We’re almost approaching the halfway mark in the 2018/19 EFL Championship campaign. It has been a blistering start to the season, with the battle for playoff positions extremely close. Norwich City are perched at the top of the table while Middlesbrough, Leeds United and Sheffield United are hot on their tails, making up the top six with West Bromwich Albion and Derby County.
The likes of Nottingham Forest and Swansea City aren’t far off from the playoff slots, while the threat of relegation looms large over bottom-placed Ipswich Town, along with Bolton Wanderers and Hull City.
The summer transfer window, as expected, saw a lot of movement in the EFL Championship. There was a flurry of activity across all the clubs and as we near the halfway mark in the campaign, it is a good time to look back and see the top three new signings that have made the most significant impact so far;
The standout star of the Championship has undoubtedly been West Bromwich Albion star, Harvey Barnes. Having arrived on loan from Premier League side Leicester City, the 20-year-old attacking midfielder has set the English second division alight with a series of scintillating displays and has played an instrumental role in the Baggies’ successes.
Having begun the season as a left-winger, Barnes moved into the No.10 role after a switch to 3-4-1-2 at the Hawthorns and he has been sensational in the position. The England U21 international has already bagged 6 goals and set up 3 more in 17 league games, including his sublime strikes against Sheffield Wednesday and Norwich City.
Blessed with pace and natural flair, Barnes has been a serious menace in the final third of the pitch for Darren Moore’s team this term. And the Baggies should do everything in their powers to ensure the 20-year-old stays put at the club till the end of the season.
Another West Brom player on the list, the decision to bring in Gayle on loan from Newcastle United and allowing Salomon Rondon move the other way is looking like an inspired one.
Since moving to the Hawthorns, the 28-year-old has struck up a brilliant partnership alongside Jay Rodriguez at the top of the Baggies’ attack. The former Crystal Palace man already has nine goals to his name this term from 14 outings in the Championship – joint third-highest scorer in the division, while also laying on five assists.
Gayle’s all-around play, sharpness on the field and work rate off the ball have been outstanding this season. The Englishman fired Newcastle to promotion a couple of seasons ago on the back of his goals and if he continues in this vein of form for the rest of the season, West Brom have a great chance of being back in the Premier League.
The man behind Norwich City’s surprise run to the top of the Championship standings, Finnish striker Teemu Pukki has been a revelation since moving to the Carrow Road this summer.
The 28-year-old former Celtic star has been Daniel Farke’s most reliable man in attack and has already found the back of the net on 9 occasions in 14 outings in the second division, including back-to-back doubles against Sheffield Wednesday and Millwall in Norwich’s last two league games before the international break. Pukki has also chalked up two assists against his name.
Since joining the Canaries, Pukki has excelled in the final third of the pitch and the fact that he cost the club nothing in transfer fees makes him one of the top signings of the season so far.
