Bellingham and former Man Utd starlet among 10 best Championship bargains of the summer | OneFootball

Jobe Bellingham, Aaron Connolly and Ethan Laird.

Modern-day football has a money obsession, but you still can’t beat a bargain. Jude Bellingham’s little brother joins an ex-Manchester United starlet in this list of best low-cost Championship summer signings…

Ashley Barnes (Burnley to Norwich City, free transfer) A key figure during Sean Dyche’s days at Burnley, Barnes’ time at Turf Moor was always likely to end following Vincent Kompany’s arrival, but he proved last season that he still has a lot to give at Championship level.

The 33-year-old has enjoyed a promising start to the 2023/24 campaign following his free transfer to David Wagner’s Norwich City. After their dire season last time around, the Canaries (who have seven points from three games) could be a surprise package and contend for promotion.

Norwich are currently the Championship’s top scorers with nine goals and Barnes (two goal involvements in three games) is already forming a strong partnership with United States international Josh Sargent (three goal involvements in three games).

Ashley Barnes in action for Norwich City.

Joe Bryan (Fulham to Millwall, free transfer) Millwall have made a sluggish start to this season after they missed out on the play-offs last term but they have done some great summer business and they should soon be in the running for the top six once again.

The Lions have steadily improved their squad year-on-year under Gary Rowett and Bryan is a huge upgrade on their previous first-choice left-back, Scott Malone.

Bryan did not play as much as he’d hoped for Fulham in the Premier League, but his performances in the Championship with the Cottagers and Bristol City make him a likely candidate to be the second tier’s best left-back this season.

Jobe Bellingham (Birmingham City to Sunderland, £1.5m) The 17-year-old younger brother of Jude Bellingham is always going to be compared to the Real Madrid newbie. This is inevitable but also unfair as the England international is a once-in-a-generation level footballer who is going to be one of the best midfielders in the world for many years to come.

Jobe may not reach the same heights as Jude, but the Sunderland teenager is still among the brightest young talents in the Football League.

There are great footballing genes in the Bellingham family, as Jobe has quickly proven himself to be a superb signing for the Black Cats. And his stellar start to the season has made it clear that he *should* line up alongside his brother for England in the future.

Cafu (Nottingham Forest to Rotherham United, free transfer) Rotherham United are not blessed with a big budget so they often have to rely on loans and free transfers in the Championship. As a Millers supporter, I know more than most that they do not get all their bargain signings spot on, but Cafu has been an excellent one.

The South Yorkshire outfit are always up against it in the Championship due to the financial might of their rivals, but they need more technically gifted players in their squad if they are to stick around in the second tier for a prolonged period and Cafu fits the mould.

The former Nottingham Forest midfielder has quickly grown to be a fan favourite at The New York Stadium, which is thanks partly to his threat from set-pieces. He is going to combine well with the club’s new record signing Christ Tiehi and Ollie Rathbone.

Aaron Connolly (Brighton to Hull City, £1.15m) Connolly is a rare example of a Brighton signing who did not flourish in the Premier League. The Republic of Ireland international has had nondescript loan spells at Middlesbrough and Venezia in recent seasons but he has found a home at Hull City.

After his short but sweet loan spell at Hull last term, he has been bought permanently this summer and he’s among the league’s leading scorers with three goals in three games.

Hull are a club on the rise with Liam Rosenior in charge and Connolly looks set for a breakout season under the tutelage of the young manager.

Rob Dickie (QPR to Bristol City, £1m) Bristol City have been floundering around the bottom half and prior to this summer, it looked like only a matter of time before they slipped into a serious relegation battle.

But Nigel Pearson’s side have recruited well during this window to get back on track, with Ross McCrorie, Jason Knight and Dickie their standout purchases.

Dickie was highly regarded during his time at QPR and he was one of their better players during their dramatic decline last season. Had it not been for the club’s financial issues, he would have been sold for a lot more than £1m and it would not be a surprise if Bristol City end up making a handy profit on the centre-back in a year or two.

Daniel Johnson (Preston to Stoke City, free transfer) Stoke City are another team that has spent far too long in the Championship bottom half, but they are well-placed to be a promotion dark horse this term under Alex Neil.

The former Norwich boss has overseen a major summer overhaul as he’s attempted to build a team around his image and they now have an enviable squad at their disposal. Stoke have not splashed the cash like they have before, but Johnson is one of their great pick-ups on a free transfer.

Having previously worked with Neil at Preston, the pair have now reunited at the Bet365 stadium and the proven Championship midfielder is the type of astute signing the club would have foolishly overlooked under previous regimes.

Ryan Manning (Swansea City to Southampton, free transfer) Manning’s transition into a wing-back has been the making of the Republic of Ireland international and Southampton have done brilliantly to fend off Premier League competition to sign him on a free transfer.

The Saints are going to be a must-watch team this season under Russell Martin as the manager’s possession-based approach will see them dominate most teams.

Though their frailties defensively have already been exposed, Manning will be vital from the left flank in an attacking sense and he should get plenty of assists as Southampton attempt to secure an immediate return to the Premier League.

Koji Miyoshi (Royal Antwerp to Birmingham City, free transfer) The Japan international’s move to Birmingham in the summer had all the hallmarks of an astute signing as the versatile attacker comes to the Championship with rave reviews.

The 26-year-old’s worrying injury record was one blot on his résumé ahead of his move to St Andrew’s but he got off the mark for the season with a goal in Birmingham’s 2-0 win over Bristol City so the early signs are promising.

Birmingham are unrecognisable following their takeover and summer recruitment, with Miyoshi being joined by a former Man Utd academy product…

Ethan Laird (Manchester United to Birmingham City, £875,000) The Blues have not flaunted the cash as much as most clubs post-takeover and they have not themselves a great deal with Laird, who is primed to establish himself as one of the top performers in the Championship.

The flying wing-back was part of QPR’s dreadful fall from grace last season but the always-dangerous 22-year-old will benefit from playing for a team on the up this term as the play-off chasers will help him to showcase his talents.