The Championship’s regular season is almost over, and there have been numerous players throughout the division who have received praise for their efforts.
Some of them, of course, have received even more accolades for having an instant impact on one of the league’s 24 clubs and their subsequent place in the table as a result of signing with a new club during the summer or winter transfer windows.
In recent seasons, the EFL, particularly the Championship, has emerged as a hotbed for talent, with players from all parts of the pitch benefiting from consistent first-team minutes and exposure gained through permanent or loan signings.
Many members of the current England squad fall into this group, including Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, Eberechi Eze, and Marc Guehi, to name a few.
However, in addition to finding some bargain or impressive bargains in the market, it is fair to say that some teams have made some huge mistakes when it comes to adding new faces to their squads, and this season is no exception.
With that in mind, Football League World has ranked the ten worst signings made by Championship clubs at various stages of the 2025/26 season.
10 Brandon Williams – Hull City
Brandon Williams, who agreed to a one-year free transfer with Hull City in August, kicks off this list.
The former Manchester United player has previously been a contentious figure at past teams, but he offered depth to Sergej Jakirovic’s roster as the Tigers operate under a transfer fee cap.
However, the 25-year-old failed to do so as his fitness struggles continued in East Yorkshire, playing only five competitive minutes for Hull in a 3-0 loss to Blackburn Rovers on August 23rd, and only making the substitutes bench five more times before his contract was mutually terminated on February 3rd.
9 Yang Min-hyeok – Coventry City
Next up is Tottenham Hotspur’s South Korean offensive prospect, Yang Min-hyeok, who has had two mixed performances in the Championship this season.
However, it is because of how frustrating the second of those, against league-leading Coventry City of all teams, has proven to be in the second half of the season after collecting three goals and one assist in 16 appearances for Portsmouth in the first half of the season.
The 19-year-old was one of only four winter acquisitions signed by Frank Lampard, joining Frank Onyeka and the attacking duo of Romain Esse and Jahnoah Markelo.
Yang featured twice more off the bench after making his debut in a 2-1 loss to Norwich City on January 26th, but has since been left out of Lampard’s squad, rendering the entire arrangement with the North London club useless.
8 Isaac Olaofe – Charlton Athletic
In eighth place is Charlton Athletic striker, Isaac ‘Tanto’ Olaofe, with Stockport County of League. One is also heavily involved in his recent transfer situations.
After an excellent season in which he scored 12 goals in all competitions as County lost in last season’s play-off semi-finals, the forward would finally join the victors in the Addicks ahead of their first Championship campaign in five years.
Given his muscular appearance, it was believed that he would fit in well with Nathan Jones’ side following a £1.5 million agreement, but this has proven to be far from the case.
Charlton have battled for goals all season, and Olaofe is a prime example of that, scoring only once and starting six of his 22 appearances before returning to Edgeley Park on loan for the rest of the season, where he has similarly failed to replicate his previous success.
7 Kaly Sene – Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough have had a great season under both Rob Edwards and Kim Hellberg, but it’s fair to say that neither has been able to get the most out of summer addition Kaly Sene, who arrived from Swiss club Lausanne for £1.5 million.
The 24-year-old isn’t the only Riverside Stadium forward who has struggled for consistency; David Strelec was in the similar boat for much of the season. However, he has yet to make ten starts under either of the club’s head coaches, owing to his terrible goal-scoring record.
Ironically, his most productive period for the North East club came in September, when he scored against West Bromwich Albion and Southampton in back-to-back games despite not starting either, but that has been the best he’s had thus far.
If Boro hope to return to the top division next season, it’s not surprising that they’ve already trimmed their losses with the Senegalese.
6 Louie Barry – Sheffield United
Next up is Louie Barry, who, like the aforementioned Olaofe, has returned to Stockport following a disappointing first half of the season with Sheffield United.
The Aston Villa forward was once a highly sought-after talent for numerous Championship clubs, and there was hope he could flourish under Ruben Selles at Bramall Lane after the Spaniard had previously loaned him to Hull City, where injury difficulties arose.
However, that couldn’t have been further from the truth, as Barry appeared just nine times for United, the most of which came before Selles was fired and replaced by Chris Wilder in September.
By early November, the 22-year-old was playing for the Blades’ Under-21s, and it was later revealed on January 3rd that, due to a knee injury, he had returned to Villa Park before rejoining the Hatters, where he can still play a role until the conclusion of the season.
5 Samuel Iling-Junior – West Bromwich Albion
Another Villa loanee, Samuel Iling-Junior, has reached the halfway point after failing to impress West Bromwich Albion fans after a brief spell in the West Midlands.
After previously playing for Middlesbrough at this level, the dynamic figure provided Baggies fans with a preview of what may have been with a magnificent finish in his debut start for the club against Leicester City on September 26th.
However, as with some others on this list, that proved to be the high point, with fans at The Hawthorns getting increasingly disgruntled with his performance levels as Albion plummeted down the table under Ryan Mason before his January dismissal.
Indeed, a terrible 3-0 defeat to Portsmouth during Eric Ramsay’s disastrous stint marked the end of the England Under-21 international’s 24 games for West Brom, and he has since battled to improve his fortunes in Serie A with Pisa.
4Chuba Akpom – Ipswich Town
After being at the core of a spectacular transfer issue between Ipswich Town and Birmingham City in August, Chuba Akpom’s season at Portman Road couldn’t have gone any worse from a personal standpoint.
It has been well known that Town are stocked with Championship quality and experience, and the former Golden Boot winner just added to that with his move from Ajax, which could be made permanent for £7 million if they get promoted back to the Premier League.
Even though Kieran McKenna’s team has been one of the most fun to watch this season in terms of goals scored, the 30-year-old has only made a few starts and has yet to score anywhere near the number of goals that many would have expected.
As a result, despite the delight that may be felt in Suffolk in the following weeks, it could still turn out to be a more costly blunder.
3Kasey McAteer – Ipswich Town
Another Tractor Boys player is in third place on this undeserved list, with Republic of Ireland international winger Kasey McAteer similarly unable to justify his £12 million fee paid to Leicester in the summer.
Even though Town and the Foxes will be two divisions apart at the start of next season, the relegation-threatened side has benefited from this agreement, as the 24-year-old has largely been unable to impact games in the same way that Jack Clarke and Jaden Philogene have in wide areas.
Finally, some outsiders may not be surprised to see McAteer on this list, as there were plenty of questions raised when his four-year contract was signed in the first place, and it remains to be seen what the future holds for him at Portman Road, especially if McKenna’s men are promoted.
2Damion Downs – Southampton FC
The second-largest transfer blunder in the Championship this season involves another of last season’s relegation trio, Southampton’s teenage striker, Damion Downs.
The USMNT player was bought for £7 million from Bundesliga club FC Koln after helping them retain their German top-flight status, but he failed to make an immediate impact as the South Coast side began the season in disarray under Tonda Eckert’s predecessor, Will Still.
In the midst of appearing 14 times for the club thus far and posting a single assist, FLW’s Southampton fan pundit, Martin Sanders, stated that Downs was “probably one of the poorest strikers I’ve seen at Saints in a very long time,” while also criticizing the hierarchy for signing an inexperienced forward in a critical position.
Downs was loaned out to Hamburg SV in January and has, disappointingly, been goal-shy despite a few of starts as the club looks to solidify its Bundesliga place.
1 Kyogo Furuhashi – Birmingham City
However, it should come as no surprise that Birmingham City forward Kyogo Furuhashi tops this list, having been part of a transfer worth up to £10 million in July.
The 23-year-old Japanese international is best known for scoring 85 goals in 165 games for Celtic, and there was hope that he might rekindle his scoring touch despite a disappointing six-month stay with Stade Rennais in France.
Despite having an amazing strike against Ipswich on the first night of the season ruled out, and then his first goal in the EFL Cup against Sheffield United a few days later, Kyogo has squandered several good chances for Blues whenever he has played.
As a result, transfer speculation over his future has already emerged, with it being stated in January that a substantial £40,000 per week wage would secure a return to Parkhead under Martin O’Neill.
To cap off a miserable first year in the West Midlands, it was reported in April that the 31-year-old will miss the remainder of Birmingham’s season after undergoing surgery for a shoulder problem.
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