Championship clubs have been on a spending spree this summer, with around £120 million spent on players already in this transfer window. With the 2023-24 season underway and just weeks to go until the window slams shut, it’s unlikely they will top the £174m forked out prior to the 2019-20 campaign, but it’s still one of the biggest on record.
With that said, let’s take a look at some of the players who have racked up the biggest fees this summer.
Shea Charles – Southampton (£10.5m)
Southampton are aiming to return to the Premier League at the first time of asking after suffering relegation last season, and they will be hoping that Shea Charles can play a big part in their promotion charge and make them more favourable in the odds to win the Championship.
The highly-rated midfielder only made one senior appearance for Manchester City, as he was brought on as a substitute in the loss to Brentford on the final day of last season, but he was an influential figure in Man City’s under-23 side winning the Premier League 2 in 2021-22.
The 19-year-old also already has eight caps for Northern Ireland. Charles set Southampton back £10.5m, with the deal potentially rising to £15m with add-ons. He made his first Championship appearance off the bench in the 4-4 draw with Norwich City.
Harry Winks – Leicester City (£10m)
With Youri Tielemans leaving Leicester City upon the expiration of his contract at the King Power Stadium, the Foxes were desperate for a recruit in midfielder and new manager Enzo Maresca opted to bring in Harry Winks from Tottenham Hotspur.
The Spurs youth product made 128 Premier League appearances in nine years at the north London side and was an important member of the squad during their successful spell under Mauricio Pochettino — helping Tottenham finish second in the league and reach the Champions League final.
Winks spent last season on loan at Serie A side Sampdoria, where he made 20 appearances in the Italian top flight, and was entering the final year of his contract this summer. That’s why it made perfect sense for Daniel Levy to cash in on the 27-year-old and he moved to Leicester for £10m.
Haji Wright – Coventry City (£7.7m)
Coventry City were the unlucky losers in last year’s Championship play-off final, suffering an agonising penalty shootout defeat to Luton Town at Wembley Stadium back in May. Although outsiders in the Championship tips for a repeat of last year, the Sky Blues are keen to challenge for promotion again this season and the signing of Haji Wright is a big statement.
Coventry had to pay Turkish side Antalyaspor £7.7m for the United States Men’s Soccer Team forward, breaking the club-record fee of £6.5m they paid Norwich City for a fresh-faced Craig Bellamy some 23 years ago.
Wright is a prolific goalscorer, netting 29 times in 60 Super Lig appearances for his previous club, and he’s already off the mark for Coventry — scoring in the 3-0 win over Middlesbrough. Once he’s up to speed and starting games, the 25-year-old could be a real dangerman.
Conor Coady – Leicester City (£7.5m)
Featuring on this list for a second time, the departures of Jonny Evans and Caglar Soyuncu left a gaping hole in Leicester’s defence. The duo were regular features at the back for the Foxes for the best part of five years, but Evans has lost his legs a bit at 35 and Soyuncu joined Atletico Madrid at the end of his contract.
Conor Coady is the man tasked with filling that void after moving to the King Power from Leicester’s geographical rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers for a fee of £7.5m. The 30-year-old was on the books at Molineux for eight years and rarely missed a game for Wolves, but spent last season on loan at Everton — where he made just 24 Premier League appearances.
The England international picked up an injury in a behind-closed-doors friendly in pre-season and will miss seven weeks of the season. Leicester will be keen to get him back to full fitness as they look to gain automatic promotion back to the top flight.