hull have already shown that they are willing to keep fighting, which may give them a chance.
Ipswich
Two years ago, Ipswich returned to the Premier League with one of the game’s most uplifting stories. After 22 seasons outside the top division, Kieran McKenna guided them to consecutive promotions and transformed a squad assembled largely for League One into a leading Championship team. Their 2023-24 season featured bold attacking football, decisive late goals and exceptional unity. They finished behind only Leicester and became the first club in 12 years to rise from League One to the Premier League in successive campaigns.
McKenna’s established group had developed together and consistently exceeded expectations, but the step up exposed a major difference in quality. Ipswich managed only four victories, conceded 82 goals and finished 19th with 22 points. Their quick return, supported by top-flight experience and parachute payments, creates a different narrative this time. They are no longer simply outsiders exceeding predictions but a club seeking to establish a lasting Premier League presence.
Their transfer strategy in 2024 appeared partly designed to prepare for a possible return to the Championship. Ipswich recruited prominent second-tier players with clear potential but limited experience at the highest level, including Omari Hutchinson, Jack Clarke, Liam Delap, Dara O’Shea and Jacob Greaves. Chief executive Mark Ashton has said the club must show greater courage this time, with the focus shifting toward established players who are ready for top-flight competition.
Florentino Luís and Sasa Lukic provide the strength and ball-winning ability that was missing from midfield in 2024-25, while Issa Diop contributes Premier League experience in defence. With no Ipswich player exceeding 10 non-penalty goals last season, Emersonn offers a powerful presence at centre-forward, and Daizen Maeda and Abdul Fatawu add energy, movement and intensity. Many of these recruits already understand the division. Alongside O’Shea, Clarke, Greaves and Jaden Philogene, who remain from the relegated squad, they make Ipswich appear better prepared and more ambitious.
The defence also seems considerably more capable of handling top-flight opposition. Ipswich had the Championship’s second-best defensive record last season, producing 17 clean sheets and conceding 47 goals, 10 fewer than during their 2023-24 promotion campaign. This is no longer the unpredictable, highly entertaining team that first carried them upward, but a more controlled side comfortable with patience, aggression and pragmatic decisions.
The major concern is the loss of McKenna, who left football after leading Ipswich back to the Premier League. His successor, Gary O’Neil, has experience of relegation battles with Bournemouth and Wolves. Even so, replacing the identity, personal connections and shared confidence that McKenna developed over five years will be difficult. His tenure delivered three promotions in four seasons and 105 victories from 222 matches. O’Neil inherits a more talented and expensive squad than the one Ipswich brought up two years ago, but he must produce results immediately while helping numerous new arrivals settle quickly.
What do you feel about this post?
Like
Love
Happy
Haha
Sad
